…Let it be here

that safety will rest.

Let it be here

that health will make its home.

Let it be here

that peace will show its face.

Let it be here

that love will find its way.

Here

let the weary come

let the aching come

let the lost come

let the sorrowing come.

Here

let them find their rest

and let them find their soothing

and let them find their place

and let them find their delight.

~ From “THE YEAR AS A HOUSE: A Blessing” by Jan Richardson

(The entire blessing and more by the author and artist may be found here: https://www.facebook.com/JanRichardsonAuthor)

Friends,

I think most of us would agree that we are not greeting 2022 in the way we had hoped we would. Our Christmas celebrations were wonderful, and yet, the virus is still a very present problem, once again upending things. I give thanks for your gentleness and graciousness with me and with one another as we find creative ways to stay connected while also attending to the health and safety of friends, neighbors, and strangers alike, especially the most vulnerable among us. Thank you for continuing to wear masks in worship and inside here at church. Thank you for your flexibility in moving meetings online. Thank you for staying the course, trusting that God is with us now and always.

Happy New Year, dear FPC friends. As Jan Richardson writes in the blessing above, may this year be one in which “love will find its way.”

Grace and peace,

Ellen