Grateful

by Rev. Eric Folkerth

This morning I write in gratitude.

I’m grateful to all the incredible lay folks and staff who provided us with a rich Holy Week experience in worship, and who have created the new “Kessler4Methodist” mission.

Palm Sunday was powerful. 

Maundy Thursday was intimate and tender, and it was wonderful watch folks eating meals around their own tables!

Good Friday provided creative and inspiring music to accentuate the challenging message of the day.

And Easter Sunday saw the return of our organ and amazing organ/trumpet duets.

Special thanks to all those who brought flowers for Easter Sunday. What a blessing that was too. And gratitude to Brett Shipp, who each Sunday is helping provide a much-needed sense of calm and professionalism behind the camera. (We are so blessed!)

A special “shout out” to our staff, who continue to not only provide meaningful Sunday worship, but who are also running a host of weekly “Zoom” meetings with groups in our church. I hear those are going well.

I’m sharing a couple of the pictures I’ve found of you all worshipping at your own homes. I do hope you’ll continue to share those with us via social media or email so that we can share them with others. Sharing them is just a small way to *show* our ongoing connection during the pandemic.

Thanks also to the team of volunteers who have created “Kessler4Methodist.” We are blessed with our many contacts at Methodist Hospital, and blessed with great volunteers who were willing to quickly jump in and fill the need. Please find more information about this mission elsewhere in this newsletter.

Finally, I keep being haunted by the line from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3. This is the great chapter that includes verses like

“There’s a time to be born…and a time to die…”

“There’s a time to plant…and a time to pluck up what is planted…”

The couplet that keeps rattling in my head is:

“There’s a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing…”

That line has never been more true for our world than now. It has a new meaning that I can’t imagine the writer originally had in mind, but one that speaks to us today.

Keep your head up. Keep up your regular habits in this time of social distancing. Keep check on each other and keep trusting that this time will end soon.

Hold out that very soon it will again be the “time to embrace.”

Grace and Peace,

Eric Folkerth