Message From the Pastor : October Reflections – Poems in Progress

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” — Thomas Merton

Starting in mid-October, our worship and adult formation will invite us to reflect on the gifts of the artist. Painters, poets, musicians, and storytellers remind us that faith cannot be pinned down; it is alive with imagination, beauty, and the courage to see the world differently. 

The apostle Paul tells us, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). The Greek word for “workmanship” is poiēma—from which we get the word “poem.” We are God’s poem, God’s artwork, still being shaped and re-shaped. 

Artists show us that creating often begins in uncertainty, that beauty emerges through trial and error, and that meaning is made not in isolation but in community. The painter lays down one brushstroke at a time, the poet revises line after line, the musician joins their voice to others. In the process, something new takes form—something that did not exist before. 

Is this not also the work of the Spirit? God is continually creating in us and among us. Just as artists invite us to risk change for the sake of beauty, God invites the church to risk change for the sake of love. “Creativity is an act of courage,” writes Madeleine L’Engle, “and it is always an act of hope.” 

Given the events of recent weeks, we are reminded how easily weapons can destroy and words can wound—especially when they are aimed at people of color, LGBTQIA+ siblings, and other marginalized communities. The weight of gun violence and the harm of speech that excludes and censors remind us how fragile community is, and how deep the ache of loss can run. Artists teach us not to deny that pain, but to hold it, work with it, and even let it speak. The Spirit bears witness alongside them, promising that brokenness is not the end of the story; we can envision another chapter. 

Later this month, our Leadership Board, along with a few others, will gather with a facilitator for a time of visioning. Like artists staring at a blank canvas, we will practice imagining what does not yet exist and listening for God’s creativity at work among us. It is holy, hopeful work. Though the circle will be small, the insights and discernment that emerge will be offered back to the whole community, so we may continue shaping the unfolding picture of our life together. 

So this fall, as we carve pumpkins, decorate trunks, ring bells, sing in the choir, and reflect together, let us remember: creativity is not a hobby or an accessory to faith. It is at the heart of who we are as God’s people—poems in progress, called to beauty, called to community, called to change. 

With hope and imagination, 

Donna