This Week from Caitlyn

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There’s an old proverb that says, “The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg.“ They also say diamonds are formed under pressure, but bread rises when it rests. We need pressure to form beauty, and we need rest to rise. There are times and seasons in the communal life of our church when there is a great deal of pressure, a great many things going on, a great deal to care for. Sometimes those are followed by times of quiet. Times in which we intentionally take a breath. 

This week in the office has been relatively quiet so far (knock on wood. I don’t want to tempt the Lord). I’ve gotten to meet with Alex after her vacation and sit down with some of our program planning for the next program year, which begins on August 11. In this period of quiet, in this period of a little bit of rest, I’m noticing bubbles of creativity forming little pockets in the dough of our common life. I’m feeling the loftiness of the excitement of what lies ahead this year. It will be exciting to “slice it” and share it with you all soon.

I like to joke that these six weeks in our cycle of church readings are called “Breadtide” because Jesus talks about bread every single week as a way for us to understand God’s Kingdom and ourselves. I find that my spiritual life, and all our spiritual lives, follow the same kind of pattern of breadmaking. Sometimes the Holy Spirit blows ferociously in those times of great stress and pressure and beautiful, beautiful things come from it. The fruits of the Spirit in those times are as delicious as eggs and potatoes. 

Other times the Holy Spirit bubbles up when we let the dough rest and only will rise if we stop kneading it. Many bread recipes call for more than one knead, and after the first period of resting, you knead the dough again to form the gluten, make it strong, and form the shape it’s meant to be. Then you let it rise once again before it bakes. 

Our program year here at St. Martin’s is a time of kneading, where we develop our faith and form

our souls into the shape of Christ. In the summer, we rest in the gentle patterns of life — the way that resting in regular Eucharist together quietly feeds us, and in the way the beauty of our blooming campus raises us up. 

I pray you reflect on where the spirit has bubbled up for you this summertime, and come rest in worship this Sunday. And I pray you look with excitement to what God and our church have in store next. You are “kneaded” here.

In Christ,

Caitlyn