home from retreat

I returned home this afternoon after spending three days on retreat with other clergywomen/women in ministry in the PNW Conf of the UMC. This is one of the most important three days of my calendar year. Every February we head into the Cascade Mountains to a lovely retreat center called Rainbow Lodge. We sit in sacred space and share our life journeys with one another.

This year we discussed Diana Butler Bass's book "Christianity for the Rest of Us." We had great dialogue about tradition, call, and ministry. We played games, took walks in the woods, sang, and worshipped with one another. I love to hear the voices of the thirty-five or so women singing with gusto. We're a great choir!

The worship experiences that we have together always intrigue me. As a pastor, I hardly ever get to experience the worship creativity of my friends and colleagues. On the rare occasions when I am blessed to be led in worship by others, I realize that there are a lot of poets, storytellers, hymnists, and liturgical artists in our midst! The creativity that flows from the hearts of worship leaders is powerfully generative.

So tonight I am hungry to find new liturgical resources...for Eucharist, Holy Baptism, prayers... I wonder what joys are occurring in churches all around me. If you would like to offer a progressive liturgical resource that would help my community, please do so. I am always trying to find new ways for people to experience the transforming grace of God. And I am forever seeking new ways to engage the Christian passion for justice. This is a plea...Don't let me come home from retreat. Help me stay a little longer!