Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ who, “is the same yesterday and today and forever”. (Hebrews 13.8)
We live in a world that is impacted by so much change – social change, political change, industrial change, climate/environmental change, religious change….
As we navigate these changes, we experience our own personal and interpersonal changes. Changes in family structure and dynamics, work and leisure changes, faith formation changes, changes in attitudes, perceptions and understanding, health and wellness changes, physiological changes as we mature and age.
And as we navigate all of this, we also face church and faith community changes. Changes in the way we plan for worship, change in programming and approaches to ministry and faith formation, changes in offering collection, technological changes, visioning around potential building changes, pastoral and parish nurse changes… Next week our Church Ministry Council meets, and in the weeks following that gathering, 5 of our current 9 members will complete ministry assignments and 5 new leaders will join the ministry council team. More change!
Change can be positive and life giving, just what we need. It can also be hard and devasting and can catch us unaware and may feel like the hit we certainly didn’t need. Whether positive or negative, change can cause stress and anxiety. During all this change, and all the life adjustments that come as a result, we need some constants to help sustain and anchor us and remind us that we will be ok.
Amidst all the change, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, God in human flesh, is our sure and constant presence and friend.
Psalm 102 speaks to the constant of God in our lives.
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in your presence.
God/Jesus is our constant in love, faithfulness, justice, mercy amidst all the changes we experience. But God is not confined by only one way of revealing that love, faithfulness, justice, and mercy. God’s way of being present to us may change, or Jesus’s way of revealing love and mercy may change, or our perspective of God may change. But as the writer of Lamentations testifies, amidst all the changes of life, the love and faithfulness of God consistently remains and is renewed every day. That will not change!
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3)
Pastor Ray