Photo of a Lifetime (Happy New Year!)

As you know by now, I am a photographer and since that is what I did almost every day on our trip to Scotland- I’m going to talk about it. I love coming around the bend of a trail with my camera on my hip, and realizing that I have wandered into something remarkable- a piercing shaft of light; the deep greenness in the leaves; perfect reflections of sky in water; clouds shaped like a thunderbird holding the moon between her wings. That kind of magic doesn’t happen often. You have to train yourself to slow down and look for it - to teach your eyes, mind, and heart to see it.

Another important approach to photography involves a lot of planning, and listening to the wisdom of those who have more experience on the journey; learning about what time of day the light is best, and what challenges will be faced photographing in various places and in various seasons (winter light in Scotland was a challenge. The sun came up at 9:00 and it was completely dark by 4:00 pm).

You also have to learn the technology- what your camera can and can’t do - what its gifts and limitations are. Most of all, you have to take pictures - lots and lots of pictures. And out of the thousands, upon thousands of pictures you will take, many will be useless, some will be just a little bit off.  And many will be good and a few of them will be remarkable. The art and journey of photography - the getting to the remarkable - involves a lot of experimenting, slowing down, seeking, waiting, watching, choosing and deleting.

I am thinking the art of photography has a lot to say about our journey at UCH in 2020.  It’s going to be a time of self-examination and reflection. It will be a time of discernment - a continuing journey in the wilderness in which we are called to slow ourselves down and take a careful look at where we are and what is going on around us. It is a time of listening to the wisdom of Jesus who knows the blind alleys and hard climbs of the journey, and who knows how to encounter darkness, grief, and loss that comes before resurrection face to face - filled with authenticity and the Holy Spirit.

2020 will be a time of reflecting on our strengths and our weaknesses. It will be a time of examining our equipment- of choosing and jettisoning- a time to figure out how best to use what we have and what to hang onto and what to let go of so we have a better chance of rounding the bend and standing face to face with the remarkable- a new vision and mission, sustainability for the future, and the magnificent and life changing presence of our Still-Speaking God. 

I invite you- as we enter 2020 together- to seek out the light, listen for the wisdom, and be open to encountering the Holy as our journey unfolds in new ways. As your Pastor/Photographer, I am forever hopeful about what we may encounter when we walk around the bend.  May it be life-changing, may it be remarkable, and may it be the shot of a lifetime! 

Happy New Year Beloved Community! I love being with you on the journey – Rev. Jeanne