The month of June holds many things for us as United Methodists. If you are moving, you’re already holding a lot – focused on ending well and the untethering that comes with that – releasing your parishioners into the care of another, preparing your heart to love and shepherd another congregation, managing the stress of packing, logistics, saying goodbye, logistics, unpacking, saying hello, beginning well. Know that your colleagues are holding you in prayer. It’s also Annual Conference season. As we gather, I encourage you to pay faithful attention to the constitutional amendments we’ll be voting on so that you will be an informed voter in this process.
The month of June includes Pentecost! And Trinity Sunday (who will utter the most number of heresies in their Trinity sermon? ), and then we’ll pick back up a long walk with Luke’s gospel. The theme that comes to me in these texts suggests something about acknowledging that sometimes we get tired as we seek to walk with Jesus. For these days, there’s a song that has been speaking to me a lot, and we’ll use it later this summer at our district setup meeting. Your labor is not in vain.
Your labor is not in vain
Though the ground underneath you is cursed and stained
Your planting and reaping are never the same
But your labor is not in vain.
I’m certainly not suggesting that the field you care for is cursed or stained! I do want to remind you that your labor is not in vain. And maybe, just maybe, the people in your congregation need reminding of that as well. In the joy of Pentecost, the mystery of the Trinity, and the long, slow, patient work of following Jesus with our lives, perhaps is the opportunity to offer a gentle reminder that God sees and honors the work.
Grace and peace,
Claire