FROM THE PASTOR
God Is At Home
I have an “ecclesiastical daughter,” Gretchen, who is currently serving as a chaplain in a palliative care program in the state of Washington. I served as her mentor when she did her initial ministry field work in my parish more than 30 years ago. I am delighted she found her way into chaplaincy and we share this ministry experience.
We have continued to stay in touch over these three decades, at least with the exchange of holiday greetings. Nearly every year we receive her hand-drawn creative, entertaining, and thought-provoking Epiphany card. (I count anything received between the First Sunday of Advent and the Last Sunday after the Epiphany as a holiday greeting.)
This year’s card includes a quote from the 13th century German mystic, Meister Eckhart, “God is at home, it is we who have gone for a walk.” At the heart of the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany cycle is the Incarnation. God has chosen to take on flesh and blood and dwell in the midst of God’s people.
God is at home with us.
God is at home with the sojourner/refugee bused into our communities.
God is at home with those who cannot find a safe place to sleep on a bitterly cold winter’s night.
God is at home with those whose families, homes, and communities are devastated by war.
God is at home with those who do not eat so that they may have food to give to their children.
God is at with home with those who are emptied and numbed by the loss of life or love or certainty or hope.
God is at home with those who are insulted or excluded or harmed because of their religious convictions or racial heritage or gender identity or affectional preferences.
God is at home with those who center their lives in a gathering around Word and Meal for mutual consolation, support, and the work of the Kingdom.
God is at home with all people of goodwill who are committed to peace, justice, and human dignity.
If you or I have the sense we might have wandered off, distracted by and preoccupied by many other things, we know the direction our footsteps can take us.
God is at home.
Pastor John E. Schumacher, BCC
Interim Visitation Pastor
