I was sitting on the deck of our cabin, a spot you could find me much of the past three weeks, when a Monarch butterfly landed on my knee. It didn’t stay there long but it did hang around the area for a while. I tracked it as it darted around the various plants along the shore, searching for some fortifying nectar no doubt. I can’t see a Monarch anymore without immediately thinking of my friend and former colleague, Pastor Lynn Erickson. Monarchs and thoughts of Pastor Lynn always make me smile.
We were planning for the Easter season in 2017 and when the idea of butterflies was suggested, Pastor Lynn got really excited. If you were with us then, you’ll remember the butterfly kite flying in the sanctuary and the origami butterflies that filled the atrium entryway for much of that spring and the following summer. She also introduced us to her on-going project of tagging and recording Monarchs, so that researchers could study their migration habits.
Butterflies are on my mind because we’re exploring the theme of transformation this week. In particular, our vision statement suggests that we are a “community that seeks a transformational relationship with God, our neighbors, and one another…” We use the visual metaphor of butterflies during the Easter season to help us imagine what takes place with the new life God makes possible in and through the resurrection of Jesus. What could be more transformational than turning death back into life. Just as a Monarch emerges from its chrysalis, transformed with its new wings and takes flight, the transformation God makes possible for us is just as miraculous and wonderful.
Look out at the gardens todays and see if you can spot any Monarchs. Think of Pastor Lynn and her unending joy and wonder for these delights of creation. And think of how wonderful God might be making you in this moment as well.
May God’s peace find you today. -Pastor Peter
Let us pray… God of transformation, like a new Monarch taking flight, continue transforming us into creatures of joy, wonder, and delight. Amen.