By Melaina Trice, Pastor for Worship & Communication
“Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet—can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?”
This is the song that I often sing in my head on cloudy and/or rainy days as a reminder that the clouds and rain are finite because sunny days are ahead. The sunny day is accompanied by sweet air in the beautiful urban neighborhood of Sesame Street or wherever you imagine is a Utopia.
Yet the truth is that Sesame Street is a beautifully imperfect community, and every day is not sunny. The truth is that rain and clouds are often our least favorite days. We mostly want to “sweep” them away. Rarely do we learn how to experience the sunshine even when the sun is covered by the clouds and the rain falls. Rarely do we learn how to sing and dance in the rain. This lesson is vital because more than half the days of our lives will have rain and clouds. How we learn to live during the rain is important. Even Ernie learned the joy of playing with rubber ducky on rainy days. Some days are gloomy, rainy, cold, and filled with uncertainty, yet we can find sunshine in everyday activities. We can experience the light of God’s love (the Son-shine that is Jesus the Christ) in these activities as they become spiritual practices that deepen our faith and lighten our hearts. They teach us how to sing and dance in the rain.
Recently, a new sermon series was started with this in mind. The new sermon series is called, Spiritual Affective Disorder: Let the Son-shine In, where we are learning how to let the light of God’s love in our hearts amid stress, grief, busyness, and difficulties. We have been discovering how we can find the light of God’s love in everyday activities such as prayer, music, comedy, fasting, serving, and taking steps to “arise and shine” without fear. As these everyday activities become spiritual disciplines, we discover God’s presence in our lives. Through God’s presence, we discover the “son-shining” in our hearts giving us the ability to perceive the “air is sweet” and a beloved community awaits. This sermon series began on Sunday, January 15 and will continue through Sunday, February 19. A wonderful, guided journal book accompanies this sermon series. Journal books can be found in the Gathering Place and online on the Glen Mar website.
Sunny days, where birds are chirping, are often attributed with “the good life.” We think of the sun as a reward for a life well lived. As we sweep the clouds away, we climb ladders of expectation, mobility, prosperity, and success to chase after the sun. Even our postings on social media, reflect sunny days of perfection. We desire messages that tell us that our perfectionism, deeds, and success deserve sunny rewards. But what if we stopped chasing the sun and found the Son? What if we stopped climbing the ladders of life but instead to be nurtured by the sun, watered by the rain, pruned, fertilized, and bloomed by the working of the Holy Spirit? What if we stopped letting perfection get in the way of a “Good Enough” good life?
Through the Season of Lent, we will discover that we are blessed regardless as we lean into and embrace a life that is imperfectly “good enough.” Our Lenten Sermon Series: Good Enough: Embracing Imperfections in Our Life of Faith, starts on Ash Wednesday, February 22 and concludes on Easter morning, April 9. To see the themes and scripture readings for each week – and links to the devotional/free lenten devotional guide – please check out the Good Enough event page.
Please mark your calendars with Lenten and Holy Week special services. Two Ash Wednesday services are available for your convenience – “Ashes to Go” at the Church Entrance “half-round” from 12 pm to 2 pm and a worship service at 7:30 pm. Palm/Passion Sunday is on Sunday, April 2 at both the 9:30 and 11:00 am services. Maundy Thursday service is on April 6 at 7:30 pm. The Seven Last Words of Jesus Cantata will be on Good Friday, April 7 at 7:30 pm. Easter Sunrise service will be on April 9 at 6:30 am at the back lawn area (bring a chair and dress for the weather). The Easter celebration will continue at the 9:30 and 11:00 am service.
