From the Pastor's Pen

Dear Friends,

I like the poem I found in my Celtic devotional readings today.  It is written by John Phillip Newell, a Presbyterian minister with the Church of Scotland and former warden of the Iona Community – an Internationally renowned spirituality center, on the Isle of Iona in Scotland.  John has an definite interest in Celtic Spirituality which he describes as deep awareness of the Sacred in all things, a desire to nurture spiritual practice in relation to this wisdom, and to translate this study and practice into compassionate action.  I hear John’s desire to recognize the sacred in all things in his poem.

Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face
in the light of the moon and patterns of stars,
in sacred mountain rifts and ancient groves,
in mighty seas and creatures of the deep.

Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face
in the light of eyes we love,
in the salt of tears we have tasted,
in weathered countenances east and west,
in the soft skin glow of the child everywhere.
Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face,
there is Your face
among us.

It seems to me that we are in a season of looking for the face of God in unusual places.  We can no longer seek God’s face in our sacred spaces in the church or among the familiar faces of our church family.  This does not, however, mean God’s face is absent.  It means we need to look with new eyes to see God’s face in neighbors we pass on the sidewalk, in the sturdy trees that shade our homes, in the clouds that provide a cozy tent overhead or the bright sunshine that causes everything to sparkle with color. 

This is a season to look for God everywhere we turn.  I think it will take some practice.  😊

Blessings,

Pr. Sally