Dear Friends in Christ,

It is that time again. Stores are filled with backpacks, pencils, and folders. Teachers are counting down on the calendar, with mixed emotions, the days until in-service. You know families squeezing last-minute vacations into a long weekend. You are trying to squeeze the last bit of summer fun into your schedule. School is just around the corner. Summer days are growing shorter.

It is a time of preparation and expectation. Whether this time is filled with joyful anticipation or with heavy dread it can’t be avoided. We even feel it at church! As we gear up for another year of Sunday School, confirmation classes, and faith formation of all kinds we see the schedule fill. How will it all be done? Will there be enough teachers? Is there enough time in people’s schedules for faith formation?

I wonder, do you find yourself worrying about what is to come? As we anticipate the changing of the seasons, are you worried about what will be? Will there be enough for everyone’s school supplies? How are we going to make everyone’s schedules work?

Our first Sunday in August featured a story in the Gospel where the disciples have similar concerns. A large crowd has gathered to hear Jesus teach. But it’s lunch time and there’s not enough food for the thousands. Some call it a miracle. Some call it the contagion of sharing. But, by the end of the day, there’s enough food for everyone. Actually, there’s more than enough food for everyone.

In the month ahead I hope your planning goes well. But, I also hope you find time to enjoy the fleeting moments of summer. We can ask the question, will there be enough? We can make plans to ensure our needs are met. But, behind it all is God who provides what we need. Perhaps it’s a miracle. Perhaps it’s people gathered together sharing what they have with their neighbors.

We share our burdens and our joys. We share our scarcity and abundance, trusting that it all comes from God. We are all one in our need for Jesus. That meal that Jesus gives to us chases us down our whole lives. In times of rest and in times of preparation, you will be fed. There’s more than enough.

Peace to you,

Pastor Lily