We are approaching the end of the season of Epiphany and soon we will be in lent. Before we approach Lent and the Paschal Mystery, the passion, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ, there is one more liturgical holiday we will celebrate: Transfiguration.
Many of you may recall that Transfiguration holds a special place in my heart because on Transfiguration Sunday, February 11, 2024, I officially announced to the congregation that I would be pursuing my certification in Christian Leadership from the University of Dubuque with the intention of becoming a Commissioned Pastor through the Presbytery of South Louisiana… Here we are, two years later, and I have fulfilled that intention. I have now been your Pastor for about six months, and it has been an honor that I can hardly describe.
In the sermon from that Sunday, I wrote “The ever revealing and ever reforming Word is truly a beautiful thing, and it has been my pleasure sharing it with you all once a month over the last few months.” In reading those words again, I felt called to reaffirm that statement to you all. Through the ups and downs of the last six months and the year and a half preceding it, one thing has remained true. It has been my pleasure sharing God’s Word and God’s Work with you all. Thank you all for the gift of this ministry and for allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you to call me to this place and time.
Before we leave Epiphany, I want to share an epiphanous (great word!) moment I had over the course of my training with the Presbytery. We often hear call stories, whether in the Holy Word or from the people in our lives, and in those stories the call is often portrayed as a booming, clear voice or like Jesus Transfiguration on the mountain… In my and, as I learned, many others’ experiences, calling is not often so clear cut. For me, the call to ministry was a quiet, nagging feeling that I tried hard to ignore. That feeling was affirmed by many of you, even when I would respond along the lines of “anyone but me.” Perhaps there is a quiet, nagging voice in the back of your mind calling you to something? Perhaps you are constantly telling yourself “anyone but me.” My friends, that quiet nagging voice, even when we really don’t want to admit it, has a name… The Holy Spirit.
Allow me to leave you with a prayer for this month…
Dear God, we come before you today as humble children. As children who often don’t want to hear the voice of their parents, even when we know our parents only want what’s right for us. Forgive us when we work to ignore the sound of your Holy Spirit and grant us the wisdom and strength to hear it and respond with “Here I am, Lord.”
We pray that you be with us this month and all the days of our lives. We pray that you bring us happiness and health and that you wrap your loving embrace around those who are sick, those who mourn, those who call for justice, and those who feel alone in this world. As we celebrate Black History month, help us to celebrate the voices of people of color that have been silenced. Help us to fulfill our Matthew 25 mission to do for “the least of these.
In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen.
May you all have Epiphanous Moments, Pastor Thomas Sexton Logan
"Glitch Transfiguration" by Kelly Latimore, projected during the sermon on February 11, 2024. To visit more of her art, please click the image to visit her website.
Note from the Pastor - January 12, 2026
Dear Friends,
It feels like we’re on the edge of a precipice! The sanctuary’s continued growth is so exciting! It has been a long time coming but the end is now in sight. The question now is, what next?
The completion of the sanctuary leaves us with this question and all the fears and anxieties that come with it. Will we have that sense of awe and reverence that we remember in the old space? Will the space live up to our expectations? Will we be able to fill the pews with new and returning members? These questions weigh heavy on many of us, settled right alongside our excitements and joys like old friends. The opening of the sanctuary represents something this congregation has been going through a lot lately: change.
For churches and congregations, change can be a scary prospect. In elder training, I asked the elders “What price are we willing to pay in order to be able to reach people that are in need of hearing the Word of God?” In our discussions, we acknowledged the costs that we could face, including financial costs, labor costs, and the simple fact that we will have to face change. With the costs of the sanctuary before us, we have and will face all three of these types of cost.
In the face of all this change, I want to reassure you all that I have a goal for this year: to get back to basics. To get back to what this church does so well. To take some time, not reinventing the wheel but allowing what has worked for us to continue to work. There is only once concern I have with this… we have to get BACK to basics, which we have not been able to do in the midst of our struggles.
There may be a short period of time where it feels like things are weird, but I promise that this feeling is just the soreness from using muscles we have not exercised in a while. The muscles we used to look outward. The muscles we used to work for the Glory of God in our community. The muscles we used to ENJOY God. These muscles may ache, but once we’re back in the swing of things it’ll become easier and all the worries we have about the future will wash away. Afterall, “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.” (Matt 6:33) I leave you with a prayer for the year… Lord God, we are so grateful for the strength you poured into each of us. That strength has upheld us in these changing times and will continue to uphold us as we move forward. We ask forgiveness for the times we failed to see you work in, around, and within us, for the times we saw change as a roadblock to overcome and not a gift from you, and for allowing our troubles to overshadow the gift of our participation in your work. This year, we ask that you continue to walk among us and guide us towards what you want for us and that you help us to seek your kingdom and rest in the confidence that you will provide. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit – One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Be Not Afraid and Remain Hopeful, Pastor Thomas Sexton Logan
