Friends,
Let me start with a word of gratitude. I am grateful for all that you have done, and continue to do, to make our return to indoor, in person, celebration a reality. So far, we’ve had three worship services in the sanctuary, and each service has been better attended and more smoothly executed than the one before it. Certainly, we are still ironing out some of the wrinkles in the fabric of our services, but that was true even before Covid, before the introduction of live streaming, and before anyone ever imagined the possibility of 20 months without celebration in the sanctuary. The life of a church always is a process of fixing and tweaking things, which means that nowadays we are doing regular church work, only more so. Much more so.
For a lot of people, the return to in-person celebration has been profoundly emotional, in part because it is so good to see each other again, in part because we have lost so much during Covid, and in part because we lack confidence about what the future holds for us, individually, as a congregation, and as a society.
Given the uncertainty of these times, I want to issue an invitation: please feel free and encouraged to come talk to me. I’m not a trained therapist, but I always consider it a profound privilege when folks come to me seeking pastoral care (which is church talk for seeking spiritual guidance or advice, or just stopping by to chew the fat with a pastor). In 28 years of pastoral ministry, I’ve never had the experience of wishing someone hadn’t come by to see me in my office (OK, there was one time, but that was another pastor, not a member of the church, and the reason for her visit involved the seedier side of San Jose’s political underbelly, which is part of why I have yet to get involved in Oakland politics; stop by to see me and I’ll give you the details).
As Advent approaches, I am aware that the Christmas season can be a time of serious emotional stress which, when combined with uncertainty around COVID, the economy, and the overall state of the world, makes me suspect that at least some of us will be facing significant stress in the next couple of months. Let’s take care of ourselves, and let’s take care of one another. If coming by my office for a chat helps you take care of yourself or someone else, please swing by to see me.
And, of course, please keep showing up on Sunday. Seeing people in the pews always makes me profoundly happy, especially as we move back inside together. We’ll make it through this together, and if we do it right, we’ll come out stronger on the other side.
God’s Peace,
Ben