The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,

   I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.

   I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.” 

You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;

   they sank like lead in the mighty waters. 

Exodus 15:9-10 (NRSV)

I hope this note finds you well and looking forward to the Pilgrim Church Program Year (also known as the School Year). 

If you’re a teacher or a student getting ready to head back in, I hope you’re looking forward to it. But the odds are good that your feelings about what’s ahead are based, in part, on what you went though last year. 

That could be a tremendous mistake. 

If you’re coming back to church (or school) this Fall, you deserve to remember that you’ve been through a terrible trauma, whether you’d call it that or not. We all have. By having to adapt in the all ways we had to adapt last year, many of us missed out on a lot of learning experiences, and on a lot of fellowship time. Sometimes we had to cancel events, or take what felt like steps backward in order to move forward at all. It was tough, and we heard a lot of a complaining (sometimes even from ourselves). 

It’s important to recognize past trauma as you prepare for what’s next, whether you felt deeply affected at the time or not. It’s how we move on. 

In the story represented by the Bible quote above, of the Israelites crossing the parted waters, we have another drama: a midnight flight, a terrifying pursuit, and then a miraculous rescue. 

And what did they do after that amazing deliverance? 

They sang.

Miriam, the sister of Moses, grabbed a tambourine and led the people in a song, celebrating what they’d been through and how God brought them through to the other side. They gave praise and thanks, and they partied! The verses above are a part of Miriam’s victory song.

Pilgrim Church deserves the same treatment. It’s time to celebrate what we’ve been through, but it’s also time to look ahead to what’s possible. I look forward to a proper return this year, starting on September 18^th at Rally Sunday. This Year, our theme will be Arise & Sing, as we celebrate where we’ve been and where we hope to go next! 

Watch this space (and the Spire) for details about our plans for the 2022-2023 Church Program Year, and join us again as we Arise & Sing!