Dear Church,
We didn’t know it at the time. We didn’t know, exactly one year ago this week, that the Andrew Peterson Backyard Pilgrimage launch would begin the longest Lent. Feb 29, 2020 was the First Sunday in Lent. It was also Leap Day. A promotion for the concert read:
Tired of running? This Leap year . . . catch up with God by slowing down.
Begin the Backyard Pilgrimage to Easter.
Do you remember the mountain top experience of hearing so many different churches united in worship, lifting our voices? Do you remember the joy we felt at the end of the night, and the eagerness people had to leave the church building, so we could begin our pilgrimage of walking Wenatchee’s streets and parish pathways in the morning? We thought we were beginning a 40 day pilgrimage out into the parish. None of us imagined an entire year of having our church, our worship, and our lives turned inside-out.
This Sunday after each service, we will gather outside the church on the “Evensong” grass to reflect on the past year. Please take a moment to ask yourselves:
1. What are our church’s highlights from 2020?
2. What insights should inform our DNA going forward?
In her Backyard Pilgrim cohort this week, Rachel Madson said that while she did not like Drive-Thru church, she came to love the way her family took their portable bread and wine to a new picnic spot each week. “It became our time to reflect on the pandemic together, and we discovered parts of the parish we’d never seen before. God drew us closer to him, to each other, and to places and neighbors we never knew.”
Here are seven of my own highlights & insights from last year to stir your memories . . .
Being one of the first churches to close, (given our relationship with WBBC) and the first to re-open the following week. (Drive-Thru Church)
Finding a way to safely serve communion when the state said ‘yes’ to fast-food restaurants, but ‘no’ to churches.
Being turned inside-out (Walk-Thru Stations of the Cross)
To let outsiders in. (Side by Side Camp)
The intimacy of Backyard Church (vs. the noisy coffee & tea fellowship in the basement)
The public witness of outdoor Evensong services in our parish.
Helping Chelan-Douglas County decide to include pastors / priests as essential workers.
“Not with our lips, but with our lives . . .” (recovering neglected ways of worship)
Come join the conversation looking back on 2020, looking at Jesus Christ, and looking forward to following Him.
Pastor Matt
P.S. - Here's my spiritual direction times for next week
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