by Rev. Lydia Land
During a children’s sermon one Sunday, the pastor was speaking about how God created everything. A hand went up from a curious young mind. “Yes, Jenny, do you have a question?” the pastor asked.
“Pastor Ann, what about the dinosaurs?” the child asked. This is the question that brings shivers to most pastors. It is the dreaded on-the-spot question from the mouth of babes during the children’s sermon!
Pastor Ann paused for a moment and said, “Well, Genesis 1:1 says, ‘In the beginning, God created.’ So that means God created all things! Phew! God works in mysterious ways!”
I am at one of those beginnings. Are you?
Let me tell you about my journey. Sometimes people do not agree with one another. And with it comes the toil of emotions and hurt feelings. I let go and moved on. Sometimes in your life you find it is important to do that. And it is exactly what I did for my health.
As my twin sister said, “You don’t need all that drama.” Maybe you are at that place, too.
Now God has me on a new beginning … just in time for the beginning of a new faith formation community. We will have our first Sunday together in a person’s home. Sounds like the way the disciples started the early church, doesn’t it?
This faith formation community will be different from some of the other local churches in Middlesex County. We will be a bit more contemporary and liberal leaning. We welcome the LBTQI community. Our doors are open as wide as Christ’s arms. Faith is seen as a journey, not a destination.
The Bible is valued in our hearts and faith, to the extent that we read the Lectionary (Hebrew Scriptures, Psalms, Epistle, Gospel) every Sunday. At the end of three years, we will have gone through the entire Bible in our worship.
To me, scripture and church history go hand in hand. It helps us to understand better the faith journey each of us is walking. In a year, I hope to lead a faith journey trip to the Holy Land and Europe where Christianity began. New beginnings include walking in places you never thought you would walk.
It takes time in forming new beginnings. Our faith formation community will last about six months before we can be recognized as a church. By January 2022, we are hoping to begin a new church — God willing. A name has not been chosen yet, but in the hearts of the faith community one will be.
And while I cannot see the future, God can. Remember faith is not a destination, it is a journey. Yes, a new journey with a new hope that only God can give. New beginnings mean leaving the old baggage behind. I am getting a Holy Spirit knapsack as I start this new beginning.
Sometimes a new beginning is about taking risks when others want to beat you down. It was Saint Francis of Assisi who said: “Preach often; use words when necessary.” Actions speak louder than words. The early Christian church’s foundation was rooted in social justice for all persons. This new faith formation community will look at how Christian activism will take part in the journey of faith.
Like the illustration I started with, you never know what will be asked of you in your faith journey. But new beginnings include what God does best: creating. Do not let your fear keep you paralyzed by staying in the same place with the same condemning people. God’s hand is always there saying, “Can I help you, please?”
Isn’t it time for your new beginning?
(The Rev. Lydia Land is the former pastor of Philippi Christian Church in Deltaville. Email her at chaplainlrland@yahoo.com.)
