The First Queso and That Time Jesus Borrowed a Boat
Written Tuesday, December 8, 2020.
This week was our son’s birthday which, in addition to all the important milestones associated with him coming into the world and blessing Sarah and I, also reminds me of the first time I had Tex-Mex in Houston. The reason being that we happened to come to Houston to meet with Holy Spirit’s search committee at the same time that he turned 2. I still remember which table we sat at in Escalante’s that first night in Texas.
Memory is often heightened in the midst of unusual or special moments in our lives. I imagine this year will provide many such moments. I am hoping the joyful experience of everyone coming out to our field to see the pageant this Sunday evening and singing together on the field on Christmas Eve will be included in the surprising memorable blessings of this pandemic season.
One of my access points in the gospel stories is to imagine what it must have been like to be Peter or one of the other disciples. It doesn’t make since to try to think about what it was like to be Jesus because that is not the seat in which we ever sit. But, what would it have been like to see Jesus do some of the amazing things he did? Even more closely connected to the Advent moment which in which we currently reside, what was it like to see Jesus for the first time? If I can remember tasting real queso for the first time, or meeting many of you those many years ago, surely looking back to the moment a stranger asked to borrow his boat to be able to better speak to the crowd (as we hear in Luke 5) would bring a warm retrospective feeling of “Had I only known at that time!” to Peter and his friends.
The story of Jesus coming into our midst and doing amazing things is alive and well. We will remember many of our own touch points along the way and likely forget others, but we can be assured that the promise of the coming of Christ is meant to bring us comfort and peace. God desires for us to know that all will be well. So, stay awake as our Gospel story urged us last week. You never know when a moment of God’s presence that changes everything will take place.
We love you and God loves you.
Josh Condon+
Dear Beloved Holy Spirit Community,
I am writing to you with sad and unexpected news.
The parents of Sarah Condon, Debra Ferguson and Owen Taylor, died in a car accident on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. We do not know additional details at this time.
We do know that Josh, Sarah, Neil, and Annie need us to surround them with our prayers, compassion, and love.
In the days ahead, we will learn how to best support the Condons. Thank you to those who have reached out with offers to help and give; please consider prayer your greatest gift at this time. We will reach out to everyone in future days as we learn how we can best support them, as well as with information on service arrangements.
Our hearts are heavy. Yet Advent is a season where we are reminded that God’s love is real and will meet us exactly where we are. We know that His love will also meet the Condons exactly where they are, and where they will be in the days ahead.
We are grateful for each one of you; you are a gift to Holy Spirit.
Grace and Peace,
Korey Wright+