April 2026 Newsletter: Pastor’s Page
Greetings church family,
While I’m sad to see the snow disappear so quickly, the skies come alive during these early spring days. Each night I’m drawn to the horizon as the sun sets. The pinks, oranges, and blues, and the alpine glow on the eastern mountains, are truly beautiful. As the light grows longer each day, the sunsets are a magnificent sight to appreciate.
Emily Ann-Elliott recently wrote for the BBC about the rich tradition and history of watching sunsets. It’s called “dusking’ and it’s a Dutch tradition of helping people slow down at the end of each day. The ritual is growing in popularity in Europe and the UK thanks to enthusiasts who are bringing the practice and encouraging participation in community. The ritual was common among farming families who would watch the sun set on the horizon at the end of work each day before lighting a candle and having their meal.
One writer and enthusiast, Marjolijn van Heemstra, believes this ritual can help us restore our attention to the world around us. She says, “In many places we have a crisis of attention. People have a lot of problems focusing on things because there’s so much happening at once. But the crisis is much bigger for the world around us. If you don’t know a tree, even if it’s in front of your house, because you never take the time to look at it, you don’t mind it being cut. So, it’s about seeing things and trying to establish a relationship with them and then maybe caring for them.” Give it a try! What do you notice?
In some ways, Lent and Easter offer us the same ritual. Our worship and personal disciplines help us slow down and recommit to Jesus. Scripture stories speak a new truth to us. Times of prayer or fasting help us notice God’s spirit at work in ways we hadn’t noticed before. Like dusking changing our perception of night, Easter changes our perception of death. Instead of resisting challenges or suffering, we see how embracing hardship can lead to servanthood, new life, and new beginnings.
As we gather for Easter this month, notice your heart. What is the new truth God is speaking to you? If Lent has felt like a whirlwind, and you’ve missed the opportunities of the season, use Easter season as a chance to notice God at work in the world around you. Perhaps “dusking” could be a daily moment of connection with God, a quiet period of appreciation for God’s world and your place in it.
I look forward to Easter worship with you at 11:00am on April 5.
Read the BBC article here:
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260317-dusking-the-dutch-twilight-ritual-helping-people-slow-down
Blessings,
Pastor Jared