NOTES FROM WEST MOUNTAIN The Rev. Mark Diters
Exodus…Exile…The Wilderness
Once in the Hartford Seminary Bookstore, I was checking out behind a man wearing a priest’s collar carrying a stack of five or six large church and religious history books. He looked at me rather apologetically as it took a good while for the clerk to ring them up. He told me that he had come from New York state to this store because he figured he could find these particular books. He also said that he had learned that there were no new problems. And that he had learned that if you found the right history book you could nearly always identify situations identical to your own. Whatever you might be dealing with, even if you feel like your current status is utterly new, totally unique, and unprecedented, there have been people who have struggled the same struggle, and oftentimes overcome it.
Thinking of our own Pandemic Plight…what do we compare these times to? Past Plagues? Famines…droughts? Certainly, the Flu of 1918 carries many comparisons. But for us here and now, engaged in a catastrophic epidemic…where does the guidance best come? The Hartford Seminary closed years ago, so I couldn’t peruse what was once a well-stocked and valuable resource, so I looked to our scriptures for some insight. The first three situations that jumped to mind were:
*The Exodus…the people of Israel escaping the Egyptians living and wandering forty years in barren desert lands
*The Babylonian Exile, the Jewish people were taken away from Jerusalem as prisoners and were held captive in Babylonia for over sixty years…
*The WIlderness, Jesus beginning his ministry venturing into wild and unsafe, hostile territory to fast and to pray, confronted by temptations and taunting from the Devil.
Hmmmm, all three of these events offer something to us. As in Exodus and the Exile, we have been propelled away from our usual lives, fearful of returning to where we had been, knowing that a return to past places and practices threatens all of our well-being. And yet, like the exiles, we yearn for a return. We look longingly into the past wishing we can make our way back to our own Jerusalems, rebuild our temples, and reestablish our common lives.
In essence, all three of these events are in some form or fashion wilderness experiences. The sense of being lost, confused, and adrift in habitats which are incompatible with life is something we all share. We are without our usual sources of sustenance and nurture. We are not being fed and we ache for feeding. As we are immersed in such wilderness, we find temptations and wrestle with our lesser selves. We suffer a range of emotions; abandonment, loneliness, want, fear…ENOUGH! Enough of this! Our spirits are crying out…
The Israelites crossed the River Jordan, King Cyrus sent the exiles home, and Jesus yelled, “Away with you Satan”!
As we wonder aloud or perhaps to ourselves, whether or not we will outlast this virus or rather will it outlast us and our worldly woes, know we share all of this. We are not alone. And God was there with them in the desert, in captivity, in the wilderness, and God is here now. Amen.
VIRTUAL AND SOCIALLY DISTANCED OUTDOOR WORSHIP SERVICE ON THE LAWN PREPARATION
If you plan to attend the worship service in person, please be prepared with proper face coverings and your own lawn chair or blanket. For those wishing to attend virtually, the service will be streaming on Facebook Live. After the service, a virtual coffee hour will take place via Zoom. For those interested in reading and singing along while attending the virtual service, the bulletin is attached.
VIRTUAL BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES
Romans and the Man Who Wrote to Them Bible Study will meet via zoom twice on Tuesdays. One session at 10:00 a.m. and the second at 6:00 p.m. We have folks attending at both times. Mark will send a church-wide email zoom invite on Monday so that anyone wishing to attend may be able. Even if you haven’t previously taken part, feel free to join in at any time!
SEPTEMBER SECOND MILE OFFERING – NAMI FARMINGTON VALLEY
The Board of Christian Service has selected NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Farmington Valley affiliate for the September Second Mile Offering.
NAMI is dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals living with mental illness, as well as their families and loved ones. This grassroots organization provides support groups, education, and information for people with mental illness and their families about services and treatments available in the community. NAMI works to eliminate the stigma about mental illness by educating public understanding of the challenges of living with mental illness. NAMI advocates for better services, treatment, and protective rights and research.
NAMI has mentioned a secondary health challenge is sweeping the country due to a domino effect from the coronavirus pandemic, anti-racism protests, and a recession: increased bouts of depression and anxiety. Requests for information and support have increased by 65% nationally in recent months.
The NAMI Farmington Valley affiliate serves 13 communities including Avon, Bloomfield, Farmington, Newington, Simsbury, and West Hartford. Please note that many support groups are being offered virtually. For more information and current support groups visit their website www.namifarmingtonvalley.org. Please consider supporting this vital organization.
HOLIDAY CARDS FOR OUR MILITARY VETERANS
The Boards of Christian Service and Christian Education would like to invite you all to participate in a “Holiday Cards for Vets Challenge”. Several years ago, Miss Ruth Rankin introduced FRUCC to the Holiday Cards for Vets project. Last year we distributed over 400 cards to our military veterans at the VA Hospital in Newington in December. The VA was truly appreciative of our efforts.
Due to the pandemic, we are starting this project early. It is a great at-home project for everyone regardless of age. If you have leftover cards from past years please use them or think about creating cards. A brief note in each card would be wonderful. Please do not seal the envelopes. Younger children can color in pictures and all will be sent to the VA. This was wonderful to see last year.
The Board of Christian Service and Board of Christian Education are working on the logistics of coordinating this project, such as having additional cards available to fill out and then collecting cards. We’ll keep everyone updated. Our deadline is the end of November. Let’s honor Miss Ruth’s memory and match or exceed last year’s total. We appreciate your participation.
