This year, May is an in-between month on the liturgical calendar. It falls between the two church holidays of Easter (April 17) and Pentecost (June 5). It is still a special month with its celebration of Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, along with Cinco de Mayo, running of the Kentucky Derby, and National Barbecue Day. But for the church, it is an in-between month—remembering a time when the first disciples were aware of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet still waiting for that movement of the Spirit that changed the world forever.
I also am cognizant of the fact that this is the last Pastor’s Letter I’ll write for the ELPC newsletter. Just as Beth and I enter into a season of “in-between” transitions from Pittsburgh to Maryland, ELPC will enter into a similar time of transition and expectancy. I will be learning about the needs of a new congregation, helping them to eventually call a new senior pastor; you will be continuing the good ministry work and worship that are hallmarks of our church, as you too look ahead toward a time of both interim (and eventual) called pastoral leadership.
Every life has these moments of transition. It may have happened to you between high school and college, between an old job and a new job, between the end of one relationship and the start of another. It may have been marked by the days between singleness and getting married, between pregnancy and giving birth, between caring for an elderly parent and then grieving their death. These in-between times may have felt unsettling, but in retrospect, many of them were times of the greatest personal growth. It is in these moments that we ask ourselves what we truly value, what we deeply hope for, what we understand to be true for ourselves and our place in the world.
If you look carefully at the scripture descriptions of this “in-between” season, you’ll notice that the big events happened on festival days (Passover/Easter, Pentecost)—when the Jerusalem streets were crowded with people all gathered together. But the resurrection events happened in the quieter, in-between times—when the risen Christ appeared to disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, or when Christ was seen by the disciples while they were out fishing one ordinary day. I think the good news is that resurrection power is best seen in these in-between moments of our lives. It is in times of transition, of movement from one place to another, that Christ is near to us and lovingly guiding us forward.
My sincere prayer is that Christ continues to be that resurrection presence of hope for each of you and for ELPC—both in the transition season and the years ahead. I am deeply grateful for the love you’ve shown me and my family over my time here. Know that you’ll remain in my heart and prayers. I’ll close with the words of the apostle Paul: Rejoice in the Lord always. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
—Randy Bush