Emerge
A Metamorphosis Moment
Let Go: Leaving Behind What We Don't Need
May 21, 2023
Just as butterflies leave behind their chrysalises, baby birds break out of their shells, and snakes shed their skin, we too discard old parts of ourselves in order to keep growing. We go through changes in work, in family structures, in friendships, in our own beliefs and values, all throughout our lives. When we give ourselves permission to say ‘yes’ to new experiences and ways of being, that often means letting go of old habits and patterns, a kind of decluttering the mind, body, and spirit. Today in worship, we will ponder what it means to release what is no longer necessary so that we might make room for positive changes.
Unwrap: Waking Up
May 7, 2023
In the opening of the tomb of Lazarus, in the unwrapping of his funeral clothes, the community had to face their unknowing — and perhaps disbelief — and trust that the resurrection Jesus had facilitated was real. The range of emotions was vast. As the butterfly’s cozy environment cracks further open still, it is the effort of the process of emerging that makes change possible — waking up, rolling away the stone, unwrapping what will be.
Unfold: Claiming New Possibilities
May 14, 2023
Once out of the cocoon, the new butterfly has much to do to prepare for flight. Wings are not yet ready. Small and undernourished, they long for expansion — to move beyond this awkward in-between-ness. As we consider our own metamorphosis, we remember how Jesus renamed “Simon” as “Peter,” a description of “the rock” upon which the church would be built. Are we willing to accept that God’s possibilities may come in ways we never imagined, perhaps expanding our notion of who we are in this world?
Open: Into the Light
April 30, 2023
The story of faith is not one of arrival but of journey. The new butterfly’s struggle to push out of its confines produces a fissure that cannot be undone. There is no going back, the journey to a new existence has commenced. The post-resurrection story of Jesus opening the hearts of his fellow travelers along the road to Emmaus invites us to be companions of the one who will open us into the light of a new day.
Coming Out
April 23, 2023
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” This quote by writer Anaïs Nin speaks profoundly to our current theme in worship, “Emerge.” A caterpillar forms a chrysalis and stays inside for a time while the magical process of metamorphosis occurs. And a day comes when that protective shell is too constricting — the butterfly within must break free! Today we gather to encourage one another out of our comfortable places so that we may truly bloom.