I saw raindrops on the window,

Joy is like the rain.

Laughter runs across my pane,

Slips away and comes again,

Joy is like the rain.

 

I saw raindrops on the river,

Joy is like the rain.

Bit by bit the river grows,

Till all at once it overflows.

Joy is like the rain. ~ Sr. Miriam Therese Winter

 

That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! (Ephesians 1: 15-19 The Message)

By the time you all are reading this blog, many of you will have already read the article in Broadview Magazine where Bethel was featured as was my experience of your outpouring of love and support during the pandemic.  My thanks to Rev. Christopher White for interviewing me and Brenda Gray for this article.  Its not often that we begin with talking about the Goodness of God’s world, first.

What can I say to you all, but thank you.  Over and over again I say thank you.

The amount of care and love you have shown me for the last (gulp) almost 2 years has been what has gotten me through this time when I seem to be constantly ‘flying by the seat of my pants’ and trying to make sense out of our seemingly neve ending changes in public health measures.

This love – this community – this ministry….well, all I can say is that  this is what I believe God had in mind,  way back when I was an eight-year old kid reading her new Gideon Bible under her covers with a flashlight.  This is what I believe God had in mind when I knelt in front of the Bay of Quinte Conference, with ministry and family hands on my head and I was ordained to God’s work in our world.  This is what I believe God had in mind when we Covenanted together, way back in October of 2019, before Covid -19 was unleashed in our world and ‘public health measures’ was a phrase that had no impact on the way we worship, on our meetings and in our day to day interactions.

This is God in action.  This ‘outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus’.

Right after the article came out there were a few kinda negative comments from other clergy.  Weird comments – like that they thought ‘highlighting’ my experience of appreciation and health was somehow an aberration and not helpful for them.  I was really sad when I heard that; and I realized that, again, the insidious worming of negativity and evil has become not only the standard for our culture, but the standard for our churches.  A culture of health, support and appreciation should be our normal.  Not the culture of burn-out, competitiveness, and hostility.  Because, bottom line, is that we call ourselves Christian.  And, well, didn’t Jesus go around telling us that the only way others can tell that we’re Christians is by our ‘love for one another’?

So, my dear Bethel community, will you join me in becoming a people who continue with this ‘outpouring of love’ to all of God’s wonderful creation?  Because I’m thinking that maybe this will be like Sr. Winter’s song about Joy – and that “bit by bit the river grows, until all at once it overflows”.  Maybe bit by bit, we can change the culture of the community around us to a place of outpouring love.  To a place of love and support.  And to a place where its so clear that we are Christians.

Blessings today, and remember you are loved.

~Rev. Lynne