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A Few Words from Pastor Bryan
Some Thoughts Inspired By A Snowstorm
As those of you reading this in Wisconsin know, it's snowing this Friday, January 12th. You can't really see it coming down, but that's my front yard in the picture. It's snowing hard. Windy, cold and getting colder. Sub-zero temps on the way. It's a good old fashioned classic Wisconsin January blizzard, and there's nothing that can be done about it. Some of us are wired to love a storm like this and to get out there and play with it. Some of us don't like it at all. But it's here no matter how we think or feel about it.
I imagine most of you are familiar with the "serenity prayer" that is credited to theological Reinhold Niebuhr;
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Snowstorms certainly fall (pun intended) into the "things we cannot change" category. And let's face it, there are plenty of storms that come our way--things we have to just accept and do our best to somehow come to terms with. Easier said than done at times I know, but once we stop resisting what cannot be altered, there are some beautiful things that the grace of God often opens up to us.
The "serenity prayer" caused me to remember something that my favorite Enneagram * teacher Russ Hudson once shared during a seminar. He distinguished between serenity and equanimity. Here's what he said:
"Serenity is the undivided oneness-of-all at the core of our being without judgmentalness. It is the grace of choosing to accept "what is" without judgment. Then all experience, including the vital instincts and all positive and negative feelings, can occur without resistance or anger.
Equanimity means that no matter what is going on, nothing of essential importance or substance is missing. Complete harmony exists with what is present--no matter what it is. Gratitude for what is present and appreciation for the fulness and mystery of life (the pleasant AND the painful) can abound. In this balanced state, no emotions dominate."
Realizing that his definitions were both a bit heady and beyond the reach of where most folks in his audience actually found themselves living, AND that people were probably thinking of all kinds of ways to push back against what he was saying, Russ then laughed and said to the group,
"Think of it this way. Serenity means that it can rain or shine, and I'll be fine either way. Equanimity means that all manner of weather is welcome. Grace means we don't have to pull any of this off--these states are gifts given to us by God as we keep showing up and doing our best."
You know one of the things for which I'm most grateful as I continue on the spiritual journey I call the Path of Jesus is that I DO experience more and more serenity, and more and more equanimity. Not perfectly. None of us are in the sweet spot all the time. And maybe a simpler way to put it is that the deeper we go in the spiritual journey, the more we find ourselves at peace. Philippians 4 refers to is as "the peace that passes all understanding," because it's a peace that doesn't make sense at times. I mean it's there even when external circumstances and events are anything but peaceful. It's there even when the state of the world is a mess. Even when literal or metaphorical storms are raging. Why?
Because it comes from simply knowing that God is with us always. In everything. Teaching us. Expanding our hearts. Deepening our capacity to love and respond to reality with grace. Changing us from people who react to everything to people who respond on purpose and in alignment with the Divine Flow. God is always behind the scenes working everything together for good, no matter how it feels to us in any given moment.
So it can keep snowing. Not that it needs my permission to do so! I'll be given the strength to clear the drive again, to deal with the snow that's already a foot and a half deep on my roof, causing ice damns that will threaten my roof unless I get that snow rake out and pull it down which will take hours...blah, blah, blah.
It's snowing in Wisconsin in January. That's what we Wisconsinites all signed on for! Yay for my friend who makes his living plowing. Yay for all the seasonal industries. You're getting yours this year and it's only January.
And it's really quite beautiful.
See you soon. Yes we'll have church this Sunday even if it's 13 below zero. Thank God for zoom huh? Stay home and be safe if that's best for you. But I'll be there!
Pastor B
*(the Enneagram is a profound personality typology tool for self-awareness and spiritual growth. MUCC member Steve Davidson and I will be holding our next Enneagram workshop on Wednesday, February 21st, 2024)
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