Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Lent — Dusting & Polishing

Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Crawford — Co-Interim Moderator

The season of Lent is a time for reflection, wondering, and an intentional pause. This season invites us to remember our deep call as spiritual beings. For some of us, this may be a time of giving something up as confession. For others, it may be a time of adding something to our regular routine as an acknowledgement of God’s presence. No matter how you are marking the season of Lent, I pray that this is a time in which you will have the opportunity to reflect upon the transitions of your life as you follow the Holy Week Journey from death to new life.

This time of inward reflection, wondering and pondering mirrors this season in the life of St. Andrew’s. We find ourselves in a time of intentional transition — grieving the loss of past leadership, celebrating a faithful legacy, paying attention to the Spirit in this present moment, and looking to the future. This movement of loss, grief, death, a new awakening, the Spirit’s moving and life, leads to resurrection. During both the season of Lent, and in times of transition, it can be easy for us to want to move quickly and directly to resurrection. In Jesus Christ, we know the end of the story and we celebrate that with hope. Indeed, we are people of hope and life and often we experience transformation, new life and resurrection in proportion to the preparation that we do. Just as the season of Lent is a time of waiting, a time of reflection, and a time of getting things ready so too this moment of transition for St. Andrew’s is a time of reflection and preparation.

During worship in January, Rev. Ian used the metaphor of “dusting and polishing” to describe this transitional work in preparation for a new minister. We understand that our role as your Interim Moderators is to support the elders, the spiritual leaders, and the staff team of St. Andrew’s on this journey. The session, amidst its ongoing ministry and leadership of the congregation, has formed a working group, which this spring will support a conversation in the following three areas:

• Organizational Structure

• Stewardship (ongoing-deficit)

• Staffing Needs

The conversation about “dusting and polishing,” is a spiritual check-in, a part of the process of transition, preparation for the next minister, and a movement towards life and resurrection. Sometimes we need to let old patterns, habits and structures die to support the journey towards resurrection. As we journey through the peaks and valleys, twists and turns of Lent, may we be reminded of our calling as God’s people – to live in hope. God’s mission in Christ has a church, and the Church is about growth, hope, transformation and resurrection. Indeed St. Andrew’s is a growing church, standing on the faithful legacy of 171 years of service in downtown Kitchener and beyond. May we continue, with God’s help, to change lives, to seek resurrection and to grow in Jesus Christ.

As we journey from death to life this Easter may we know that God is with us, and we are not alone.

Peace in Christ,

Jeffrey Crawford
Co-Interim Moderator