New Normal (or How Not to Waste an Apocalypse)
Life of the World to Come*
This week, Rev. Ken talks about the Mountain Goats album “Life of the World to Come” and explains how it’s the inspiration for this message. He talks about the concept of “temporal distancing” and how it can be a useful tool in mindfulness practice. He tells us about a time when – quite unexpectedly – he experienced a profound change in perspective. Given this week’s events, Rev. Ken takes a moment to reflect on the George Floyd murder trial, before…
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
This week, Chris reflects on the entirety of the weight of the pandemic. There are different levels of loss, but she validates the fact that we’ve all lost something. Perhaps we’ve remained healthy, perhaps we’ve kept our jobs, perhaps all our loved ones are safe; yet we’ve all lost things this past year. She contemplates why we are encouraged to shout our joyful moments, but to keep our lamentations quiet. Naming our grief and giving it space can be healing.…
Belonging Sunday
This week, Rev. Lee explains the meaning of Belonging Sunday in our congregation. She reflects on what it means to belong to a community, especially now that we’re in a pandemic. Later, she asks us to consider how there can be a cloud and sunshine in something as simple as a piece of paper. Our new members are introduced, and Rev. Lee goes over what’s in the welcome package we delivered to each household. There’s also a special welcome from…
Life Among the Living
Rev. Lee begins this week by acknowledging that we are all “in need of a resurrection.” She sympathizes with the women in the Easter story of the resurrection who were visiting his grave that Sunday. She reminds us that when Jesus is resurrected, he isn’t recognized by his friends and family – he’s unfamiliar. A messenger reminds the women that we can not look for the living among the dead. We can’t find new life in what is past. We…
The Fire Next Time
This week, Rev. Ken begins with an analogy about how characters in a horror movie often have a moment of thinking the danger has past. Rather than thinking those characters are acting foolishly, we’re invited to find empathy for traumatized people. He’s also made a playlist looking back on a year in a pandemic, and he focuses on the song lyric “How am I gonna be an optimist about this?” Rev. Ken talks about Transgenerational trauma, and how trauma travels…
We’re Giving You an Hour Back
This week, rather than having a traditional Sunday service, we’re giving you back the hour you lost in Daylight Savings Time last week. We’re inviting you to use this time to do whatever it is that charges you full. Take a walk, spend time with your family, rest, or check out the resource guide from our Spiritual Development Ministry for ideas here. We’Re Giving You an Hour Back The following is a message from Wellspring’s congregation.[00:00:07]Good morning, everyone.[00:00:09]Well, if you…
We Remember So We Can Grow
Rev. Lee begins with a story about a healthcare worker isolating from her family, and the stress it caused on her young son. This worker asks her son to “remember this feeling” as we move towards a return to normal. Rev. Lee invites us to remember those who became sick, or those who were lost to this pandemic in the past year. She also references an essay which went viral last year which pointed out that the “old normal” wasn’t…
Apocalypse and Awakening
This week, Rev. Ken opens our new message series called “New Normal (or How Not to Waste an Apocalypse), by talking about a sculpture unveiling in honor of his father’s service to an art museum. As we approach the one year anniversary of Covid lockdown, he reminds us that the Greek word apocalypse means “unveiling.” We can look at this time as potentially a time of awakening. Rev, Ken also invites us to complete the lyric: “It’s the end of…