Dear Partners in Separation:

As you may have noticed, I resist pastoral letters that are pep talks to increase participation in activities and generosity in giving. Not that these things are unimportant; I just believe that generosity and activity are consequences of a growing faith, not goals. Still, every once in a while, it’s good to check in on our progress.

Just this past Sunday, the Sanctuary was completely empty for both services, and not one nickel or envelope was found in the offering plates. Coffee urns remained empty, the Faith Forest room quiet, the balcony completely free from choral sound; clean-up was a breeze. By all traditional metrics, it was a lousy Sunday.

Years ago, a preaching student of mine gave a brilliant sermon for our class in which she said, “Faith is what you’ve got when everything else is gone.” She had lived in Reno, Nevada, for many years and compared the environmental manipulations of casinos to the reality of faith. Casinos create noisy, busy, bright-light experiences to bolster the illusion of a “sure thing.” My student was a building engineer who confirmed the rumor that gambling floors pump in enhanced oxygen to give that “can’t lose” feeling. By contrast, she observed that deepening faith is found in silence and solitude; faith is made stronger in darkness. So, here we are.

For several months now, we have been the church without any trappings of assurance; it’s hard to sing harmony when your voice is solo. I have been deeply moved again and again by the expressions of faith coming though safe-distance conversations, emailed prayers and thoughtful hand-written notes. Even as we are moving into deeper restrictions on gathering, God’s Spirit is not constrained. For those with ears to hear, the still small voice of faith whispers the confidence of grace and the invisible but certain evidence of fellowship. The solid rock on which we stand is neither swayed by election results nor threatened by pandemic limitations. It is affirmed by God’s own Word, secured by the life, death and resurrection of Christ and conditioned by the ceaseless breath of the Holy Spirit.

For those who feel you may be losing your grip, know this: God’s hold on us relies not one bit on our feelings. Manipulated feelings pay the light bills of Reno.

Knowing faith isn’t something we keep, but what God gives, I remain,

With Love,
Jonathan Krogh
Your Pastor