Who are you and Why Do you Read this Newsletter?

It’s comforting to know I’m not the only odd duck out here.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure my newsletter would last this long. It started in February 2023, and I had serious concerns it would fizzle out by summer. But I find it a joy to write, and it seems some people find it meaningful. I am grateful to all of you who have joined me on this journey!

I originally thought I wouldn’t have enough topics to write about, but the more I write, the more I find I have to say. Frankly, most weeks I don’t write my post until Monday night before the Tuesday reveal. I don’t know what I’m going to say, but then sit down at the computer, do a mediation, open myself up, and a germ of an idea opens up. Pretty soon I’m in the zone and just writing. The good posts, especially, I look back and say, “Oh! Where did that come from?” Sometimes an idea comes to me mid-week and I write it down, but how to frame it, or what I will actually say, doesn’t appear until Monday. I currently have a bunch of ideas lined up to write about. Sometimes I sit down ready to address one of them, and I do. Other times it doesn’t feel right, so I let it go. Then something I hadn’t even considered pops up, so I go in that direction. It’s a little scattered an approach, but it seems to be working.

I am also considering starting a podcast and writing a book and other stuff. We shall see. One of the challenges is that I don’t know my audience. Are you all active Christians? Ex-Christians? Other religion? Or none? Have you had mystical experiences? Or not? Are you male, female, LGBTQ+, other? Are you in your 20s or 70s or? What appeals to you about this newsletter? What would you like to see more of? Less of? This is where you come in. I’d like to know who you are and why you find this topic appealing.

I assume “Jesus and the Enchanted Cosmos” addresses a particular Venn diagram:

There doesn’t seem to be much out there addressing these kinds of topics, and I’ve been heartened that I am not alone in discussing them.

In my experience, Christians often discount or are hostile to mystical experiences and their implications, while the woo-woo peeps usually loathe Christianity. There is very little overlap. So I assume you all fit in this odd little niche too. But I’m just guessing.

So my request to all of you who read this newsletter is to please write in the comments section below and

1)    Tell me who you are. I’d love to know more about you! and

2)    Why do you read this newsletter?

Thank you!

Preparation for Advent

As we prepare for the season of Advent, perhaps you may find my book of sermons of interest. Holy Incarnation! God Said What?: Transformational Sermons for Progressive Christians. Each sermon focuses on one of the Sundays in the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. It is a great way to enjoy the spiritual journey of these days.

Thank you for your support

If you like my writing, feel free to click the ❤️ or 🔄 button on this post, or any of my posts, so more people can discover them on Substack and elsewhere.

Where you can catch me at other times

You can catch me and my sermons every week at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Ayer, Massachusetts. All current worship can be viewed, and all past worship is posted, at https://www.facebook.com/standrewsayer