Fermata Aug 27, 2021: Holding Joy and Lament Together

Fermata is the weekly newsletter describing some of the past week’s highlights from Notes of Rest, which is my spiritual retreat ministry that interweaves text, music, and questions for the sake of cultivating stillness, introspection, and creativity in communities so that all may rest. I'd love to host a Notes of Rest for your church, seminary, or affinity group. Feel free to reply to this email to start the conversation!

Ezra 3:10-13

This week's Fermata is on Notes of Rest for Pastors, held in August. We discussed the return of exiled Israel to Jerusalem in 538 BC and the mixture of emotions the community had about rebuilding the temple torn down by Babylon decades ago. Some of the congregation rejoiced as they rebuilt according to the instructions given by King David long ago. "The Lord is faithful!" However, some lamented, and it is the lament that caught the Notes of Rest pastors' attention. They wondered if some of Israel grieved because they wanted to restore life to the rhythms of worship exactly as they were before the Babylonian lockdown; perhaps the Jewish elders saw that the lockdown birthed new possibilities that needed to be explored. The pastors could relate to those tears as they dealt with their own reasons for joy and lament as their congregations returned to in-person worship.

In these complicated times, can we make space for our pastors to express their joy and lament publicly? What memories do our congregations need to bring to God and let be turned into new dreams?

May the Lord who was faithful to Israel as they recovered their rhythms of worship be faithful to you and your congregation as you establish a new normal. To that end, here is a song for the journey: Great is Thy Faithfulness.

from rest eternal,
Julian