January 21

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, January 31, following our regular livestream worship service, we will have our Annual Parish Meeting by Zoom. The Zoom instructions and the Agenda will be sent out next week and posted on our website. The Annual Meeting reports are now posted on our website beneath this update, and paper copies were mailed today to those who normally receive the Tartan by mail.

This week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – our nation has been sharing gatherings which I believe were powerful times of liturgy. Times of gathering to remember our challenges and the challenges ahead of us, to turn to God and our hopes to serve with mercy and righteousness, to acknowledge one another and seek God’s help to reach out to one another across our divisions and renew our shared hope.

One of the highlights for me was the poem at the inauguration by the young poet Amanda Gorman. Here are the ending verses:

We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover,
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it

As followers of Jesus, as God’s people today, let us be brave and hopeful as we live into these times. See you this Sunday to explore more of our national liturgies.

Yours in Christ,
Martin+