We welcomed our new minister, Rev. Rebecca Roushorne-Lau in the Fall of 2017. The groundhog has predicted 6 more weeks of Winter but Spring promises new beginnings again. Here are some Winter words from Becky. For more updates, check out her blog here http://www.ministrytomotherhood.com/
“It is winter in Narnia,” said Mr. Tumnus, “and has been for ever so long…. always winter, but never Christmas.”
The famous imagery from the book The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe really resonates with me at this time of year. Of course we’ve just experienced Christmas but after the lights go off and decorations go away there’s just winter. Some winter days are beautiful. There is sunlight which beams onto the snow that falls gently, creating a beautiful carpet of clean freshness. Other days are harder. The cold is wet, damp, sinking into our bones.
The winter brings with it both darkness and challenge but also wonder as well. It’s the mid- point, a waiting period as we know what is to come. Soon the world will burst forth into life. Winter in many ways is like the time before Christ. There was both darkness and wonder. The challenge of waiting in hope for new life was real and true. And then Christ came.In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Father Christmas comes along as Aslan moves in bringing the celebration with him as the world begins to thaw. Christmas in Narnia is the starting point for what is to come. This is true also for us. Christmas is our starting point.
A Saviour was born. A baby given who would grow and change the world. But this Saviour saves in an unexpected way. He thaws the icy wall between God and man. He embraces relationship and connection like never before. He seeks to redeem, not destroy. This Saviour whom we celebrate at Christmas matters because of what he became. He sought to melt the icy hearts of people and really connect with them. Do we follow in his footsteps?
We can believe in Jesus, even be fans of Jesus without being true followers. Do we follow in his footsteps?
Springtime will come. The season of transformation in the world which is symbolic in many ways of our own redemption. But springtime in our own lives? That comes at different points and in different ways for all people. Where are you in your life? Are you in the winter of faith or bursting forth with new life, feeling as thought spring has already arrived? Wherever we are in this community we come together in love and support. May the coming weeks and months be filled with passion and fire as we seek to lift each other up as we serve in this world.
– Rev. Becky