I am recently returned from one of my favorite places: A Dominican convent north of San Francisco, where twice a year dear friends lead contemplative retreats. The beauty, the communal silence, the familiar setting both so orderly and so evocative -- it's a soul home.

And it was there that a sentence from a new memoir called "Journal Keeper" by Phyllis Theroux landed on me with the force of revelation. She is writing about the small town she moved to in midlife in Virginia:

"It is such a gift to coincide with where you live."

That's it; just this stunning use of the word "coincide." I don't think it was because I was away, and more relaxed and open, that the line grabbed me. To "coincide" is at the heart of many of our longings, whether for the right work, relationships, spirituality, geography. I take it to mean a deep alignment, a fit. Something beyond simple acceptance and more in the realm of attunement. And it makes me think of all those times and places I do not "coincide" with something or someone, and never will. That is all part of the mystery.

I think church, at its best, is a place where the welcome is such that you feel you do indeed "coincide" there, and I know Marble is that place for many. I also think church, at its best, dares to dive deeply into the concepts we are asked to take on faith, but may be hard to live comfortably inside with.

Concepts like the Resurrection, for instance. It's central to the Christian faith, but what does it mean? Does it matter? How do we actually live the Resurrection, ourselves? Rev. Steve Pierce will be exploring these questions this Sunday, April 25, at the 1:30 hour. Please come or tune into what will be a very engaging presentation.

In the meantime, may your Easter journey include times, places, and people you "coincide" with, as well as ways to add more of that to your life. The natural fit and celebration at the heart of this quote are also forms of resurrection.