The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
– Psalm 27:1

Beloved of God,

With the omicron variant receding in the rear-view mirror and national, state, and county COVID mandates being loosened, we’re finally seeing a scenario that will allow us all to be physically together again during Lent and Easter.  (HURRAY!)  And so the question naturally comes, WHAT’S NEXT FOR US HERE AT PEACE?  My first response (in the spirit of my mother) is “we’ll see.”  The Safe Opening Task Force will meet March to take stock of new CDC and King County health guidelines and will have a recommendation to make to our Church Council on March 15.  I know the hope I hold: that as Lent unfolds, I will see more and more of you in worship each week. 

When the Fauntleroy YMCA finally reopened for limited hours last fall, I returned to my workout routine for the first time in 18 months.  Eager though I was to resume my regular cardio and weightlifting programs, I knew from experience that if I went full steam ahead instead of engaging gradually, I would be a prime candidate for deep muscle soreness and even injury.  So I took it slowly.  It was the right call.  Muscle memory has kicked in and I’ve worked my way back to a pre-pandemic level of fitness that’s left me feeling better now physically than I have in a good long while.

We are creatures of habit.  And many of us have gotten out of the habit of being physically present in worship the last two years.  There are good reasons for that, of course.  The pandemic has shifted so much of our lives in so many directions.  But one result is that we’re a bit out of shape when it comes to our face-to-face engagement muscles. 😊  With risks now lessening I believe it’s time to exercise those community muscles that have been resting for a good while. What if we made engagement in worship a personal goal this Lent?  The rich blessings of community life await.  Further below in this issue you’ll read the names of new folks who—despite the pandemic—have found their way to our congregation and are moving toward a deeper connection with us and our mission.  I can’t wait for you to meet them.

It probably comes as little surprise that cosmetic surgery has become a growth industry these past two years.  The reason?  In a word:  ZOOM. With the advent of ZOOM two years ago, we were viewing closeups of our faces and those of others as never seen before.  With a simple click on the cosmetically filtered lens options, we’ve made ourselves look better, cleaner, younger than ever.  We’ve also witnessed our faces taking shapes we’ve never seen—our expressions exposing unfamiliar lines, folds, and asymmetries.  When elective procedures were given the greenlit last spring, dermatologists and plastic surgeons were met with an overwhelming demand for their services.  As they rescheduled months’ worth of backlogged patients, an unparalleled influx of newcomers clamored for lip filler, eyelid surgery, nose jobs, and laser treatments.  “We were seeing ourselves from a new perspective,” said Dr. Corey Harman, “and it was eye-opening.” [1]

The season of Lent is a season for returning to the basics; for reclaiming our baptismal identity; for putting one foot in front of the other as we follow Christ through the ashes and wilderness that dominate our world to the promised land of Easter joy.  The perspective Lent brings is also eye-opening.  Like our Zoom encounters, we don’t always like what we see reflected back to us on the screen.  But the grace is, because Christ knows us fully already—the good, the bad, and the ugly,  in his presence there is no need to perform, no need for cosmetic repair, no need to appear other than as we are—saints and sinners; flawed yet beloved children.  His total acceptance of who we are, warts and all, and his invitation to see one another through his eyes,  is what allows us to cease the preoccupied focus on ourselves and instead to focus on the blessed image of God in those around us.  There’s no substitute for experiencing that embodied blessing up close and personal.

Let’s get reacquainted this Lent.

With you, on the Way,

Pastor Erik

[1] If you’re interested, you can read more about the Cosmetic Surgery Boom in this article, from which I borrowed: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/06/10481534/zoom-boom-plastic-cosmetic-surgery-pandemic