People of Hope:
This Sunday, February 5, we remember and give thanks to God for the ministry and ministers of Esperanza through the years. As the first step in our transition process, we will lift up the ways God has worked through this community to enrich and guide our lives. Please bring a photo—or two or three—with you this Sunday of a cherished memory from your time at Esperanza. Perhaps you have a photo from a baptism or confirmation, progressive dinner or camping trip. Perhaps you have photos from Vacation Bible School or First Communion, Campformation or youth group. Perhaps your photos come from Trivia Night or the Garden of Eatin’, a Promesa de Esperanza cantata or Easter Sunrise Service. During worship, you will be invited to name a cherished memory and pin your photo or photos to a photo board that will later be available in the Fellowship Hall for everyone to peruse during fellowship. You will, of course, be able to take your photos home with you.
Also during worship, we will create a stone path in our worship space, a path forward. We cannot go back to what was, but we can move forward led by the Holy Spirit. This literal path will remind us that God has created a path for us, the people of Esperanza, to move forward in mission and ministry. All we need do is walk the path.
When I was a seminary student, I didn’t trust walking the path led by the Holy Spirit. In regards to one part of the process towards ordination, I sidestepped the path, prefering to set up my own way forward over which I had control. I am a rule-follower by nature, so of course I went about this task completely open with seminary staff and my candidacy committee. However, we were all fooled into believing this was the best way forward. To my surprise, it didn’t go well. Our best laid plans ended up a wreck. Ever since then, whenever I am tempted to sidestep a process, I stop myself and remember my seminary years. God actually has set a path for us. We don’t need to invent our own path.
Walking this path, led by the Holy Spirit, is uncomfortable—because we don’t know what’s at the end of the path. We really don’t know. But whatever it is is what God wants for us, and it will be better than whatever we attempt to contrive for ourselves. The next few weeks, we will be exploring ways to open ourselves to this path so that we can hear God clearly as we put together our mission statement and guiding principles.
Wherever the Holy Spirit leads us is a gift! We just get to hang on and trust!
With joy and anticipation,
Pastor Sarah