Standing on the threshold can also be a time of great anxiety:
a student facing the first day of classes
a business about to be launched
a widow walking through her first year alone
After a long period of isolation our church is preparing to take the next step in our journey. For some this has been a time of great frustration, as pandemic protocols have kept us from doing those things we did when times were “normal”. For others it has been a time of great comfort, as we gathered for worship with our bishop each week in the safety of our own homes. It has brought about great creativity as we figured out ways to continue to minister to one another using various technologies (often having to learn some of those for the first time). It has been a period of intense and extra work, as clergy and lay leaders found themselves meeting more often than usual both virtually and in real time. And while much of that anxiety is behind us, we now find ourselves looking forward.
I am reminded of a poem by Minnie Haskins, which was given worldwide attention when King George VI recited these words to close his Christmas message in 1939:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year; “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied, “Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
We, the Diocese of Niagara, are now on the threshold. Preparing to re-open our buildings and our properties as we step into our new reality. There is definitely anxiety, but there is a great deal of excitement … as we carry with us those lessons we have learned these past six months and put them into our “new reality”.
The possibilities are endless. But we have already proven, to ourselves and to others, that all things are possible if we keep the faith and walk together.
Blessings …
Rob+
The Reverend Rob Towler
Interim Editor
The Reverend Rob Towler is the interim editor of the Niagara Anglican.
From the Editor
Standing on the threshold can be exciting:
Standing on the threshold can also be a time of great anxiety:
After a long period of isolation our church is preparing to take the next step in our journey. For some this has been a time of great frustration, as pandemic protocols have kept us from doing those things we did when times were “normal”. For others it has been a time of great comfort, as we gathered for worship with our bishop each week in the safety of our own homes. It has brought about great creativity as we figured out ways to continue to minister to one another using various technologies (often having to learn some of those for the first time). It has been a period of intense and extra work, as clergy and lay leaders found themselves meeting more often than usual both virtually and in real time. And while much of that anxiety is behind us, we now find ourselves looking forward.
I am reminded of a poem by Minnie Haskins, which was given worldwide attention when King George VI recited these words to close his Christmas message in 1939:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year; “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied, “Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
We, the Diocese of Niagara, are now on the threshold. Preparing to re-open our buildings and our properties as we step into our new reality. There is definitely anxiety, but there is a great deal of excitement … as we carry with us those lessons we have learned these past six months and put them into our “new reality”.
The possibilities are endless. But we have already proven, to ourselves and to others, that all things are possible if we keep the faith and walk together.
Blessings …
Rob+
The Reverend Rob Towler
Interim Editor
The Reverend Rob Towler is the interim editor of the Niagara Anglican.
The official communications channel of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara.
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