From the minister:

The New Year can be Now

Spring is a Time of Transformation

What does transformation mean to you? Change? Growth? A radical shift? There is no greater transformation than that which occurs in the spring. The earth explodes beneath our feet; everything around us alters; in every direction, the world looks different. There was a time when spring marked the beginning of the new year. This makes a lot of sense. Survival from the winter is assured; crops are planted; fruits and nuts begin to appear. Spring is a time to begin again.

For each of us, that new beginning looks different. For my 15-year-old son, it means looking toward the end of the school year, beginning driver’s training, and getting outside on his bike. He’s at the stage of life where spring still brings a glow into his life. It’s only the 15th he’s experienced. For some of us, it’s another trip ’round the sun. We’ve seen too many to even make note of yet another one. Our lives don’t depend on the seasons the way they once did. We can import fairly fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. So we don’t notice the change of season as much as the end of the inconvenience of needing an extra 15 minutes to put on layer after layer of clothing before walking the dogs in the morning.

This spring, maybe we should all try noticing. If we seek out ways of participating in spring here, in our homes, we might feel more connected to it. We all know that a tomato from the garden tastes much better than one that came off a truck. As beautiful as a painting of a tree might be, take a look at a real one just as the leaves are sprouting. The beauty there is transcendent.

If we really stop, really take a moment to notice the transformation in the world around us, we might feel a deeper appreciation for all the mysterious, wonderful ways the earth supports itself and us. This might led to a transformation in our own beings.

This time of year we also have an opportunity to engage in communal transformation. One of the basic principles of our religious tradition is that we are a democratic community. It is the congregation that makes the final decisions in matters of how we organize and use our resources. With that as a central ideal, one of the most important rituals of our congregational life is our annual meeting. At this meeting, members elect those who represent us on the board, those officers who play a major role in discerning how we live out our mission. We also approve the budget for next year, which reflects how we will focus our resources in the coming year.

So for this new year, join the trees and the daffodils. Let the seasons inspire you to seek transformation in your life and to direct the transformation of this, your religious community. You’re never too old or too young to let your heart be warmed by the rays of a new spring sun.

See you on Sundays,

-- Brian