Notice the Evergreens

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ~ 1 John 5:13-14

As the leaves change and fall around us, it feels natural to take time to reflect on my own journey of change over the past few months. And, let me tell you, it’s been a windy road getting here.

I am excited to now serve as an ordained pastor of Word and Sacrament with the ELCA. And I hope you will be able to join for my Installation at Trinity on November 14 at 4PM (shameless plug!).

But I’ll be honest; in some ways, it doesn’t feel like this grand transformation into something entirely new and big and shiny. Part of that is because I’ve been serving with the church for ten years and feel like that time of service had meaning just as much as this new call does. But I think part of it, too, is that things have unfolded in a more lackluster way than I expected. I didn’t have a formal, in-person graduation from seminary; my ordination service was small and missing some important people in my life; and - truthfully - I feel a bit uneasy about the installation service coming up. What if it’s cancelled (like so many other things, lately)? What if my parents can’t come at the last minute? Will the bishop make it from the service she’s leading beforehand, or will something happen that keeps her? Will I remember everyone's anyone’s name that joins in person?

I feel weary. I’m sure you do too. And I’m wondering: do you also feel like your life is lackluster these days?

When, like the leaves, things change and fall through, it’s easy to feel bogged down with little hope or inspiration. But as I drive back and forth on Aurora Avenue / Hwy 99 between work and home, I’ve started to notice something that I hadn’t before. Yes, there are trees sprinkled throughout the drive that are in various states of their autumnal transformation; but this city has another life form that adorns the landscape unlike any other city I’ve seen. Through the changing seasons, evergreens stand tall as a reminder that not everything goes through a grand transformation; some things remain constant.