Pastor’s Corner – July 4, 2024

Dear Beloved,

     This week I’d invite you to meditate on God’s gifts in the color red as we continue on our journey of praying with/through colors as a possible spiritual practice.

      When you see the color red or if you think or hear about the color red, what comes to your mind?  When preparing to write this, my first thoughts went to objects or symbols - red hearts for Jesus’ love, red rosebuds on the altar table in worship services to celebrate the birth of a child, and red flames to celebrate God’s gift of the Spirit on Pentecost.

       Then Bible passages and stories came to mind - one of the stories about Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25), many stories involving the Red Sea (beginning in Exodus 10), a story that I enjoyed as a child about Rahab although the text I found says “crimson cord” rather than a red rope from my memories (Joshua 2), a warning about paying attention to the times rather than looking for specific signs in Matthew 16.  Do any particular images, symbols, stories, songs, or poems come to your mind?

       I’m also thinking of all the things that have come up and that I’ve been learning about red through my work at school and in relationship with the young adults and programs of the Conscious Caring Community, but that could fill more than a page, so maybe that will be for another pastor’s note at another time.  For now as I close this note to you, I am envisioning the powerfully strong and gentle eternal  love of God - may you always know you are a loved child of God!

  With gratitude and joy,

       Sarah