my new year letter

Happy New Year, Keystone Community!

In this time of uncertainty and hope, I am grateful to be part of Keystone, now more than ever. The past six months has been full of joyous hard work. Here are just a few of the things I’ve enjoyed in 2024 since being called as your transitional pastor:

• Playing bingo with Pat and Dick

• Cleaning and organizing 25 years of collected treasures from the Rich Gamble era and creating an archives project

• Replacing the Windows 7 office computer with a new laptop that can also be used for worship

• Updating the wireless internet so that it is faster, more accessible for worship, and more secure

• Learning about the unique relationship between churches and the local and national tax system

• Developing my preaching style

• Taking a class on the history and polity of the United Church of Christ (I got an A-)

• Getting connected with the Pacific Northwest Conference

• Asking two people (Steve Bauck and Meighan Pritchard) to mentor me as a Member in Discernment

• Visiting Lynn at her lovely new retirement community

• Attending the Faith Action Network dinner

• Witnessing Keystone in action at the Festival of Hope

• Singing a duet with Elliot on Christmas Eve

• Receiving Lay Ministerial Standing with the United Church of Christ

• Meeting with your leadership team and reporting to them on a weekly basis

• Organizing the “Fifth Sunday” joint worship with Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community and the combined cantor choir

In 2025, I have a few intentions I would like to share with you:

• Continue preaching with enthusiasm, articulating our theological and social positions of universal love and radical inclusivity, and specifically preaching against the sin of Christian Nationalism which props up the white supremacist, imperialist patriarchy that has engulfed our country

• Deepen Keystone’s connections with organizations that support the most vulnerable populations in this country’s climate – LGBTQ (especially trans) people, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, as well as people experiencing homelessness

• Support the people of Palestine and speak out against the genocide that our government is funding

• Let more people know about Keystone’s community through outreach – specifically updating the Keystone website

• Organize some very important deferred maintenance on the building

• Strengthen our “Tri-Church Initiative” with St. Paul’s and Prospect

• Seek ordination in the United Church of Christ

• Continue to get to know each and every one of you, individually and as a community, as we discern together about the past, present, and future of Keystone.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing community. I am truly blessed to be here.

With Much Love,

Pastor Adina

PS below are  “10 intentions to enflesh in the new year”
by anna blaedel and m jade kaiser which I think speak for themselves, and for Keystone’s core values as well. I am setting them as my own intentions for 2025 and invite you to pick one or two that speak to you, and to focus on them:

• I will disrupt the destructive stories and beliefs I have internalized, and cultivate habits of body, mind, and spirit I wish to grow in the world.

• I will remember we are of the earth, and pay attention to how I/we can (re)align with the earth’s rhythms, seasons, and cycles.

• I will seek out, savor, and share food that brings me pleasure, nourishment, and connection.

• I will approach other human and non-human animals with curiosity and respect, honoring and learning from their unique embodied wisdom.

• I will pay attention to habits of thought and action that are rooted in individualism and separation, and actively seek collaboration, cooperation, and solidarity.

• I will shed aspects of religion and spirituality that diminish collective aliveness, and turn toward, reclaim, and open to practices and beliefs that enliven.

• I will say yes to generative desires and ordinary pleasures, and no to pressures and prejudices that stifle.

• I will prioritize care–collectively and intimately–in how I relate to every body’s unique vulnerabilities, limitations, and needs.

• I will cherish and celebrate that which transphobia, racism, misogyny and other forces of oppression demonize.

• I will resist exploitative expectations and invest in endeavors that serve the common good.

Pastoral Letter for Advent

Your pattern is perfection
         It quiets the soul that knows it
         And its eloquent expression 
         Makes everything clear 
         So that even the simple are wise.  
-Psalm 19, translation by Norman Fischer

Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness?
Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from your own mind
and thus understand all things?
-Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell

Dear Keystone,

It has been a whirlwind Festival of Hope Season so far, full of joy and hard work and warm hugs and delicious soup. We now enter the season of Advent, the dark time, the time of waiting, the start of a new liturgical year. During this year, we will draw stories primarily from the Gospel according to Luke, whose primary setting is “On the Road.” So many of Luke’s beloved stories take place on a road: Mary, discovering she is pregnant, travels on the road to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist; Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem for the census; the traveler who is helped by the “Good Samaritan” is attacked on a road; the Prodigal Son’s father runs down the road to meet him; the two disciples (most likely a husband and wife) encounter the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus.

The road is a liminal space between two fixed spots, a place of transition and travel and adventure, but often without security and safety. I think of the half a million people who traveled across the Darien Gap last year; the millions of people displaced from their homes in Lebanon and Palestine; our neighbors who camp by the side of roads throughout our city and country. Christians, too, exist in a strange liminal space, ever since the time thousands of years ago when a Galilean rabbi came into the world and invited us to follow him on “the Way,” the name adopted by the earliest Christian communities. The word “Way” in Greek is hodos, which also means – you guessed it – road. The earliest Christians expected Christ’s imminent return, and many today are still waiting to “see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:27) Some of us are not sure Jesus meant that he would return exactly like that; but in any case, while we wait, we look for the face of Christ in our neighbors, especially those facing weary journeys on the road.

Recently I had a conversation with my son about his favorite movie when he was in 7th grade and had faced many losses and changes. Every day after school, Jack would watch The Terminal starring Tom Hanks, a movie about a man named Viktor Navorsky, who travels to New York as a tourist, but while he’s in flight, the government of his fictional Eastern European country is overthrown and his passport is no longer valid. Viktor is trapped inside the terminal at JFK, a liminal space if there ever was one, unable to return home or to enter the United States. Viktor remains in the airport for nine months – he makes friends, is able to earn some money, and even falls in love while waiting.

As Christians, we also find community and love as we help one another along this road between birth and death, between Christ’s incarnation thousands of years ago and the apokatastasis, when all will be restored and drawn together into One. Advent especially reminds us of this liminal space, this place of waiting, watching, readying ourselves to set out on the road once more to follow Jesus.

In On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Dean Moriarty says to Sal Paradise, “Sal, we gotta go and never stop going ’till we get there.” Sal asks, “Where we going, man?”

“I don’t know,” Dean replies, “but we gotta go.”

Advent Blessings,

Rev. Adina

Pastoral Letter for November

Nothing can bring you to know God.
Before there was everything, there was nothing.
But before there was nothing, there was Something.
Something Other, Unbound, Beyond, Above – Mystery.
No one could grasp it then, and no one can grasp it now,
not even with these realities coming among us
and creating something new day in and day out,
despite our dry and weary bones.
--Caitlin B. Curtice, Native

Good Morning Keystone,

I’m writing this letter to you all on an alternately crisp and damp fall morning, one week before the election. I spent the weekend with the two beautiful communities that share this building – Keystone UCC and Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community. On Saturday, I canvassed with Rich Voget, following him up and down stairs to educate voters about the dangerous initiatives on the ballot. After our online worship service Sunday, members of Keystone came over to get out the Festival of Hope mailing – I exhorted them to join the Living Water community down in Battson Hall, where a steaming pot of beef stew and plates of homemade cornbread awaited them. They were so intent on the mailing that I ended up bringing the cornbread up to them!

I also spent the weekend watching the news, wondering what will happen on November 5th. I watched the documentary God and Country, which “speaks directly to the almost 200,000,000 Americans who identify as Christians…who fear their faith is being hijacked by an extreme right wing political movement known as Christian nationalism.” The film certainly spoke directly to me as a pastor, and I wondered what I could do to speak out more forcefully against this movement. I was especially disturbed by the final campaign rally held at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, with Stephen Miller (who like me is the grandson of Jewish Immigrants) speaking the words, “America is for Americans and Americans Only.” I was reminded of another Madison Square Garden rally held in February of 1939, billed as a “pro-American rally,” a pro-fascist rally attended by 20,000 patriotic Americans who recited the Pledge of Allegiance in front of a giant picture of George Washington flanked by swastikas. At this rally, a lone protestor dared to rush onto the stage.  26-year-old plumbing assistant Isadore Greenbaum later said, “What would you have done if you were in my place?”

In four weeks’ time we will come to the end of the liturgical year with the celebration that has been traditionally known as “Christ the King.” Early Christians lived under a brutally repressive government where the majority of the population had no social or political status. Most human life was considered expendable. The naming of Christ as “King” was the most subversive statement the earliest Christians felt they could make at the time, daring to declare that they could see an alternative to the system of violent domination, an alternative in which a rustic rabbi who had been executed by the political and religious authorities was revered as the “son of God” instead of the Roman Emperor.

Today, we have trouble with calling Christ our “King” because contemporary Christianity, particularly in the United States, has allied itself with the current system of violent domination that insists that Jesus the Messiah is a conquering hero who will return to wipe out his enemies. The UCC calls this day “Reign of Christ.” Whatever we call this day, it is the culmination of the liturgical year, the day that sums up our faith in the Realm of God, the Kin-dom of justice, peace, and love that we try to co-create with the Holy One, following in the steps of Jesus.

The scriptures that we will read this month are all about remaining faithful to this vision of the Realm of God – loving God and our neighbor, contributing in our small ways, not being shaken by false prophets or wars or political spectacles. When Christ reminds us in our final Scripture passage this month that “My kingdom is not of this world,” he reminds us that the Reign of Christ is not connected in any way with the domination systems of violence, but utterly subversive of those Powers.

No matter what the election’s outcome, we will have work to do to bring forth the kingdom of justice, peace, mercy, and love.

Blessings

Rev. Adina

Keystone Transitional Pastor

September Pastoral Letter for the Season of Creation

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

-Psalm 19

Dear Keystone Family,

September marks the celebration by many churches around the world of the “Season of Creation.” The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration to pray and respond together to the Cry of Creation: the ecumenical family around the world unites to listen and care for our common home. The celebration begins this Sunday, September 1st, and ends on October 4th, which is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

The theme for this year’s International Season of Creation is “To Hope and Act with Creation,”  and the symbol is the “Firstfruits of Hope,” inspired by Romans 8:19-25. The biblical image pictures the Earth as a Mother, groaning in childbirth (Romans 8:22). St. Francis understood this as he referred to the Earth as our Sister and our Mother, and we will have a chance to sing a number of songs based on his beautiful prayers this month, as we are joined by the choirs of both Prospect UCC and Living Water during our hybrid services on the 1st, 15th, and 29th of September.

The times we live in show that we are not relating to the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather as a resource to be used. “Creation is groaning” because of human selfishness and greed, and the unsustainable actions that harm the Earth. Along with our Sister, Mother Earth, creatures of all kinds, including humans, cry out because of the destructive actions that have led to the climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, and human suffering. 

And yet, there is hope and the expectation for a better future. To hope in biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles. Just as in childbirth, we go through a period of intense pain, but new life is coming forth. Creation is standing on tiptoe waiting for the manifestation of the children of God! The children of God are those who stretch up their hands towards the Creator, recognizing themselves as humble creatures, to praise and respect God, and at the same time to love, respect, care, and learn from God’s gift of Creation. Creation is not given to humanity to use and abuse; rather, humanity is created to be part of Creation. More than a common home, Creation is also a cosmic family that calls us to act responsibly. This is how the children of God have an intrinsic vocation and important role to play in the manifestation of the kingdom of justice (Rom 8:19).

For Keystone’s Green Team, every day is a celebration of the Season of Creation, and the Green Team will be front and center this month as they invite us to join with them to oppose Initiative 2117, a dangerous initiative on the ballot this fall, that would prohibit any kind of carbon tax credit trading, also known as “cap and trade.” After the service on Sunday, we will have an opportunity to hear more about how, as people of faith who are committed to caring for the beauty and diversity of creation, we can support the “No on Initiative 2117” movement and protect our communities and the environment. The Green Team also invites you to join them on Zoom on Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30pm for their regular monthly meeting.

There’s a phrase commonly attributed to Saint Augustine that says: “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” As we witness the cries and sufferings of Earth and all creatures, let holy anger move us toward the courage to be hopeful and active for justice. We believe that the incarnation of God’s Son offers guidance enabling us to face the troubling world. God is with us in efforts to respond to the challenges of the world we are living in (Rom 8:23).

Looking forward to celebrating this blessed Season of Creation with you all!

Blessings,

Rev. Adina Meyer

Transitional Pastor

Pastoral Letter from Adina Meyer

August 6th, 2024

Hello Keystone!

I have been your transitional pastor for just over a month now, and I am alternately tickled, humbled, enchanted, and inspired by the work the Keystone congregation has been doing for the past 25+ years since Rich Gamble stepped into the role of pastor. It has been a delight starting to get to know each of you, and I hope to continue forming relationships within this loving community of activists.

Most especially, I have been awe-struck by the work you do as you seek to transform society and live into what the Christian scriptures call the zoon aionion, the Messianic age, the Realm of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. This work is slow, painstaking, and often exhausting as we encounter what Paul refers to as the “Powers and Principalities.”

Jesus calls them “The World.” Theologian Walter Wink calls them “The Powers.”  Today’s activists call them “Systems of Oppression.” Philosopher bell hooks uses “White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy.” Here at Keystone, we use the term “The Domination System.”

Whatever names we use to describe them, we can often feel tired, depressed, and overwhelmed. Homelessness, poverty, violence, racism, and environmental devastation are rampant. How can our sock donations, our phone calls, our flyers, our marches make any difference? Shouldn’t we just sit down and give up?

Over the next month, I will be preaching a sermon series called “What Else is There to Do?” which will address the ways in which we can be encouraged, energized, and inspired to continue on the difficult Way of Jesus. This week, we will encounter the Prophet Elijah, who experienced deep discouragement; next week, Holy Wisdom, the divine feminine Who nurtures us; and finally on September 1st, the Voice of the Beloved, Who calls us deeper into Love.

I hope you will join us!

Many Blessings,

Adina Meyer

Keystone Transitional Pastor