From Our Interim Minister…

“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for just an instant?”

- Henry David Thoreau

Dear Friends,

I am always so grateful for the month of April. It is truly the “Easter” month even in years like this when Easter Sunday comes in March. For it is in April that the world shakes off its deep slumber and life asserts itself in astonishing profusion. Each blossom that breaks free of the constraint of winter’s cold is a living symbol of God’s power to recreate the world, optimistic reminder of the newness possible in our own lives.

April is also the month I usually open Henry David Thoreau’s great book WALDEN again. I have been doing this since my first year in parish ministry and each spring Henry seems to say something that I need to hear. Now that I am well into my second year as your Interim Minister, it was nice to read the quote above. It reminds me that the true significance of my days lies not in all the endless details, but in my connection to others.

Thoreau couldn’t imagine a greater miracle than really seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. This is a wonderful way to speak about what genuine compassion is. For if you could really do it, really be in someone else’s head looking at the world the way they see it, you would for that moment truly understand them! It is an echo of Jesus’ profound commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

So in this glorious “Easter” month, I am working on true compassion. While enjoying all that nature offers, I will also be trying to look through the eyes of those around me, maybe even you! And I encourage you to try it, to realize the stunning way God can bring newness to your life by deeply understanding someone else!

JOHN