Tuesday, September 6, 2022
The Rev. Anne Williamson
To everything there is a season
‘To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…. A time to keep and a time to throw away’ – Ecclesiastes 3
I am very good at keeping, I am not so good at throwing away or letting go. As I cleared the desk in my old office, and I (and others!) went through the accumulated ‘stuff’, I had the opportunity to reflect on my nine-plus years as Associate Rector at St. John’s. What a time of blessing and grace and joy, even over these last few of years with all that our community, and the world, have had to contend with. I cannot express the depth of my gratitude for all the St. John’s community has been to me since my arrival back in the USA in 2013.
So, no, I am no longer the Associate Rector at St. John’s (since Aug 1) but yes, I am still at St. John’s, very part time – 10 hours a week. I will still see you on most Sundays, and at various times in the week. You can leave a message for me in the office or email me at anne@stjohnsnh.org (no promises on the speed of the response!).
I am trusting, and excited, that God has a new Associate Rector for St. John’s…I had hoped (Rob had hoped, we all had hoped!) we would know who that was before my new call to be Associate for Pastoral Care began. (Deep breath, see my reflection on patience from last week) Pastoral Care is an integral part of who we are and whose we are. I see the new role as helping to strengthen of bonds of care and support in our community. I am so looking forward to the focus on Pastoral Care, build the Pastoral Care team back up again, and just be with folks on the journey.
Why this change now? Well, I have arrived at the age that gerontologists describe as the ‘young old’ (and there is the allure of Medicare). It has been a time of reflection for me. I have revisited Joan Chittister’s ‘The Gift of Years’ which has been so helpful. Sister Joan writes that the gift of years is gift, not burden, and she goes on to say that the ‘enterprise of embracing the blessings of this time and overcoming the burdens of it… is the spiritual task of later life.’ The book is organized with short chapters with single word chapter headings, like ‘Joy’, ‘Fear’, ‘Time’, ‘Possibility’ and ‘Mystery’. At the end of each chapter are reflections on the burden and blessing prompted by the word. There is one two-word chapter heading, ‘Letting Go’. The reflections for that chapter sum up where I find myself in this moment:
A burden of these years is the temptation to cling to the times and things behind us rather than move to the liberating moments ahead.
A blessing of these years is the invitation to go lightfooted into the here and now – because we spend far too much of life preparing for the future rather than enjoying the present.
I know this is a season of letting go for me, and I pray for God’s grace to help me let go gracefully! I pray that in whatever season you find yourself, God will meet you and bless you.