August 23, 2024
Notes on Notes
This past week began for me with a request to republish some of my “Notes” from our previous Life on the Vine issues. After some consideration, I consented to one that they suggested, and you can now find last week’s offering on this week’s Pacific Northwest Conference blog. This invitation has given me reason to reflect on what it is I am trying to do in these weekly offerings.
I have written a number of articles and essays in my previous life in academics for a wide audience, both scholarly to pastoral in nature. These were often written with a very diverse audience in mind, being careful to make as many readers as possible feel seen and heard as they read the piece. I would always hope anyone making the effort to read something I wrote would say, “that was worth the time because it applied to me.” That is very different from the way I approach writing a piece like the one I am writing now.
As I write this, I have a very particular community in mind. That community is you. Though I am still getting to know you (and you me), we already have a relationship through our life together as a church, now over three and a half years into my ministry among you. But that raises the question of ‘what do I hope to accomplish when I write?’ So let me share some of the thoughts this has raised for me.
The first thing I understand is that there have been many different purposes for the pieces I have written. One of the most obvious, and maybe the most frequent, reason is to convey news. This could be news about our church, my life, our denomination, or our world, to name a few. Another is to share theological reflections on the world as I have experienced at that time. Last week’s piece (now this week’s piece for our Conference) is an example of that. A third is catechetical, or theological explanations of things—often things we do in worship or other elements or practices of the life of our church.
Those are just a few of the goals that come to mind as I reflect back on my offerings. Still, there is one constant running through every piece I have written. Each one is an expression of care for you, the people I serve. As we are a dispersed congregation, this forum provides an opportunity for me to communicate to you all without gathering either physically or virtually. It is truly and open letter to you all. And it is, first and foremost, to you. In the end the reflection instigated by having my piece made available for a wider audience reminds me that you are my audience, and how much I enjoy—and how privileged I feel—being your pastor. Everything else, however noteworthy, is icing on the cake.
With love in Christ for you all,
~ Pastor Todd