Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird; it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. –C. S. Lewis


The Easter season in the church year has been all about change. Jesus was crucified—but now he’s alive! He walked among us, left, returned—but then ascended to the Father, leaving behind only his promise. Faithful followers denied him—then believed and glorified his name. In seemingly the blink of an eye, everything changed for the Twelve—and for us, too.

And now summer is coming, and the change gets personal (again) as we change the hour of worship and head downstairs to the Great Hall for worship (10:00 a.m. beginning June 15).

But it’s different this year, isn’t it? While we are downstairs, Big Changes will be happening in our beautiful Sanctuary, changes that will make sharing the Good News and extending a welcome to everyone even easier to do.

Change is seldom easy, painless or fun. Anatole France reminds us that, “All changes, even the most longed-for, have their melancholy, for what we leave behind is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” As important and exciting as this Chancel project is, it will still mean saying good-bye to what was, in order to welcome what the future might bring. We may feel angry, saddened, even hurting inside. Tears may come unexpectedly.

And that’s okay. All these feelings simply remind us how deeply we have loved. Trust now in the Eternal, Unchanging One to carry us forward.


Monday (Memorial Day) Pause today and give thanks for those who willingly gave their lives so that others might live. We will always remember. 1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Tuesday Reflect today on the hardest thing you ever had to do as a child. Maybe it was moving to a new neighborhood or staring a new school. Look back through your “grownup eyes” and give thanks. 1 Corinthians 13:11-13

Wednesday Pause today and pray for the leadership of our church family, both ordained and lay. Ask God to continue to impart wisdom. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Thursday Pray for the planners and workers who will be transforming our worship space over the next four months. Give thanks for their special gifts. Deuteronomy 8:2

Friday Close your eyes and remember a time when God felt especially close. Pray for God’s presence to continue to be manifest at the Church in the Circle. Numbers 9:15-23

Saturday Is there an area in your life that needs change? Maybe it’s something as small as throwing something away. Spend some time in prayer about a needed change. Exodus 12:31-42

Sunday Feeling hungry today? Want to connect with these fellow travelers on the journey? Come to the Table for Communion, and stay for the potluck following worship. All are welcome, and we always have plenty of food. John 6:5-13


The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. --Socrates

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