In this installment of Pastoral Reflections, Pastor Bob invites us to slow down and notice the grace present in every season of life and ministry. As Union Congregational Church enters its tenth year with Pastor Bob, he reflects on the blessings of summer, the challenges of visioning for the future, and the importance of trusting God’s timing.
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
Psalm 130:5
Remember the Tootsie-Roll owl trying to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? He got to three, and then he bit down to get to the middle and decided it takes three licks. Often we try to do the same thing; we want to get to the result, the payoff. When we do that, when we bite our way through, we may miss something delicious.
At the end of this summer, we will mark ten years of ministry together. I can hardly believe it. We have already done so much, and, at the same time, there is always more to do. Sometimes I wonder what Union Congregational Church will look like in another ten years. We may have an idea of how the future looks, we may have a plan, and we may wish to jump ahead to see how the story turns out, but if we do, we may miss the little graces that make a journey its own reward. Each day, each month, each year we will have new challenges and new blessings as we step into the new possibilities God has for us. We should not miss those moments as we move toward the future.
Right now, we are in the midst of our summer slowdown. This is a good time to take stock. The long lazy summer days remind me that sometimes it is good to sit and watch the dragonflies, listen to the birds, and watch the grass grow. It is a good time to think about what the church is doing and how we are doing what we do. As our visioning process continues, we have the opportunity to sit back and watch God at work in this congregation. Sometimes things move slowly in community, and the visioning process can seem like watching the grass grow.
What new insights will we find as we watch? Paul Nickerson asks these questions of us:
Why do we exist as a church?
Where are we going?
How will we get there?
How many licks does it take?
These are good questions, and answering them will take whatever time it takes. While we ponder great questions like these, we can trust that God is still God, and that we can wait on the Lord to see what happens next.
