Pastor Rick's Letter to the Congregation,
October, 2021
For some unknown reason the changing of the seasons has been on my mind more than usual. Perhaps it’s due to an increased awareness of the natural world ever since the pandemic began. Or it could be that each cycle of the year offers a return to something that is both different and familiar, just as one day we hope to return to a new normal that will be different yet familiar as well. Maybe it’s simply the ancient wisdom of paying attention to what is happening in the world so we can plan for and adapt to change. Anyway, it’s Autumn and some of the maple trees in my neighborhood are beginning to think about a change in color and the shedding of their leafy garments.
One of the authors that I find myself continually returning to over the years is Jack Kornfield. His book, A Path With Heart, has been a source of wisdom, understanding and compassion over the years. He writes:
The seasons change, our body changes with them. Everything breathes, and in this breathing and movement we are all connected. This interconnection offers us enormous possibilities. Spiritual life can open us to the magnificent music all around us, not just to that music limited by our ideas or plans or by the story that encapsulates us in our culture. In this we touch the mystery. (Jack Kornfield, A Path With Heart, p. 233f)
The spiritual life that opens us is manifest in our awakening to what is, without leaving anything or anyone out. It is a willingness, “to be just where we are, to enter all aspects of life, and to discover there is justice, compassion, patience and virtue to be found in every realm.” (Kornfield, p. 328) The open, compassionate heart awakens here and now in this life, this body, this moment.
As seasons change and cycles turn and return again we discover within this world of impermanence and limitations a deep freedom and connectedness that endures. May every season find us awakening to the great mystery in which we live, move and have our being. May every moment discover us attuned to the magnificent music of life all around us.
Your partner in our shared ministry,
Rev. Rick Yramategui