St. John’s is about to enter an exciting new chapter with the arrival of our new Settled Lead Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Linda Noonan. But before we open this chapter, I would like to take a look back to recognize and acknowledge where we have been and how far we have come.

St. John’s has been on a journey not completely unlike the people with Moses – St. John’s members and friends have been wandering through the wilderness for an extended time. While it may feel like 40 years, at times over the last two and a half years, many St. John’s folks have been presented with arduous and even exhausting challenges. Yet, upon deeper reflection, there is something worthwhile and even precious about this time.

A time in the wilderness cuts through the unhelpful chatter in our collective minds – it brings what is necessary to actually live into much deeper clarity. While the purpose of the church hasn’t changed over the last few years, the way we “do” church, in many aspects, has. I have observed that St. John’s folk have learned through this wilderness time to be much less focused on the externals of what we do— and to accept the need to adapt in order to keep moving forward.

A time in the wilderness requires everyone at St. John’s to not just address the “how” of being the church. It leads us to ask the “why” questions – questions like: why do we want to update our technology? Why is it important to have Christmas Eve service at a certain time? Why do we need to invest in our ministry team positions? All these questions and more get at the root of what it means to “be the church” in this day and age.

Traveling through the wilderness also tests our relationships at times. When it feels like the stakes are high – and they certainly are for a wilderness people – the friction that may be barely perceivable in times of plenty rises to the surface. In the church, thank God, the people of the church also come to realize, through grace, that these relationships are what will keep us alive. These relationships, which have grown over many decades, become even more vital when a people realizes how much is at stake and how much interdependence is involved in the very act of reaching “the Promised Land!”

So, as we emerge from the wilderness, let St. John’s proclaim that we see the Promised Land, and we are moving together with a vision that invites all to journey and to dwell with us. A Promised Land that only God can fulfill. Peace!

Pastor Tom Adil,
Acting Lead Bridge Pastor

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