A letter from Pastor Eric

26 March, 2020

Dear beloved community,

We are all finding ourselves in an altered reality these days. It feels very strange not to be gathering and visiting and doing what Church has done for millennia… and yet I keep taking very seriously the command that Jesus gave us to love our neighbors no exception. There have been lots of times in the midst of ministry where I’ve heard people intone that if we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we are probably not doing a very good job… you see, we often don’t love ourselves or take care of ourselves as we should. We are being reminded daily with the instructions to wash and pray, to social distance and to call and support one another in our interconnected world. As we hear stories about a virus that is “novel,” utterly unique to human beings and our immune systems, that COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate… we remember that all our lives are woven together in more ways than we can imagine. That connection might be frightening to some, but it should also be a beautiful reminder that God is offering us to see our neighbors near and far as connected to our lives and our stories. I was recently reminded of the expression “liminal space.” That’s not a phrase that is probably familiar to most people, but it’s an incredibly powerful idea. It’s the idea of that space between the already and the not yet. It is a space that, within our journeys of faith, we are always traversing. Scott Stoner shared: The author and theologian Richard Rohr defines liminal time in this way: "It is when you have left, or are about to leave, the tried and true, but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else. It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer. If you are not trained in how to hold anxiety, how to live with ambiguity, how to entrust and wait, you will run...anything to flee this terrible cloud of unknowing." He goes on to say that ancient cultures referred to liminal space as "crazy time," because it is like nothing we have ever experienced before. Think of it as that space, that time, when a flying acrobat has let go of one swinging trapeze and is in mid-air, anxiously seeking the grasp of another who is swinging their way. Often in ministry, I have encountered that moment at the threshold as sacred time when God's presence might catch us unaware and bless us unexpectedly. I have been listening to people in this moment offering expressions of deep grief as their routines and the things that they enjoy doing most, the things that offer them purpose in life, have been stripped away very rapidly. The litany of separations is profound… and we all know it. At the same time, yesterday I saw more people out walking as families, as individuals, than I have seen on any weekday afternoon that I can recall. I’ve been hearing about people reaching out to long lost friends by phone and internet. I’ve heard about more families gathering to watch a movie together, or to read books, or to play a game. I am reminded so often of our first exchange student who used to intone: “pick an attitude.” We often don’t to choose our circumstance, but we get to choose our response. There is a core proclamation of our faith that God journeys with us wherever we go… but much of the time we don’t pay all that much attention to God's presence or to God's invitation to a deeper relationship with that love that never ends. Our tidings this month is quite different than usual. There are not activities identified that will gather us together physically – though there are a number of opportunities to connect virtually, and we may seek to offer more as time goes on. We have been recording worship services and uploading them to YouTube with links to our website and Facebook, I’m grateful to have a talented family (even with the addition of a very musical French exchange student) that has been willing to share in creating what we hope is sacred space for those able to tune in. E-mail communication has become increasingly important for those who have access to that form of communication. If you’ve not been hearing from church, then it means that we don’t have current information for you – please use this time as an opportunity to call or email church to update our records. Where I have been struggling to stay connected is with those who aren’t on-line. It will take all of us to keep sharing the love of God with all those members of our family and beyond. I’m also very aware that there are many for whom this time is causing particular hardship not just emotionally, but also physically. Please, please, let the church know if there are needs of which you become aware and we will try to creatively do what we can to help. A friend sent a poem from Kitty O’ Meara that many of you have seen. This retired Chaplain and teacher from Madison offers us words that I share as prayer for us in the days ahead: "And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of the people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed."

May we know that God is with us in this time upon our sacred journey,

Pastor Eric

A letter that is already obsolete... We will NOT be holding worship March 15th

March 13, 2020
Dear Beloved Community,
The last few days have reminded us that we have entered unprecedented territory.
As we have listened to the World Health Organization proclaim that we are now in the
midst of a pandemic, and we have watched our nation scrambling to discern how best
to contain and combat a novel viral infection we are quickly assessing how this might
impact us as a worshipping and gathering community.
It is in times of crisis that we need our faith most. At the same time, the very gathering in
community that feeds our souls may not be the most prudent course of action for the
health of ourselves or our community.
I have never been a pastor through a pandemic, so we are going to navigate this
journey together. We continue to be in conversation with the Wider Church and to
monitor the directives of the CDC and WHO to try to root our response in science rather
than fear. We will follow the direction of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
and any specific guidance that comes from our county in terms of closures. We will also
stop holding services should the school districts close. We will not stop doing ministry in
whatever new and creative ways God may offer to us.
We will gather for worship this weekend . . . we’ll have hand sanitizer available; we’re
working to increase our efforts to sanitize surfaces in which we commonly come in
contact. We’ll be refraining from handshakes.
Friends, I encourage you to continue to take lots of precautions:
 For those who are elderly or with current health concerns - it is wisest to practice
social isolation
 Wash your hands with warm water and soap long enough to recite the Lord's
Prayer!
 For those who experience any symptoms of cold or flu - stay home and contact
your doctor if you think you need testing for COVID-19
 We’ll be looking into the possibilities of using technology for meetings, Bible
studies, and worship services as quickly as we can.
 Ensure sufficient food and paper supplies, prescriptions and hygiene
essentials…but please don't hoard. Allow your earthly siblings to have sufficiency
as well!
Please DO stay connected with one another as together we discern how to grow
stronger as God's beloved community. I had the following words from Rabbi Yosef
Kanefsky forwarded to me this morning. “Every hand that we don’t shake must become
a phone call that we place. Every embrace that we avoid must become a verbal
expression of warmth and concern. Every inch and foot that we physically place between ourselves and another, must become a thought as to how we might be of help to that other, should the need arise.”
We have heard that both Cedar Community’s assisted living and health care center as well as Kettle Moraine Garden are no longer permitting visitors from the outside for at least the next 30 days. Most of our college students and professors either have heard or are anticipating hearing that their campuses will be closing and classes moving online in the next few days or weeks. And for all the others whose lives and livelihoods are disrupted, let us hear that as in invitation to practice love and connection in new ways.
Finally, I would share with you the words that our Conference Minister Rev. Franz Rigert shared with us last night: crafted by the Rev. Dr. Hannah Adams Ingram (a University Chaplain):
Oh God, I'm Spinning Out: A Prayer
There is so much I do not know
There is so much I cannot see
There is so much I cannot control
In the moments I feel powerless, I will take a deep breath
trusting that I am tasked only with doing my part, not the whole
In the moments I feel unsure, I will take a deep breath
trusting that I am not alone and that together, our wisdom will be richer
In the moments I feel anxious, I will take a deep breath
trusting that there is no depth I can fall out of reach of the Spirit that holds me close
What I do know is that my life and love and worth extend far beyond my work
What I can see is that spring follows every winter and new life pokes out from cold ground
What I can control is my breath and the love I inject into a world so clearly lacking it
"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
Remember - Care, Caution and Calm. And keep the faith! My prayers of love, support and encouragement abide with you,
Pastor Eric

Message from Our Covenanted Partner in Ministry, Rev. Gretchen Martin

Caring For Yourself

Over the last several months we have been talking about the complexities of grief and loss and all the ways you can care for other people. This month we are going to shift the focus and turn our attention inward upon ourselves. We all care for other people in some way or another, in our families, in our church and even in our places of employment. To be fully present for the other we need to also tend to our own needs. We do this through self-care. According to Helen L. Coons, PhD, a clinical health psychologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry in Aurora, Colorado, "Self-care is one’s actions around our physical, emotional, relational, perhaps professional, educational, and, for some people, spiritual well-being that reflects the way that we take care of ourselves on the most fundamental levels." By being aware that your resources are running low, self-care helps you step back and replenish them, rather than letting them drain entirely. Integrating self-compassion into your life will help prevent burn-out, will lift your own spirits, and prepare you for the next care-giving encounter.

Self-care encompasses just about anything you do to be good to yourself. This list is not exhaustive, but I hope you can find something here that would give you joy and rejuvenation.

-             Mediation

-             Prayer

-             Color a Mandala

-             Water Stones (write on a stone with chalk and watching the words wash away as the rock enters the water)

-             Breathing techniques

-             Draw in the sand

-             Listen to Music

-             Drink Tea

-             Take a short walk

-             Get out in the fresh air and sunshine

-             Exercise

-             Play a sport that you enjoy

-             Journal

-             See a therapist

-             Join a support group

-             Essential Oils

-             Eat a special treat

-             Let yourself laugh or cry

-             Make an “I’m grateful for…” List

-             Get away / go out of town

-             Yoga

-             Take a Nap

-             Say “No” to things

-             Write a letter to a friend

-             Technology free time

-             Spa treatment – professional or DIY

-             Work on your hobby

-             Read a book

This next month as you care for those around you and as we enter the busy holiday season, take some time each day, maybe 10 minutes, to practice self-care. Be as kind to yourself as you would be to others, allowing yourself the space and permission to rest and recharge.

“Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” -Eleanor Brown

From the Pastor's Study - November 2019

One of the suggested texts for Sunday morning was Genesis 32:22-31, the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel:  

“… 24 But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. 25 When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. 26 The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.”  

But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.”  

27 He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel, because you struggled with God and with men and won.”  

29 Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.”  

But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel, “because I’ve seen God face-to-face, and my life has been saved.” 31 The sun rose as Jacob passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh.” 

Over the years I’ve heard scholars ponder if Jacob/Israel carried that limp with him for the rest of his life as a reminder of his wrestling with God in the midst of his fears. Of course, the way that he moved in the world would also be a reminder of the blessing from God for which he had struggled. The story sits in a moment of transition on Jacob’s journey – he is passing through the shallow waters from one challenge to the next. He is journeying from a longing for justice into a place filled with fear and also with the possibility of reconciliation. Scripture invites us into many journeys; and most of them are far from simple. If I tried to think of a unifying theme for all of scripture’s journeys it would be that no matter where we are on life’s journey, God is there with us. 

At our annual meeting, we gathered for a momentous step as a congregation, we took a vote to approve and live into a statement about being an inclusive church. Most of the proclamation simply sounds like an affirmation of what we have understood “being church” to mean for a long time, or forever. But the statement clarifies that welcome, and in this moment in time that clarification is particularly important for the LGBTQ+ communities. This has been a controversy that has divided churches just as other social justice issues have throughout history whether addressing slavery, the role of women, civil rights, etc. The hope is that our statement speaks broadly enough to affirm all of God's children, period. The prayer is that every child of God is able to claim that God has made them beautiful and a reflection of the image of God. Living true to ourselves and to God becomes the call – but that’s not rooted in our changing who we are, it’s rooted in our growing in our relationship with God and God’s blessing. There will undoubtedly be another group in the future who needs to be affirmed in a particular way, and I hope that we will make that proclamation in that time. The church has struggled from its beginnings to accept the journey of each person drawing close to God and becoming the best person that they can be. The church grew into understanding that gentiles didn’t need to become Jews before becoming Christians any more than we should hope that homosexuals should become heterosexual before being fully a part of the Body of Christ, or that women should become like men before assuming positions of leadership. God’s story has always been unfolding. We celebrate our relationship with a StillSpeaking God. 

Our journey, as servants of the love of God, made known to us in the example of Jesus won’t always be easy. And in times of change, passing through the waters, we need to remember that we are always to be journeying together, maybe even limping, with the blessing of God. My prayer is that those who voted to affirm, and those who opposed, and those who abstained (81 yes, 2 no, 5 abstain) all remember that we are called to learn and grow from one another, that we are invited to deepen our sense of love and faith together. 

There was a quote that was recently shared with me that spoke the love that I see woven into the story of scripture. It is from one of my favorite preachers, Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor and seems like words to live by:  

“The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbor, I will choose my neighbor… Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.”