Dear Friends,
I hope February finds you in peace and love and purpose! In this lovely month, I hope you can pause to appreciate all of the different types of love in your life. With Valentine’s Day, we typically focus on romantic love (Greek: ‘eros love’), but with Galentine’s Day, we fellowship focusing on friendship love
(Greek: ‘philia love’). In families we experience love (greek: ‘storgē love’). And, through Black History Month and when we engage in Justice work we love (Greek: ‘agape love’).
Thinking about where we are geographically, and our love of that (Spanish: querencia love’) and the belonging-sort-of-love we might experience (Old Welsh: ‘cynefin love’). Sometimes we experience the feeling of connection that just seems to work instantly as if fate intervened with a friend or partner (Chinese: ‘yuán fèn’ love). And, perhaps we seek spiritually a transcendent love (Pali: ‘metta loving kindness’).
I think about our connection—through, in and among all things—within this wide lens of love, I can’t help but hope. I hope for our neighbors and communities, and I hope for the connection we cultivate in each other as a church—listening and responding to each other on this search for meaning and purpose. I hope for the difference we can and do make in each other’s lives and the Justice work we accomplish to help our communities and our world.
I pray that each of you experience love in so many multifaceted ways.
— Rev. Will