Feb. 3 Reflection: Bleak Midwinter
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Holy Covenant,
I often think that the beautiful song “In the Bleak Midwinter” falls too early in our liturgical calendar. Christmas doesn’t happen in the bleak midwinter. Here in Chicago, we know the bleak midwinter. And I’d say it’s setting in right…about…now. For some of us, February falls like a blow, reminding us it is really truly is winter, in a northern city, meaning we’ve got a good few months to go.
On the other hand, there is something precious about this down time, this ordinary time, that comes after Christmas and before Lent. Without the full bore scheduling of our brief summers or the holiday season, it’s easier to simply be with one another. We have the opportunity to hunker down and tend to ordinary tasks: eating meals together, cleaning the apartment, getting back to the gym. This is true in our households and at Holy Covenant too. Pastor Kate’s sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer points us back to the very center of our faith: blessing the name of our God, breaking bread together, and forgiving one another. Let’s dig in this winter and prepare ourselves and our community for what’s next.
There are lots of opportunities to dig deeper this winter, to build community and relationships. This week, many Winter Small Groups are starting. Several still have room for you. You may have noticed that we seem to be having more longer term groups. As a congregation, it seems like we’re ready for this. We also continue to need and have shorter term groups in order to focus on specific topics, or so that people who’ve never been in a small group can get their toes wet. Visit our site for more information on all the groups. Note especially Matt Kuzma’s new group (Wednesdays at 7, at church) designed to introduce newcomers to each other and to give some basic information about Holy Covenant, the United Methodist Church and the Christian faith. Drop in once or regularly. Note too that there is still room on Thursdays in Freed-up Financial Living. It’s not too late to budget faithfully, however daunting that is during tax season! We can support each other as we get our priorities in order.
It turns out that Holy Covenant, and even Chicago, isn’t too bad a place to spend the bleak midwinter. Not when we’re in a community that recognizes and celebrates the truth that, as the song says, heaven can’t contain our God. Instead, our God is breaking into ordinary human lives again and again. Come to worship, join a small group, come to the congregational summit this Saturday, stay for pizza after the February 14th evening service. You may find out that while, yes, “snow has fallen, snow on snow,” underneath the cold, the ground we are standing on is holy and ablaze with God’s presence.
In the deepest ways, stay warm!
Rebecca Anderson
Minister of Small Groups
