Samantha Christopher

As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God. 
My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;  when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
–Psalm 42:1-2

Dear Friends in Christ, 

Over this past year, the opening verses of Psalm 42 have become synonymous with the cry of my soul. I’ve found myself missing the little signs of God’s presence in our worship together—the perfectly timed baby’s cry during a sermon that makes us chuckle; unexpectedly running into an old friend before worship, and just making it to the sanctuary in time; and yes, even the sound of a ringing phone someone forgot to turn off before worship, reminding us that God lives in and among us, even in our imperfections and forgetfulness. 

Yesterday, Fr. Robert announced plans to regather for Easter (If you haven’t read his remarks, you can do that here). As we prepare our hearts and minds to gather once again to worship God coming among us as a carpenter’s son from Nazareth, I encourage you to try a practice the Beloveds have been including in our weekly house meetings. 

First, we look for a “high” in our week—something that brought you joy. For me this week, it was having a really good breakfast burrito yesterday morning. 

Next, we look for a “low” in our week—something that wasn’t as joy-filling. For me, it was the windy weather getting in the way of my afternoon bike rides. 

And finally, we look for a place where we saw God. This can be anything, really. This week, I saw God in the renewed song of the birds as we enter spring.

As we journey through this Lent, let us meditate and reflect on where we see God in our lives, and how we can put our trust in him as we await Easter with joy. 

Your sibling in Christ, 
-Sam Christopher