One of the difficult realities of life these days is that everything moves so fast.  This week I carved out time to write this reflection for our congregation Monday into Tuesday.  And then on Wednesday (yesterday) news broke that conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking in Utah.  This violence occurred after the Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed at home in Minnesota.  This occurred after the January 6th storming of the Capitol, the attempted assassination of President Trump, and after Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence was set on fire in Pennsylvania. 

When does it end? 
I fear political violence is becoming normal in our country.

I am not a politician or a journalist. 
I cannot always give a “hot take” analysis of current events.
I am a pastor, and this is my first and only career. 
What I can do is to help build a loving, caring community of Christians who shine our lights in a clearly hurting world. 
What I can do is extend compassion to you all and to our neighbors here in Colchester. 
That doesn’t feel like a small thing these days. 
And the irony is that this week I was writing about the power of Christian community anyway.  So, here goes.

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Hopefully you have noticed that the church grounds are looking spectacular of late.  Thank you to Dick, Connie, Pam, Jocelyn, Tracy, Avis, and anyone and everyone who has worked so hard to make it so!  A few weeks ago, I looked out my office window and was delighted to see a ruby-throated hummingbird cheerily moving from flower to flower for sustenance (pictured above). 

The butterflies and moths and bees can be observed at work as well.  Some of the bees are enormous!  More than one person has marveled at this beautiful office window garden (from inside my office) and remarked, “I don’t know how you get any work done!”  It is certainly quite a sight to behold.

There’s a little book called Symbols of the Church edited by Carroll E. Whittemore that I use during Discipleship to help youth make their stoles for Confirmation Sunday.  It has well-known Christian symbols and more obscure symbols.  One of the more obscure symbols for the Church is the beehive.  As Whittemore notes the beehive is a “symbol for community of those who work together for the benefit of all. Used modernly as a symbol for the Christian Church, and is one of the best.” (pg. 6) 

Some species of bees are more communal than others.  Though we know that bees are master pollinators who help plants reproduce which helps us have a healthier ecosystem all around.  All I know is that the bees outside my office window seem happy as they go about their days.  Observing them this week even helped me write this Thought to share with you, so perhaps they are helping my work production to boot! 

It’s a good thought though, that beehives are a symbol for community as these remarkable beings work together for the benefit of all.  May it always be so in our church too.

Love,
Pastor Lauren

Photos by Rev. Lauren Ostrout.

Thursday Thoughts 9/11/25