Matthew, Mark, Luke and Susan
We’re glad you’re here!
Welcome to the weekly blog for Burlington East Presbyterian Church.
First things first: feel free to fill in your name instead of Susan. John might already be taken.
Here, you’ll find a weekly reflection which I hope will give you an opportunity to stop for a few minutes, to see yourself in God’s story of our own lives, of the community, and of creation. We’ll be thinking about what it means to live in God’s love for each of us, to grow as disciples and to follow Christ. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at minister@burlingtoneast.net.
Looking forward to journeying with you.
Peace in Christ,
Susan
Psalms and Stories 1
Roots and Water
Welcome back from summer! I pray that you’ve had time to think, grow, laugh and journey with God through whatever this summer held for you.
This fall, our blog will concentrate on the Psalms. There is such a wide variety of human experience in them that they are definitely worth a look. As always, if you have questions, or thoughts, please email me using the contact button on the home page.
Let’s begin at the beginning.
This summer was a hot one. Keeping plants growing and healthy was a struggle, and even when we did water, the heat made the soil so hard it was hard for the water to sink in.
We have times like that. Times when we are going through so much that our spirits literally feel like they are drying up and we harden ourselves, expecting more ‘tough stuff’ to happen. Our expectations that more bad will happen from our choice to self-protect and not change.
God calls us to be different. The Psalm here isn’t saying that everything will be fine, but says there are choices that nurture and lead us to grow in healthy ways, nourishing our spirits. In some ways, this is about healthy spiritual self-care–choose to put our growing edges, our roots, firmly into the water that God provides.
Roots twist and turn as they grow, and on the side of the tree where the nourished roots are, we’ll see more growth. Roots are of different sizes and strengths, just like us. We’re good at nurturing some areas of our lives, and in other areas, our roots aren’t strong enough yet to do anything but get the water at the surface. And that’s ok. There is no ‘one particular type of tree’ named in this Psalm.
But God says if we keep choosing to follow God, we’ll grow.
So I’d invite you to explore growing in God with us this year. Come and join an event, worship on Sunday, a Bible study, conversations in coffee where we can ask questions of each other, living Jesus’ love and discovering more about Jesus as we work for our community together. They are all ways we can deepen our roots in the living water that is Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Dear Lord, whether my roots are strong and deep or just at the surface now, help me grow and explore life in You. Thank you that I can ask you my questions, bring you my emotions, journey in faith, and that You are always offering to nurture and help me grow stronger. In Jesus name, Amen.
Photo and content © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author
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New Names
New Name
Did you wear your name tag this Sunday? If you don’t have one and would like one, let us know!
We recently started wearing name tags at the church so that people can get to know each other, but also so that anyone can easily remember who they are talking to.
Names are an intrinsic part of our identity. Your name is how you tell your story to the world. You may have been named after someone or have a name that is all your own.
In her book, “The Forgotten Beasts of Eld”, Patricia McKillip creates a heroine who takes the time to know each mythological creatures’ name by listening to them, studying their stories, and the final step to her being able to enter into a fully understood relationship with them is when she asks “Give to me your name”. If the creature, in whatever language they speak, does so, the heroine and the creature can journey together and truly see each other.
There is a great power in knowing someone’s name, and a great gift in giving our name to someone. God is known by so many names –if you have time this summer, read the gospel of John and discover all of the “I am” statements that Jesus makes. Each one helps us understand God’s identity and enter into a full relationship with God. Some names may not mean as much to us as others, but that diversity is a way that God embraces all of our stories.
There are times in our lives when we need a new name. Perhaps it’s getting married and deciding on a new family name. Perhaps it is affirming an identity that we need to be known by. Perhaps it is moving to a new culture and changing our name to better fit in or begin a new chapter in life. In some situations, we may reclaim a name that has been taken from us. All of us who travel with those who have chosen to change their name after thought and prayer need to respect that journey….
…because God changes people’s names a lot: Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Saul to Paul, Hadassah to Esther. In each of these changes, God affirms the course of life and identity that GOD has for that person. These name changes are part of God’s plan for that person. They are part of the new identity, the moving forward.
In this Pride month, we celebrate the diversity of identities that God gives to all people. There are people who have changed their names to better reflect that identity, and we rejoice with them at their discovery of what God has in store for them. And as we give our names to each other, and hear the wonderful names God has that meet us in each part of our story, may we give thanks, and grow in our life together.
Prayer: Lord, you who knit us together and know us best call us by our true names. And whether we’ve known those names all our lives or we discover them, we give you thanks. May we celebrate You in all the names you have called yourself.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Photo and content © Susan Kerr 2025. May not be reproduced or circulated without permission of the author
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