Rev. Rhonda Cushman...
“For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all… and he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.” - St. Paul 2 Corinthians 5:14-15I knew spring was on the way a few weeks ago when, as Barbara Goss and I were exploring the local communities and countryside to help me get my bearings in this new territory (thank you Barbara!), we came around a curve in the road and caught a glimpse of some color amidst the brown, brown and more brown of fallow fields and hillsides. There in a patch of sunlight on the bank above us we saw, ever so briefly, a host of blooming crocuses. That fleeting glimpse of glory put a smile on our faces as we traveled on in a late winter morning.
Since that day, the sunlight has coaxed, urged and produced a crop of crocuses in the little patch of ground in front of my urban home in Norristown. In fact, the crocuses have now given way to the daffodils. I pass these signs of inevitable spring on my way back and forth to meet the responsibilities and challenges of life which, right now, are many. Somehow, that glimpse of beauty helps to keep me connected to the God who invented the flowers and set up the seasons so that spring follows winter, And, when I pause for a moment to think about it, that glimpse of beauty reconnects me to the self-giving love of God in Christ Jesus, in whom we have the assurance that, as sure as spring follows winter, life in Christ trumps everything, even death.
I want to thank you for your welcome, your prayers, and for what you have shared with me (so far) of your hopes, your disappointments, your challenges and your love for Christ and for your church. Interim times can be tough, but can also be a golden opportunity to go deep and reconnect with the heart of God. From there we reconnect with each other and with the future God has in store.
Meanwhile, the love of Christ urges us on. I invite you all to make time for worship during the special days just ahead. The Holy week calendar is included in this newsletter. I invite you to pray for your pastoral search committee as a group and as individuals. I invite you to pray for me as I undertake to be your pastor for the interim while maintaining a ministry of chaplaincy in the hospital and the military as well.
And finally, let’s remember that when times are tough all around, the needs of those most fragile in our communities increase while the non-profits, government agencies, and church organizations find themselves also strapped financially. The verses from 2nd Corinthians above, and the phrase "With Willing Hands" are the theme for the annual America for Christ offering we are receiving this month. This offering supports the ministries of our American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware and of National Ministries. The guidance and support of these mission organizations are key to the search process for new pastoral leadership. National Ministries’ support is crucial to the ministries of some 550+ chaplains and pastoral counseiors to people in prisons, hospitals, the military, hospices, disaster sites, and all kinds of places inaccessible to most of us, most of the time. When we cannot do, where we cannot go; we can pray, and we can give.
Remember, it is the love of Christ that urges us on. Without that, where would we be?
Updated March 31, 2009
