Dear Christ Church,
This past weekend at the Men’s Retreat, nearly 100 men spent an hour in solitude and silence. I hiked a nearby peak and for most of the hour paid attention to God through the songs and colors of the mountain. For much of that time I also watched a single black vulture with taut wings ride thermal waves and wind gusts without ever flapping its wings, making only slight body adjustments to better catch the airflow. His posture seemed engaged yet relaxed, active in bodily position yet passive to the direction and power of the wind.
Just over a month ago we sent Fr. Cliff and Christine into the next season of their lives as we began a new chapter in our story together as Christ Church. And I preached that we entered into a “Season of Pruning,” a season where we acknowledge God is trimming, changing, and transforming our lives.
Change is scary because it removes the mask of control. Every transition, every crossing of a threshold, feels like a minor death. Our culture teaches us to rush through grief, sadness, and fear and to cast ourselves into busyness and productivity, to actively try and resolve the discomfort of being pruned. But when we do, we miss the gifts that God has for us in the midst of the transition.
Rather than rushing through this season of pruning, I want to encourage us to hold a posture more like the black vulture. To hold our lives open, spread before the Lord, and actively wait for the wind of His Spirit to carry us up and forward where he desires. This is an image of dependence.
In this transition, I find myself embracing this season of pruning as a way to become more dependent on the Spirit, more open about my weaknesses, trusting the Lord to lead in ways that feel like wings-spread-wide, active waiting. And my prayer for you, Christ Church, in this transitional season and in whatever personal challenges you are facing, is the same. I challenge you to receive the invitation to live in dependency, to spread the wings of your life in trust, waiting to ride the wind of His spirit. Embrace these moments of transformation.
By the way, this week many of you have received or will receive a stewardship letter from the church. I’m excited to share more with you about this on Sunday, and the ways we are called to stand in generosity and generativity together to the glory of God and with a heart for the city of Austin and the world.
Peace,
Matt+
P.S. don’t forget our Faith & Arts group is hosting ¡Tesoros Bellos! tomorrow night at 7pm. Find all the details here.