Dear friends,
What comes to mind when you hear the word “revival?” For some, it might be a scene from a movie, like “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” filled with uplifting music. For others, it might be a picture of people coming forward to the altar to confess their sins or receive a special prayer. Or maybe it conjures up a time when you were absolutely exhausted—physically or spiritually—and a delicious meal or a friend’s listening ear restored your strength.
What do you imagine “revival” might look like for us at Edwards Church? Surely it would include uplifting music, communal and personal prayer, shared meals and careful listening. While I don’t imagine us coming up to the altar to confess our sins, I do picture a time for reflection, when we can acknowledge loss and regrets, experience God’s gracious love for us, and be re-energized to share that love with a world in need.
We have been through a lot as a nation and a world—a pandemic, societal distress and discord, an explosion of hate, worsening climate disasters, global threats to democracy. We have been through a lot as a church community—loss of beloved staff members, uncertainty about income sources, flooded basements, transitions in our organizational structure. Through all that we have been through, we have done our best to care for ourselves and each other, to care for our world and work for justice, to follow the daunting and joyful example of Jesus. It’s a lot—and sometimes we feel physically and spiritually exhausted.
It’s time for a Season of Revival! This fall, we will center our worship around the theme of revival, with its many dimensions. We will reflect on our loss and uncertainty. We will reclaim our capacity to respond to challenges with courage and faith. We will remember that we are part of a community much wider than this small group. We will reclaim what is most important to us. We will sing. In a wide variety of ways, we will open ourselves to God’s healing and rejuvenating spirit.
I look forward to the new energy, new hope, new ideas that will emerge in our Season of Revival.
Peace, Debbie