A Year of Awe
A Year of Awe
As we learned during our worship series, “The Purveyors of Awe,” a sense of awe helps us remain connected to each other, be more caring, and encourages us to be more community minded. The Purveyors of Awe series included the suggestion that we continue our pursuit of awe, and that we invite others to join us. Accordingly, you are invited to A YEAR OF AWE.
Our first AWESOME experience was our Peace Pole Rededication on October 26 after worship, when we turned our attention, our energy, and our prayers toward peace. In a world where we hear about, and even see, so much violence, we have never needed peace more.
Each month, we will arrange a special event, often free, that can help us maintain a sense of awe and wonder. While some of these events, like the Peace Pole, will take place on the St. Matthew UMC campus, many will not. Instead, we will find awe around us, in our neighborhood, in our community, and in the larger Phoenix area. The various activities I am hoping to arrange include: the Scottsdale Canal Convergence, seeing Christmas Lights together, walking the Desert Botanical Gardens, taking an “Awe Walk” in our neighborhood, and much more. While the Thursday morning Bible study class gave me lots of ideas, if you have ideas about “awesome” experiences we could share, especially if they are free or low cost, I would love to hear them. Send your ideas to me at pastorann@stmatthewmesa.org, or schedule an appointment to see me at https://calendly.com/pastorann-stmatthewmesa/1-hour-one-on-ones.
Blessings,
Pastor Ann
Pastor Ann
2/9/26:
A Year of Awe—February
Our Year of Awe continues—even in a month when our calendars don’t quite cooperate.
Last month, we lifted our eyes and practiced awe through birdwatching at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve. In March, we’ll wander together through the beauty of the botanical gardens. But this month, instead of gathering at a set time and place, we’re inviting you into something simpler, quieter, and wonderfully flexible: an Awe Walk.
An Awe Walk is not about distance, speed, or exercise. It’s not a hike (unless you want it to be). It’s a spiritual practice of attention—a way of moving through the world slowly enough to notice what usually slips past us.
How to Take an Awe Walk
You don’t need special equipment, preparation, or experience. Just give yourself 15–30 minutes, silence your phone if you can, and step outside.
As you walk:
• Begin with a few slow breaths. Inhale deeply, counting to six. Exhale fully, counting to seven. Let your body arrive where you are.
• Walk at an unhurried pace. Slower than usual. Let your steps be intentional, not efficient.
• Engage your senses. Notice what you see, hear, smell, and feel. The texture of the ground. The quality of light. The sound of wind, traffic, birds, or voices.
• When something catches your attention, pause. Don’t analyze it. Simply notice. Wonder is the goal, not explanation.
• If your mind wanders (and it will), gently return to noticing. Awe is not forced. It emerges when we make room.
• Periodically, stop to breathe in and out deeply as you did at the start.
You may wish to close your walk with a brief prayer, a word of gratitude, or simply another deep breath and a moment of stillness before heading back inside.
Where should you walk? Somewhere New—or Somewhere Familiar?
There are two equally powerful ways to take an Awe Walk, and each offers its own gift.
Go somewhere new.
A park you’ve never visited. A trail you’ve only driven past. A neighborhood across town. New places heighten our awareness. We notice details more readily because nothing is routine. Awe often shows up disguised as curiosity.
A park you’ve never visited. A trail you’ve only driven past. A neighborhood across town. New places heighten our awareness. We notice details more readily because nothing is routine. Awe often shows up disguised as curiosity.
Or stay somewhere familiar.
Walk your own block. Your usual route. The place you think you already know. Familiar places invite a different kind of awe—the discovery that what we thought we had exhausted still has more to give. You may notice something you’ve passed a hundred times and never really seen.
Walk your own block. Your usual route. The place you think you already know. Familiar places invite a different kind of awe—the discovery that what we thought we had exhausted still has more to give. You may notice something you’ve passed a hundred times and never really seen.
Both are holy ground.
Awe as a Way of Living
The Year of Awe is not only about special events; it’s about cultivating a way of moving through the world with openness, humility, and wonder. An Awe Walk reminds us that awe is not rare—it’s available. Often. Quietly. Just outside our door.
If you take an Awe Walk this month, we’d love to hear about it. You can send me an email at pastorann@stmatthewmesa.org. Let me know: What did you notice? What surprised you? Where did awe meet you?
May your steps be slow, your eyes open, and your heart receptive.
Blessings,
Pastor Ann
Pastor Ann
2/9/26:
A Year of Awe—March: Desert Botanical Garden (Save the date!)
March 10, 2026, at the Desert Botanical Garden
In March we will take advantage of the Desert Botanical Garden’s “Community Day: Pay What You Can Day,” when admission is free and any amount we pay will “[nurture] the Garden’s research, conservation and protections of desert plants.” March’s theme is Desert Blooms & Pollinators. Celebrate the beauty of desert flowers and the pollinators that help them thrive! Watch for more details and your chance to sign up.
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