Together. It is a theme that’s been swirling around my head for some time now. Mostly because of all the ways the pandemic adversely impacted our ability to be together, but also because as my wife and I prepare to send our oldest son off to college and our two younger ones back to school, and my mom’s health continues to decline, I realize now more than ever how precious our time together is.

So, as we begin to take our first steps into this fall, I am reminded of how important togetherness is both to me personally but also collectively to the life of the world. And while I completely understand the necessity over the past 18 months to do things differently for a time for the health and safety of one another, I am also deeply grateful for the countless ways that the people of Ascension and throughout the world creatively found ways to stay connected. And although it may have been less than…okay, far from perfect, I think we all did our best given the circumstances to stay connected through deeply challenging and uncertain times.

Together – it is the design that God has for us. Jesus traveled from place to place to be together with God’s people. Jesus sent the disciples out together to share the love of God. And, Jesus left us with God’s promised gift of the Holy Spirit so that even in his physical absence, we would still be together. As the Body of Christ, we journey through this life together. We are given the gift of one another to laugh together, cry together, celebrate together, grieve together, wonder together, and discover and experience life together.

Over the past few months our time worshipping and being back together as the church has renewed my spirit and given me strength for the days ahead that continue to challenge our ability to be together in all the ways we’ve been used to. And, as we look ahead to resuming the wonderful ministries in the church that have been on hold, I remain a bit nervous for what lies ahead, but I’m also grateful for the gift of every moment we do have together. And if we trust God, I believe we will discover new ways of being together, no matter what comes our way.

My prayer for the days ahead is that each one of us will take time to ponder what being together means to us, for us, and for the rest of our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Once we’ve done that, I hope we will also take a leap of faith and trust that God is with us and for us and commit ourselves to finding ways to be together with one another. So, whether that’s over the phone, a video call, taking a walk, going shopping, taking a hike, writing a letter or email, sitting on the patio, taking a trip, watching a movie, having a meal, or just staring up at the stars in wonder of all God has created – I hope that we will all find ways to do these things together with the people we love. My hope is that we will all remember what a gift we are to one another, both those we know and love already, and those we are yet to love, and I hope we will welcome and receive this gift with open hearts.

Grateful for all the ways God calls us to be together.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Tony
(Reprinted from the September 2021 newsletter)