Freedom of summer

There is a certain kind of freedom that permeates the air of summer. Maybe it’s because I am able to spend more time outdoors giving my mind the space to wander where it will. To me summer always feels like the perfect time of year to daydream and live in the promise of endless possibility. It’s a great time to get caught up in the moment, soak up the sunshine, and lose yourself in the breeze. Our rhythm of life has changed, and the hectic pace of the spring has eased. Life seems to flow by like a lazy river. We make more time for family, vacations, and grilling out with friends and neighbors. We make more time for each other. We listen better. We become gentler with one another. We take the time to dream and imagine together endless possibilities. There’s a freedom in summer.

The rhythm at St. Paul has changed too. It’s not that we are any more or less busy than we were at the beginning of the program year. We are gearing up for VBS, service projects, and a youth mission trip. We are reflecting on what happened this past year and dreaming about what is to come in the year ahead. Our hectic pace has slowed, and there is the excitement of endless possibility in the air.

There is a freedom in summer that is unlike any other time of the year. And I believe that this enters into our faith lives as well. It is unlike the reflective renewal of Lent, or the excited anticipation of Advent, or the pure joy of our celebration of the risen Christ at Easter. There is a freedom that renews our faith when we make time for each other and dream together about what it means to be God’s people in the world. There is great joy when we soak up all of the possibilities like the sunshine. We are able to hear the needs of our community. We can dream of the endless possibilities to share God’s love with our beautiful and broken world. God helps us find that time to balance our hard work with time to breathe, play, and get lost in our thoughts.

– Liesebet Gravley, pastor-in-residence