Thoughts Along the Way . . .

I became aware this week that the Washington County Board of Commissioners are giving serious consideration to closing the two public health clinics in the county (they have already closed a third clinic in Tigard). These clinics provide basic health care coverage for approximately 9,000 individuals. Many of the people who use these services are the most vulnerable people in our community, living on the edge with very few resources to draw upon. I believe that Jesus made it abundantly clear that we are called to care for the last, the lost and the least among us. I invite you to consider contacting the County Commissioners and encourage them to reconsider these closures. There will be a public hearing about this plan on Tuesday evening, February 24th in the County building. A show of public support from the local faith communities would be helpful.

- Pastor Roger
(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Lent

The Church’s liturgical calendar is structured around seasons which flow from Advent and Christmas through Epiphany and into Lent, Easter and Pentecost, followed by the long period known as Ordinary Time and then back once again to Advent. Each season has its own character and its own themes. One of the gifts which comes with paying attention to such a calendar of seasons is the opportunity to really immerse ourselves in the themes. The truth is that we may or may not be experiencing the realities represented by the various seasons when the season is occurring. The joy of Christmas may not be ours at that moment. The wonder of Epiphany may not resonate with where we find ourselves on January 6th. The notions of sacrifice and reflection which present themselves during Lent may seem foreign to us. But the seasons allow us a chance to “try them on” so that when we do find ourselves in such circumstances we will have some spiritual resources available to us which can be brought to bear.

On February 18th we will once again enter the season of Lent, which is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) preceding Easter. It is a season which offers us the chance to explore some of the “darker” aspects of life - sacrifice, loss, suffering, betrayal, etc. This year our worship experiences during this season will, in one way or another, center around a theme of being in the wilderness. I hope you will take the opportunity to allow this season to be a time of spiritual exploration and growth as together we discover what it means to be people of faith even in challenging times.


- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

A year ago today I met with the search committee tasked with finding your next interim pastor. I didn’t know any of them and they didn’t know me. I had never been to Hillsboro before. And now, a year later, here I sit in my office, writing to you in my capacity as your Transitional Pastor. I am regularly reminded that life is an amazing journey full of surprises. And along the way we always have choices. We can hunker down and try to protect ourselves from the changes which threaten to disrupt our illusion of control. Or we can do our best to stay open to the flow of God’s Spirit which carries us along on the amazing adventure of our living. There will be surprises along the way. We won’t always end up where we thought we would end up. And isn’t that a good thing. I am grateful that our journeys have come together for a time. Thank you for walking with me.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

As many of you know, we had a congregational meeting last Sunday after church. The discussion which took place was lively, with strong opinions being expressed on both sides of the issue. We took a vote, tallied and announced the results and we were done. The point I want to make about all of that has to do with what it says about the character of our congregation. Some of you may have been here long enough and watch enough of these sorts of discussions take place that you’ve stopped noticing what an amazing thing it is. But I would like to invite you to notice. We had a challenging discussion that could easily have resulted in hard feelings and left people not talking to each other. But not here. People felt free to participate fully and give voice to their views on the matter. And when all was said and done we were still talking to each other. That speaks volumes about who we are as Church. Once again I find myself feeling such gratitude for the privilege of sharing in ministry with you.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

I am home sick today. It is not a condition I enjoy. But it does serve as an opportunity to remember how grateful I am for my body. It allows me to be fully present in this amazing world – hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling my way through each and every moment. And the inner workings of my body are truly remarkable. The reason I’m sick is because my body is busy fighting off whatever foreign bugs found their way into my system. So I am grateful to be alive. Every moment is a God-given gift. And in this moment I will stay home and drink lots of water.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Thoughts Along the Way . . .

We are all connected – to each other, to the planet and all of its inhabitants, to God. What happens to one happens to all. Last Saturday I experienced this reality in a personal way. Someone I know was shot and killed in yet another incident of senseless and violent mayhem. I didn’t know her well, but I knew her. And a lot of people I know knew her, many more intimately than I did. As the news of this tragedy spread across Facebook I experienced a dull and numbing ache in my soul, partly because it was someone I knew and partly because so many of my friends were touched by it. It didn’t matter that they were hundreds of miles away. Their pain affected me. The shared experience of loss did not bind us together, it simply reminded us that we were already bound together. And thus connected, we reached out. One person shared a story that left us smiling. Another expressed her disbelief and sense of being numb. Virtual hugs were offered. A sense of being present with each other, in the words and in the silence between the words, permeated the experience. And the Sacred Presence of Spirit was made tangible. Some might ask “Where is God?”. In this particular experience, I can only respond by pointing to the many ways in which we touched each other. We are all connected.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

Welcome to 2015

Welcome to 2015! The beginning of a new year is an arbitrary and artificial point in the cycle of the seasons, and yet we organize our lives around it. It becomes a milestone because we make it so. We are meaning-making creatures and making sense of our lives through a filter of endings and beginnings seems to be a very human trait.

So much has happened in the past twelve months, for you and for me. A year ago we could not have guessed what life held in store for us. Some of it left us laughing. Some of it left us weeping. Some of it left us wondering how we could be so lucky. And some of it left us wondering how to just keep going. Through it all we were not sustained by having enough knowledge or skill or control. We were sustained by the grace of God’s Spirit, often manifest in the form of the love and support of family, friends and partners in faith.

And so we stand at the threshold of a new year, looking back at where we’ve been and ahead to where we’re going. It is a foregone conclusion that where we find ourselves a year from now will be as much a surprise as this past year has been. Life is simply not predictable or controllable. We are calling this time in the congregation’s life a period of transition, but the truth is that every moment of life is a transition moment. We are always moving from what is into what will be, and we cannot know what will be until we get there. What will sustain us on this journey is not being smart enough, or strong enough, or in control enough. What will sustain us through whatever experiences come our way is being open to the ever-present Spirit of God and the ongoing support of our partners on the journey. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of walking this path with you in this moment.

- Pastor Roger

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)