May 2022

 May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Just like every day should be Earth Day, every month should be Mental Health Awareness Month!

The good news is, there is a growing awareness about mental health, and a better understanding that mental illnesses are real illnesses. And that people who suffer from them are not crazy or weak. Still, there is a lot of stigma attached to mental illnesses, and our mental health care system leaves much to be desired.

At Trinity Church, we have been trying to address this topic openly, in order to include and welcome all of God's children. Some of you may remember the book study we did on "Blessed Are the Crazy" several years ago. The ONA Team is currently working on a proposal for Trinity to become a "WISE" congregation ("WISE" stands for "Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, Engaged.")

The United Church of Christ offers worship resources for Mental Health Sunday on May 15. In the introduction, they write the following:

"New brain science confirms what our ancestors knew: God’s love has healing power. For emotional, social, and mental wellbeing, faith assures of two protective factors: (1) you are not alone and (2) you are loved." (Source: https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022_mental_health_worship.pdf)

Does that sound familiar to you at all? Does it sound like a message that you have heard at Trinity repeatedly? I hope so! "God loves you and there's nothing you can do about it" is what we tell our teens when they are confirmed or baptized. Our mission statement is front and center to everything we do:

Trinity Church's mission is to fill its people with the love of God and share God's love in all the world.

Why do I preach that constantly? Why do we try to share that message on our website and social media presence? Because it's what we all need to hear, and experience. We need it for our spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being. And it's what God wants: for us to be well, and whole.

Can faith cure a serious mental illness? No. That's what therapy, in-patient treatment and medication are for. Can faith, and a faith community, help us better deal with mental illnesses? Yes. Knowing that we are loved and that we are not alone, knowing that there is nothing "wrong" with us, that it's not our fault, that we are not a burden, that our lives matter and that we are important and someone cares... That helps. It helps us stay balanced, grounded, and connected.

God's love has healing powers for us as individuals, for our families and communities, and for our entire world.

I believe that. I need to believe that.

At Trinity, we will keep doing everything we can to share that message with you, with Northborough, and with all the world.

May the power of God's love touch and heal you today, and every day.

With Love,

Pastor Valeria.

April 2022

 Easter is getting closer! Spring is in the air!

It's been a long, cold winter. Our second winter in a pandemic. We're starting to see the effects on people's mental health and emotional well-being. Isolation, added financial stress, and worries about the health of our loved ones are taking their toll on us. I read a comment about how people have aged significantly over the last two years. I can see that. I can see it in the mirror! People are exhausted and weary.

And then over a month ago, a war was started in Ukraine. My generation, especially being German, were taught that there is nothing worse than war and we must do everything in our power to prevent war from ever happening again. And yet, here we are, seeing the images on the news, feeling helpless and at a loss for words. Maybe some of you are experiencing compassion fatigue and avoiding the news. It's just too much suffering.

And yet. We believe in a God who took immense human suffering and turned it into hope and life for an entire world. Jesus' suffering stands for the suffering of all innocent victims of violence and political oppression. Jesus' loneliness, being betrayed and deserted by his friends, his fear and grief stand for the emotional suffering of all of God's children.

We will spend time together reflecting on this on Good Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary and on Facebook live. As a symbolic act of hope we will end the service with a candlelight vigil in front of Trinity Church.

We believe in a God who doesn't pretend that all is well in the world. A God who gives us the freedom to make our own decisions - for better or worse. And a God who will lead and love us through it anyway.

When I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders I look at the cross. I look at Jesus dying so nobody must ever die alone, or in vain. I look at Jesus forgiving those who hurt him, and reprimanding those who wanted to take violent revenge on his behalf. And I see love. Nothing but love.

Love is stronger than death. Love is stronger than war and injustice. Love is more powerful than all the pain and suffering in the world. That's all we have to hold onto. And it's all we need.

I look forward to celebrating love and life with you on Easter Sunday.

Until then, I will keep praying for peace and healing, and I will keep believing in a God who is Love.

With Hope,

Pastor Valeria.