Dear Brothers and Sisters of Mt. View,
Growing up, I discovered Fievel, the little mouse of An American Tale, who was an amazingly brave, resilient and perseverant young hero. He could also sing really well. On the treacherous boat journey to America from Russia, a storm tosses little Fievel into the sea, separating him from his family and mouse community. He survives in a bottle and lands on the New York shore, feeling as lost as ever. As he falls asleep one night, he looks toward a full moon and sings about those who might be staring at the same bright sky. Meanwhile, his older sister sings the same song at the same moon. “We’ll be together, in that great somewhere out there.” The harmonies moved my heart and the love expressed caught me as important and real even as a small girl.
The people who call this church home to grow in faith and look to God can easily look out to the Foothills in awe and delight. At the end of this month, my family and I will leave this view and head toward our new home, where, when we look out the window, we’ll gaze upon the Sapphire Mountains. I can’t help thinking that, even though the particular peaks and faces are different, we’ll be looking on the same great landscape that is the Rocky Mountains. How will our spirits rise up to meet these peaks in the coming months and years? How will the vision just ahead of us guide us to be faithful followers of God? How will we meet together as the body of Christ, one in God?
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus prays for all the disciples and future believers at the last supper. “I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.” (John 17:21) His words reflect the words of God spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. “I will give them one heart and one mind so that they may worship me all the days of their lives, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.” (Jer. 32:39)
These verses echo the longings of Fievel, my heart, and the Holy One. May we be one together- as a family, a witness, and an expression of love, hope and grace. Each of us will journey to vistas with unique views. I pray that in those journeys, we can be faithful to gazing upon the heart of God and the oneness that imbues us of with identity, purpose and belonging.
Thank you for all the support, care, laughs, curiosity, and deep love you have shared with my family and me. Lydia and Spencer will forever with Mt. View babies, washed in baptism and your promise. We hold dear the sacred moments of this place that we shared together.
Happy Trails and God’s Blessings of Peace
Pastor Sarah