Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

In the early morning, we departed the bustle of Sydney city streets and skyscrapers to journey west to the Blue Mountains National Park, sometimes called “Australia’s Grand Canyon.” Within two hours, the urban sprawl gave way to a landscape that was ancient, wild, and rich with stories. We were welcomed into eucalyptus forests that stretched in every direction and cliffs that fell away into blue-tinged valleys.

We spent the day hiking beneath towering sandstone cliffs, along narrow stone paths carved into the rock itself. The trail hugged the side of the mountain, sometimes only wide enough for one person to pass. We clung to each other as the valley opened up beside us into the deep canyon.

We reached Wentworth Falls, where water tumbles in thin white ribbons into the canyon below. Just above the main plunge, the water glides its way across stone—softly, steadily, sacredly. Our brief pause to rest and listen to the water’s steady splash was a gift of prayer.

Later, we visited Echo Point and looked out over the famous Three Sisters, sandstone pillars standing like guardians above the Jamison Valley. There’s an ancient Aboriginal origin story of love, war, and magic that defines them, but even beyond the mythology, the spires evoke awe and wonder at creation’s unique display.

As evening approached, we made our way to Lincoln’s Rock, a flat cliff-side ledge often called the “edge of the world.” There, we watched the sun set over the valley, the sky painted in gold and tangerine. Everything grew quiet. Our family huddled together in the hush.

As God’s handiwork, each different perspective of the forest, cliffs, and valleys brings an expanded attitude of awe and praise for the Creator’s brilliance and imagination. Every vantage point of this unique landscape brought us back to the signature blue mist giving the range its name. The intense color is the result of oil particles from the eucalyptus trees lifting into the air where they are met by sunlight filtering through producing the inspiring beauty.

The greatness of God is the capacity to make all things and every person a grand wonder. In our every days, we share our words, ideas, energy, and emotion, and Holy Spirit light filters through producing splendor and inspiration for others to behold. It is no work we perform. We are here, grace is ever present, the light of Christ never fades, the majesty of God is evident. As we tend to our growing in God’s revealing and transforming rays, God will produce the love, joy, and hope that will sustain the earth.

Take those moments and find inspiration in this ball of life God has made. Yet remember that you too are equally God’s miracle, a vessel through which holy light shines, evoking awe, producing bright color, and drawing others into the excitement of life!

As we enter the month of April, we welcome beautiful signs of spring. We emerge from out of our homes without hats and gloves to hear a new bird song and witness the budding of flowers and trees. No one is as relieved to find warming temperatures as Louie, our family terrier mix. The rumor is that his owner was reluctant to give him long walks in subzero temperatures, so he has been storing up his energy and enthusiasm for a spring time explosion of exercise. Now, with so much outdoor movement of kids on scooters and fellow dogs taking hikes, Louie is barking out his spring time anthem wanting to join the parade.

There are moments when his seasonal madness can become irritating, when it’s impossible for any human to match his energy, when his loud conversation makes it difficult to focus, when he tugs at your arm turning a morning sprint into a jolting fitness experiment. Even at four-years-old he abounds with puppy energy and we wonder if he will ever grow up. (Training from his owners might help!)

But we can also acknowledge and celebrate Louie’s signs of growth. He will sit and stay for an evening treat. He has stopped from nipping at your fingers in playful bouts. He does find ways to slow down and snooze at your side during an evening movie. He can find his way to the safety of his crate rather than hiding when we plan to leave the house. He will not develop any further from his tiny stature and strapping twelve-pound frame, but he is growing up.

The Christian experience is one of continuous growth. Regardless of age or years of church membership, we all find ourselves as students or travelers along a way of new discoveries in grace, maturing in our understanding of Christ, and growing in our practice of obedience to God’s Word. In preaching to new Christians across Asia Minor, Paul says, “But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).

Each moment is an opportunity to practice maturity, to test out our faith, and to place reliance on the spirit of Christ as it instructs, guides, replenishes, and protects. We draw upon the modeling of Jesus to approach situations in a new way. We bring greater assurance to arenas of fear. We embrace new opportunities with the confidence of God’s provision. We release impulses of anger to implement mercy. We opt against holding grudges and find instances to practice forgiveness. More than adopting new words, our actions do the talking as we grow up in service to Christ and one another. We find ourselves more mature when we unsurprisingly see God at work in all the places where we reside and in all the things we are doing, as we are moved by and moving with God’s momentum in the world.

There are prevalent signs of the spring season, newness and beauty emerging, activity returning, God’s wonderful companions and creatures bouncing and bounding. There is also the humbling of foot washing at the Last Supper in this season. There is commitment to remain at the cross when others have distanced themselves from the hardship of suffering. There is humility, self-giving, sacrifice, and brokenness in this season. There is grief, wrestling with the experience of the disappearance of the holy. These too are part of our seasonal story presenting a challenge for our growth in the Spirit. In the loveliness and the harrowing, in brightness and the dark, in the celebration and tears, God invites us to grow into a new way of life.

PUMC 2025 – A Vision for Doing Life Together as those on the Way of Jesus

As we move through this year, growing in our faith, learning the way of Jesus, and aligning with God for the transformation of the world, I invite us to do so with the vision of four priorities for our ministry together.

• Belonging: We are creating spaces where people are at home in the love of God with themselves and one another.
• Growing: We are encouraging and developing pathways for individuals and groups to take steps forward in their practice of faith.
• Leading: We are equipping and empowering individuals to step into the serving and leadership opportunities before them.
• Celebrating: We are telling the stories of God’s faithfulness and the fruitfulness of our ministry together.