Dear Holy Comforter,

Wendell Berry, perhaps as much as any theologian or writer, has taught me that the places and people among which we are planted are not to be resented or resisted, but received as the very places of our formation as believers in Jesus’ resurrection and in the hope of a world made new again.

As I gave thanks for his life and witness this week, I was reminded of these words from his poem “The Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of Rough Branch, Secedes From the Union.” For me, they echo Paul’s words to the church in Rome, reminding them that we are members of one body and belong to one another.

Dear Holy Comforter,

As I announced our Saturday, September 12 Welcome to the Atrium event (10–12:30 at HMC) on Sunday, I wanted to introduce our Sunday spiritual formation offerings for children and adults, which begin Sunday, September 20 at 4 pm.

As I’ve thought about how we want to grow together as a church, I’ve been thinking about what it really means to be formed as Christians and why we need one another in that process.

Dear Holy Comforter,

Jesus modeled a pattern of retreating from the demands of everyday life to be with his Father and with his disciples. When we step away from our busy lives to retreat together, we follow his example and trust his promise of rest.

Dear Holy Comforter,

It is good to be back from vacation! Thank you for giving me time away with my family—and now, a little more time to care for my dad. I'll be working from Pennsylvania through August 16, but I'll still be available by phone, text, and email. I'll also be with you for worship on August 9 and 16.

One of my favorite songs inspired by Sunday's Gospel—the Parable of the Sower in Matthew chapter 13—is Good Tree by the Hillbilly Thomists. There is one lyric that catches me every time:

Even when I'm oldI still will beStill full of sap, still green.That's what I want to be.Oh, to be a good tree.

Isn't that a beautiful hope for the Christian life—that we would continue to put down deep roots and bear fruit, even into old age?

Dear Holy Comforter,

I grew up listening to sermons that taught Scripture by explaining its context, unpacking its meaning, and connecting it to our lives. That was also the way I was trained to preach. It is a good and faithful way to preach, and I will likely continue to do so at times in the future.

But over the past few months—especially since our Lenten series on the Examen prayer—I have sensed God inviting me to change how I preach.

As I encouraged you to practice listening for God's voice in your daily lives, I found myself praying the same question for our church: Lord, what are you inviting us into? What do we most need in this season?

Dear Holy Comforter,

From our gospel reading for this upcoming Sunday:

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. - Matthew 10:5

Dear Holy Comforter,

Welcome to Ordinary Time! A season which will stretch from now until Advent. Thank you for such a joyful Trinity Sunday! We had a chance to confess our faith in the words of the Athanasian Creed and we heard an abridged meditation on how we encounter the Trinity in prayer from Mike Higton. You can read that again here. 

Dear Holy Comforter,

It feels strange to write about spiritual dryness in the midst of a long stretch of rainy days, but there it is.

We are five months into a new church plant, three days out from the Feast of Pentecost, and many of us are feeling dry and weary as we limp into the summer and ordinary time.

I read these words today from Johann Christoph Blumhardt (1805–1880), a Lutheran pastor, and they felt like something one of us could have written:

“In that first outpouring of the Spirit we had proof that God keeps his word. But now we need a new outpouring. We are dehydrated people; the thirst is almost killing us…