as submitted to PineandLakes Echo Journal, Forum Communications Company (506 James St, Brainerd, MN) for May 14, 2025 publication

‘Tis the season of rebirth and transition. Geese have been flocking and honking. Long hibernating critters have been foraging. Schools are preparing for their long summer nap. Parents are preparing for graduations, end-of-year concerts, ceremonies, locker clean-up, and countless other end of the year activities. All while yards are being swept, perennials are popping up through the dirt, and trees are budding and spewing pollen. The world around us is changing. In reality it is not much different than any other day, but the outer transitions are more noticeable.

An old-fashioned but lovely word, sojourn, means to ‘temporarily stay’. Our journeys through this ‘pilgrimage on earth’, are a series of sojourns. Whether the sojourn is a community, a geographical location, a vocation, or a group of loved ones, none are permanent. As humans, we are constantly in a state of flux as is the world around us. We experience change.

The reality of being a ‘sojourner’ is splattered all over High School graduation. The sharp delineation of before and after graduation marks the abrupt conclusion of one sojourn and the onset of the next – all in under two hours. Graduations teem with joy, pride, tears, and anxiety. Parents are tasked at graduation to trust the foundation they have provided for their offspring over the previous years. For young adults to thrive in the world, they need both confidence in what they have learned and an openness to what they will learn.

Because the transition in the lives of graduates is so obvious, it also becomes a time when we are all reminded of ever-present transitions in our lives. Transitions are part and parcel of the journey. Transitions and change can be gradual, like those achy joints lingering a bit longer in the morning. Others can be more abrupt like a move, job change, death, or illness.  As we age, our needs and perspectives change. Comfort and hope come from knowing God’s will for us. Faith during transition comes from a sturdy foundation.

Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11) As we transition through the sojourns along our journeys, we trust in the foundation that is Christ Jesus. As we witness various transitions in the lives of loves ones, we trust the foundation laid for them in Christ Jesus.  No matter how quickly or slowly our sojourns transform, the foundation remains the same. Our journeys are enriched by sojourning in community. We accompany one another. We remind one another of the foundation we have in Jesus.

Through all transitions, no matter how abrupt or gradual, you are guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. The awareness of God’s promises grants you hope and strength. No matter what kind of changes you are facing in your life here and now, God is with you. The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.