Dear Good Samaritans,

As I mentioned on Sunday, nato will be away on vacation for the next couple Sundays. As we did last year, we will be taking this time to intentionally lean into the lack of music. Our 9:30am service on Sunday and the following week will be more contemplative, with increased space for silence and time for personal prayer. I know that this is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, the intentional time for silence and stillness, the slower rhythm, the space to breathe is impactful and allows us to encounter God in a special way. God can speak to us in loud ways, of course. And, in our modern world, where we are being bombarded by words, externally and internally, sometimes that is how God must speak. But, that is not the only way. When the Prophet Elijah met God on a mountain God was not in a rock-splitting wind, God was not in an earthquake, God was not even in a roaring fire. Only after all of that passed, God was there, in the sound of sheer silence, or as it has often been translated, in a still, small voice. Our worship will help us encounter God in the same way.

To help facilitate the shift in perspective, I have changed our sanctuary configuration (I love that we have a flexible space!). It will be a bit different from last year—we will be sitting in the round. No matter where you sit, you will be able to see each other. And, an altar has been placed in the center of all of it. In this set-up, it becomes clear that what we do together on Sundays is rooted, not in a few actors or in a pulpit, but is the corporate work of the people, who gather around a table, share a meal, and encounter Jesus.

It is my prayer that over these next two Sundays we will encounter God together in different and life-giving ways.

Peace,