Rev. Cathy Harrington
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present.
I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
~Isaiah 43 18-20 (The Message)
“Always be a work in progress.”
Emily Lillian
I think it’s serendipitous that April’s theme is EMERGENCE because UUCC is on the verge of emerging into an exciting new chapter! As we move into this season of Spring, we are advised to be alert and present but to leave room for the unexpected and hold lightly to the way things have been.
As a people of emergence, we are called to take a different tack. We’ve been entrusted with the wisdom that emergence is most often about breathing rather than becoming better, patience not perfection, depth not dominance; acceptance not striving, attention not constant improvement.
As we practice being present and remind ourselves to breathe when worry and anxiety threaten to interrupt our progress, let’s remember to leave room for “something brand-new.”
On another note, Easter and April Fools Day fall on the same day and in case you are wondering how ministers will handle this here is a clue: One of my colleagues sent out this joke:
“The Gospel According to Internet”
Jesus and Satan were having an ongoing argument about who was better on his computer.
They had been going at it for days and God was tired of hearing all of the bickering.
So finally, God said “Cool it . . . I am going to set up a test that will run two hours and I will judge who does the better job.”
So down Satan and Jesus sat at the keyboards and typed away. They moused. . .they did spreadsheets . . . they wrote reports. . .they sent faxes. . . they sent e-mail. . .
they sent out e-mail with attachments. . . they downloaded . . . they did some genealogy reports … they made cards . . . they did every known job.
BUT ten minutes BEFORE their time was UP lightning suddenly FLASHED across the sky
thunder ROLLED, the rain POURED and OF COURSE the ELECTRICITY went OFF.
Satan STARED at his BLANK screen and SCREAMED every curse word known in the underworld. Jesus JUST sighed.
The electricity finally flickered back on and each of them restarted their computers.
Satan started SEARCHING FRANTICALLY screaming . . . “It’s GONE . . . It’s ALL gone . . .
I’ve LOST everything!
Meanwhile Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours.
Satan became IRATE. “Wait! . . He cheated! . . . How did he Do that?”
God shrugged and said, “Jesus SAVES.”
See you in church!
L, Cathy