Recent Notes from Deacon Erik Soldwedel

Notes from Rev. Willie J. Smith

Notes From Deacon Erik Soldwedel, July 19 & 26th, 2026

Following what I wrote last week about change, I offer you this brief quote from Frederick Buechner originally published in his book The Sacred Journey:

“…GOD SPEAKS TO us through our lives, we often too easily say. Something speaks anyway, spells out some sort of godly or godforsaken meaning to us through the alphabet of our years, but often it takes many years and many further spellings out before we start to glimpse, or think we do, a little of what that meaning is. Even then we glimpse it only dimly, like the first trace of dawn on the rim of night, and even then it is a meaning that we cannot fix and be sure of once and for all because it is always incarnate meaning and thus as alive and changing as we are ourselves alive and changing.”

Frederick Buechner (July 11, 1926 – August 15, 2022) authored thirty-nine books and was a Presbyterian minister, noted preacher and theologian.  His career spanned six decades, and you will find that I refer to him quite often as he is one of my favorite contemporary theologians.  Buechner is one of my favorite “go to” theologians. I not only find clarity in his words but also inspiration, and because of that, I reference and quote him on a regular basis.

In last week’s message, I urged you all to take the summer to reflect on the sacred stories shared each week.  I wrote about my grandparents’ storytelling from the “Old Country”, and my day dreaming as I look to the sky as I lie on the beach or the warm summer grass.

I suggest that you too may recall the changes in your own life. May your recollections bring dreams for the future for you, your families, and your spiritual home, The Church of the Redeemer, Morristown.  Let your mind dream big: the change you wish for this parish church as you embrace the foundations of our church expressed in faith, hope, and love.

We, too, are here to change and embrace the new and unknown in our lives and this Parish church. It is a great adventure similar to the metamorphosis of the liturgy changes memorialized in the 1978 Book of Common Prayer. The church of the Redeemer is to be proud of its leadership and commitment to inclusive language. Let us celebrate and embrace change, holding to the foundations of our church expressed in faith, hope, and love.