From the Congregational Church of Eastford
Our experience of time is a funny thing sometimes. For instance, the things in life we want to go fastest are often the times we experience as the slowest. Painful seasons of life, dentist appointments, waiting for things we want to happen (like Christmas for kids), we typically experience as excruciatingly slow. The reverse is also true. The most meaningful and enjoyable moments in life seem to always zip by — vacations, kids growing up, visits with friends and family. It’s almost as if the harder we try to slow down the clock, the faster it ticks, and the harder we try to speed it up, the slower its hands move.
As I write this, I’m feeling both sides of this tension. On the one hand, it’s peak fall in New England. The colors on the trees are incredible. I want fall to pump the brakes, for the season to linger on before the cold and snow of winter begins. But inevitably, by the time you read this, most of the leaves will have fallen already. At the same time, there’s a growing ache and eagerness in our church to move into our new building, for it to be finished, and for the opportunity to share it with our town, friends and family. It is very possible that by the time you read this, we may still be waiting to move in. Time is a funny thing…
As I’ve been reflecting on this, I can’t help but be reminded of how little control we have in the ticking of time. Just this week, I heard myself telling my 6-year-old first grader these exact words, as he asked me for the seventh time when his Scholastic book order would be delivered. It doesn’t take much reflection to see that I am not much better at accepting the passage of time than my son. He and I both know what we want and when we want it. However, if I may, I’d like to take this one level deeper. Once my son gets his book order, and once our church moves into our new building, realistically, how long will it be before we are impatiently waiting for the next thing? I can’t help but admit that, at the root of our impatience, we often desire control. And our desire for control often comes from our belief that we know best — that whatever it is we want right now that we don’t have will satisfy us. But do we really know what’s best?
Take our church for example. We want to move into our new building, and we wanted to move into it yesterday. We have good intentions. We want to bless you all with Christmas time celebrations, a senior dinner, candlelit carol singing, and ultimately a welcome place to seek after Jesus. At our core, we are a community all about Him.
And yet, when Jesus was born, His parents had no place to stay. There were no rooms in the inns. He was born in a stable in a small town. There was nothing impressive about His birthplace. In fact, it was one of the most impractical and lowly places in which He could have been born.
Did God mistime His birth? Should He have maybe chosen a time when the inns in Bethlehem had some vacancies? I don’t think so. I think God knew exactly what He was doing.
And I think He does in our case too. In light of that, it is our task to gratefully and humbly accept where He has us at now, and to do our best to faithfully live out the legacy of Jesus amongst you all either way. As I reflect on the two years I’ve been pastoring at our church, God has helped us live out His legacy even without a building, in some of the most unideal and humble ways!
Here’s the thing – I don’t think any of us would’ve willingly chosen this journey our church has been on. And yet, through these three-plus years of waiting with no building, we’ve experienced so many unexpected blessings. First and foremost, we’ve experienced the love and generosity of so many in our town — from the school staff and town office staff to numerous Eastford citizens like you. New people have found hope in Jesus. New friendships and partnerships have been formed. There is no shortage of stories about the unexpected blessings that came during the waiting. Maybe we don’t know what’s best after all.
Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you’re in a season of life when you are longing to move faster (or slower), and you’re wrestling with accepting the circumstances you find yourself in. If that’s you, come join us on a Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in the Eastford Elementary School gym. You’ll be in good company! We are a people seeking the One who does know best, and a people who are getting pretty good at praying for patience.
And stay tuned. Our new building is almost here, and we’re especially excited to share it with you! We’ll be sure to get the word out when we’re ready to welcome you in. In the meantime, don’t be a stranger. We’d love to meet you in the waiting!