Pastor's August Letter
Summertime Spirituality - Part 2
I hope you are enjoying your summer and if not, get going because it's almost over now! I also hope that you have been practicing the suggestions I gave you last month to help you promote summertime spirituality for yourself. Many of us find enjoying spiritual practices easier in the summer. There is something about the changed pace of our lives during the summer months that makes it a little easier to dedicate time to growth on our spiritual path. So, here are some more suggestions to help you practice “summertime spirituality”. Maybe we'll enjoy them enough that we'll keep practicing ways to feel more spiritual into the Fall as well.
Take Naps. Yes, you read that correctly. Doctors now confirm that naps are good for us. We should have never “outgrown our childhood practice of napping”. Even a brief nap in the afternoon can help us to become more rested, calm, and connected to ourselves and to God. When you feel sluggish, tired, weary – when in doubt – take a nap.
Be Still. Take time to listen to the sounds of summer around you. Let the breeze be like the wind of God, blowing new energy and new ideas into you. Look up and enjoy the blue skies and sunshine, the summer storms, the sunset, the night sky filled with stars. Take a deep breath and blow out your worries and concerns and let them rise into the air to be taken care of by God.
Spend Time Floating in a Body of Water. Lake, river, ocean, swimming pool – lay back, close your eyes, and just float. Let the water carry you and imagine that Jesus is carrying away all your burdens. When you feel wrinkled, you've probably been floating long enough. Be grateful that your burdens have floated away, leaving you feeling lighter.
Connect with Nature. Enjoy the gifts of nature around you. Play with your pet or just sit peacefully and stroke them; hug a tree and sit at its base; hang a bird feeder in a place where you can see the birds without disturbing them; visit a farmer's market and smell the fresh vegetables; go to a place where you can enjoy a variety of flowers.
Read Your Bible Outdoors. Sit in the outdoors in a place where you feel good and read your Bible. Just open to a page and read and see what God has to say to you. If you have a Hymnal, you can do the same. The lyrics of our favorite hymns can speak to our hearts and minds in special ways.
Maintain Your “Summer Wonders” Shrine. Remember that shrine you set up in July? Keep adding new things to it that you find meaningful to your practice of summertime spirituality. At least once a week, gather at the table and share your wonders with yourself and God and give thanks for them.
May your summer be filled with good spiritual energy, growth, and nourishment!
Love, Pastor Susan
About Our Pastor
Reverend Susan Hanson
Reverend Susan Hanson has been serving churches since December 19, 1993, when she delivered her first sermon to her first congregation. Since then, Pastor Susan has served in 12 different settings of churches as an interim pastor and to nursing homes as a chaplain, primarily helping to heal hurting congregations and institutions so they could recover and start anew. Reverend Hanson came to St. Vincent UCC in 2013 - her lucky number 13, as she says - and has been with us ever since. How lucky we are because on Sunday, April 8, 2018, Pastor Susan was officially installed by the PA Southeast Conference of the UCC as St. Vincent UCC’s permanent pastor!
Susan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Florida State University; a Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary; and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Moravian Theological Seminary. She was ordained in her home church, St. John’s UCC in Lansdale, PA, on January 9, 1994.
Susan and her husband, the Reverend Doug Hanson, pastor of St. Peter’s Pikeland UCC, live in Chester Springs. They have a daughter and son-in-law who live in Alabama with Pastor Susan’s two grandchildren, a daughter and a son who live locally, and a Golden Doodle. In addition to meeting new people, Pastor Susan enjoys reading a good book, taking walks in nature, and visiting with family and friends.
In her Statement on Ministry, Reverend Hanson says that “a pastor assists the congregation in living out our call to be the heart and hands and voice of God here on earth in our own particular time and place. We can be assured that all of God’s hopes and dreams for us will be realized when we allow God’s Spirit to work within our own lives, and through us, to help others as we seek to do God’s will in the world. Together, we celebrate that when good people seek to make a positive difference in the world, it is there that real ministry happens.”
Feel free to contact Pastor Susan via email at holylistener@gmail.com or by cell phone at 610.393.6971.