Embracing what's next

I trust that by now you’ve heard the news - I have accepted a new call to serve as Associate Pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in McMurray, and will no longer be your pastor here at Trinity. My last Sunday is January 9, 2022. I imagine that this news brings forth a variety of emotions in you, because I know it has for me. Change is hard, and it’s uncomfortable to be thrust into a space of not knowing what lies ahead.

Artwork by Jenny Mecher, found in her Etsy Shop

A few months ago, an artist I follow on Instagram (Jenny Mecher) shared a bright, beautiful piece depicting a butterfly and a banner with the words, “Embracing what’s next.” A butterfly is the perfect companion to these words, for it begins its life as a caterpillar and only changes into a butterfly after time spent in a dark, gooey chrysalis. As it is for the caterpillar-turned-butterfly, the change we experience in life is also not pleasant or comfortable. It often involves loss of some kind, and loss’s companion, grief - even if we’re really excited and ready for whatever the change may be. In the face of change, which is an inevitable part of life, we can try to resist, or we can decide to embrace what comes next. 

To me, “embracing what’s next” has many layers. It includes giving thanks for what was - cherished memories, lessons learned, relationships cultivated. It also means holding space for the varied emotions that mark the present, such as grief, anxiety, curiosity, and joy, or some combination of those. Finally, “Embracing what’s next” is about awaiting what is coming - the much-anticipated and the unknown - and resolving to be open to all of it, on the timeline in which it presents itself. 

Change is never easy, and choosing to embrace change is not easy, either. In the midst of change, we cling tightly to God’s promises. Perhaps you recognize these words from Lamentations 3:22-23. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” 

I don’t know what comes next for you here at Trinity, but I do know this - you continue to belong to God, and God will be with you through all that comes. Whether or not you choose to embrace what comes next, know that God’s embrace, loving and sure, surrounds you today and always.