Dear Beloved Friends,
One morning this week I arose early in a state of deeper melancholy.
“Here we still are,” was my pressing thought, “Still.”
As I sipped my morning coffee and paused with my emotions, I found that images of you — my dear Union family — were filling my heart and mind. At first, I felt such sadness for the passing time without the ability to see you, except on screen and occasionally in person from a distance. As one of our younger friends reminded me, “We didn’t get to slide together on Father’s Day!” The void experienced when we cannot share life together is real.
And, yet, as I continued to take time to think of YOU and pray for YOU by name, my sadness turned to a joy that I can only describe as JOY OF THE SPIRIT. James B and I often talk about the myriad ways our lives are more full and rich because of our journey with YOU, our Union family. We truly cannot imagine our lives without you, dear friends and co-sojourners. Through you we’ve grown in our understanding of God’s grace, learned to take risks for God’s justice that all people might flourish, and experienced refreshment through your laughter, insights and life stories. Through you we’ve experienced connection in the Spirit, reminding us that we NEED each other’s gifts and personalities. We are not the same; together we reflect the fullness of God.
Philippians 1:3-6, that Paul wrote to his beloved friends at Philippi while he was in prison and could not see them, expresses truly and deeply our sentiment for you, our Union family:
(We) thank our God every time (we) remember you. 4 In all (our) prayers for all of you, (we) always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Yes, we miss you AND we give such deep thanks for you, experiencing joy when we think about you. The word for partnership, koinonia, means at its root, “shared life.” Even in this time of Covid19, when we are physically apart, we give thanks for our shared life “to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God” as we pray to our Lord who unites us in Spirit.
Please know that we pray for you, our beloved Union family, daily. Every day you are in our thoughts and prayers and often throughout the day. What a joy to know you, to share life with you and to partner in the gospel together.
May you trust that God is doing a good work in you as you seek to trust that Jesus Christ is with you in the midst of uncertainty and challenges. May you trust that the Holy Spirit flows through you to bring hope.
May you trust that we are experiencing koininia together – partners in the Gospel.
In this time of disruption, as we “do” church beyond walls, do you know that God is inviting our Union Church community into partnership with other churches in Seattle to respond together as God’s people of reconciliation and hope as we seek a new day of justice?
So…
1) Will you join with us to pray for this good work that God is doing as we seek to partner with others in our city?
2) Will you let us know how we can pray for you (because we already are praying daily)? Here is my email: renee@unionchurchseattle.org
In the Joy of the Spirit – Renée
(This prayer also blessed me on that melancholic morning)