Dear Westwood Family,

On July 3, air traffic controllers and pilots at Newark airport interrupted their normal workflow to make sure everyone saw and acknowledged a beautiful rainbow that stretched across the Manhattan skyline just after a thunderstorm passed through. “I just need everybody out here to acknowledge this rainbow, because this moment will never happen again Newark,” one pilot says, before others join in to celebrate and describe the beautiful, fleeting moment. One even noticed how lightning strikes added even more drama to the incredible scene. “This should be a moment for everyone.”

The conversation continued, including jokes about Newark rarely getting such special moments, about Taylor Swift’s wedding that evening, and about the World Cup. The recording of the conversation is a sweet moment of human connection, and astonishing beauty.

I’m still thinking about our recent Annual Conference session. The theme was “Astonish!” and it has prompted me to think about other times when I’ve been caught short by surprising reminders of God’s presence in our midst, holy beauty in our community, and resilient hope in difficult moments. I sympathize with that first pilot, who felt compelled to share what he was seeing – astonishing beauty that needed acknowledgement.

Last week, I went in search of a good vantage point from which to watch the full moon rise over Los Angeles; I was delighted to find live music at a scenic overlook, where a whole bunch of local musicians came together to enjoy summer sunsets together. My friend Marcia McFee has taught me to embrace the gift of these moments of “collective effervescence,” when we get to experience moments of fleeting beauty together.

I’ve been busy this week getting things ready for this year’s Sierra Service Project trip. The 26 of us will leave this coming Saturday morning. I’m excited to go on the trip again, and grateful that I get to do this as a part of my pastoral work. I know of no better way to get to be present with the young people of the church than to do on a service trip like this; I’m grateful that there are 19 middle and high school youth, as well as one college-age young person, who are choosing to spend part of their summer on this trip to the Navajo Nation in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. We’ll be helping build wheelchair accessible ramps and replacing worn roofing on the homes of a few seniors in the community, and we’ll be learning–about ourselves, God, and our neighbors.

I don’t know what the astonishing, holy moments will be on this year’s trip, but I trust that there will be some. I still catch my breath when I think of how incredible it was to watch an owl settle into a tree at sunset together last year on our SSP trip–while we were holding silence during a prayer walk. I treasure memories and moments of awe, shared with others.

I also hope and trust that your summer will hold some astonishing experiences of suprising beauty. Perhaps some sunset colors, a view of the moon, time spent with loved ones, or a delicious meal. And, I hope you’ll have someone nearby – or accessible by phone – who you can tell about it.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly