L is for Light and Silence.
Dear friends,
We hope you had a special holiday season. Things were lively and joyful at FPL, whether it was the Touch of Christmas Fair, Advent retreat, Handbell concert, caroling at the Commons, Solstice service, packed-to-the-gills Christmas Eve gatherings, or beloved Meditation service. If you missed anything, you can watch most of our December services right here.
It is always a particular highlight for your ministers and staff to see many relatives of FPL members again, back to spend another Christmas in Lincoln or nearby. It was equally gratifying to see several notes from newcomers who joined us and now want to learn more about our community. Even in a troubling time, the routines and rituals of Christmas bring peace.
And now…I’m writing this in early January, a thin layer of snow on the ground, which reminds me of the thin layer of detritus left over from the holidays. It can be hard to regather our energies after the hubbub of visitors and presents.
The Wisconsin poet Lorine Niedecker writes, “Nobody, nothing/ ever gave me greater thing/ than time/ unless light and silence.”
I like to think of this passage after Christmas, when we are still sorting through our gifts. What could be more precious, Niedecker reminds us, than time, light, and silence. The Mystery of existence.
Here at church, we enter a season that’s a little quieter, where there is more room to sink deeply into Spirit. We work on our entries for the Lenten Booklet (if you’re a newer member, we’d especially love to have one from you!). We begin a new book group about exploring faith. We welcome a guest preacher who will help us think about the relationship between A.I. and spirituality. And we enter an important time in Opening Doors campaign – please join us on Wednesday, January 21 for an all-ages Community Design Workshop (RSVP requested here), where we will think specifically about some of the uses for the different spaces in our renovated Parish House, in advance of our Congregational Meeting after church on February 1 to vote on next steps.
Kit, Sarah, Lora, Miranda, and I are eager to walk with you, to use the opportunity for spiritual clarification that this season brings. Cold, yes, but the cold makes such crystals.
With love,
Nate and Kit
