Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
As I write this Pastoral Ponderings for July and August, I cannot believe we have already passed the half way mark for 2025! We have passed the Summer Solstice (the longest day), and the birthday of John the Baptist (exactly six months before Jesus).
I hope the pace of life has slowed down for each of you. I hope you are looking forward to vacations or “staycations,” I hope you find rest in changed routines, and renewal in time with friends and family.
Summer should give us a little space to breathe, to step back from the busyness that fills our calendars. I love to read, reading makes us stop, we have to sit still to read. Here are some books I am working on or have just finished:
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
by Father Gregory Boyle
In The Field of Grace (based on the book of Ruth)
by Tessa Afshar
Everything Belongs by Father Richard Rohr
Summer is not just about physical rest; it is also a time for spiritual rest. I hope you make room for spiritual rest. Enjoy the trips and time spent with friends and family but also make time for stillness with God, even if it is just your morning coffee on the front steps. Let the beauty of creation remind you of God’s love.
The season of summer is also a great time to reflect, to see where God has shown up for you over the past year.
What is God inviting you to in the year ahead? Summer can be the sacred pause which prepares us for the next chapter.
I pray you will find joy in resting, and a renewed sense of God’s presence in your lives. Let us all return in September not only refreshed, but spiritually recentered, ready to do the work of Christ with renewed passion and purpose.
Sabbath blessings to you all!
Pastor Val
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