We've all watched the flooding in Florida with an odd sense of frustration over their over-saturation in comparison to our dearth of precipitation. Thankfully I heard the soft patter of rain outside my window last night, and it is continuing through today. I felt like going out in my pajamas and dancing in the driveway!
While much of our farm crop is a total loss this year, but we do pray that grass and grain for animals is enriched this week with the rain, and that our water levels start on the road toward replenishment.
As the rain falls, be reminded that God cares deeply for us and knows each of our dry spots well. May we feel God replenishing us in a special way this week.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday
I've been leading a group of our young adults on Sunday Mornings during the Sunday School hour as we have gone through Rob Bell's Nooma video series. This past Sunday we watched a video called "Sunday," where Rob challenges us to not view our faith as empty ritual, but instead to find the meaning and purpose in what we do.
His ending challenge to us was that our church should be a group of people "whose hearts are beating more and more like God's." God doesn't want the ritual without the relationship, or our presence without our true worship.
What would that look like? Well, this week at Trinity we lost a saint who exemplified just that, a person whose heart continued to beat more and more like God's, right up until her death. Montez was a retired teacher, and a saint of Trinity. She was indeed a lifelong learner, one who would often bring newspaper or magazine articles to my desk asking me my opinions on different theological issues or incidents in our world. I was always amazed by her interest in my opinion, and I was equally blessed and challenged by her understandings of Biblical insights and their impact on daily life. She was a person who came to church each and every day to grow, to be challenged, and to worship her God with and through her whole being. There are many stories that could be shared of her faithfulness, I encourage you to seek them out and share them in the coming days.
Trinity has known much grief this summer, and this is another time where we will bring our sadness with us as we return to gather as the church. However, mixed in with our grief is a hope and peace that comes through a relationship with Christ, and that peace is strengthened when we stand and worship God alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we be challenged to not be roadblocks to God's kingdom, but instead to be a guide and a companion as we journey together with Christ, as our hearts continue to beat more and more like God's. We grieve the loss of friends like Montez, but we thank God for their testimony of faithfulness and vision.
His ending challenge to us was that our church should be a group of people "whose hearts are beating more and more like God's." God doesn't want the ritual without the relationship, or our presence without our true worship.
What would that look like? Well, this week at Trinity we lost a saint who exemplified just that, a person whose heart continued to beat more and more like God's, right up until her death. Montez was a retired teacher, and a saint of Trinity. She was indeed a lifelong learner, one who would often bring newspaper or magazine articles to my desk asking me my opinions on different theological issues or incidents in our world. I was always amazed by her interest in my opinion, and I was equally blessed and challenged by her understandings of Biblical insights and their impact on daily life. She was a person who came to church each and every day to grow, to be challenged, and to worship her God with and through her whole being. There are many stories that could be shared of her faithfulness, I encourage you to seek them out and share them in the coming days.
Trinity has known much grief this summer, and this is another time where we will bring our sadness with us as we return to gather as the church. However, mixed in with our grief is a hope and peace that comes through a relationship with Christ, and that peace is strengthened when we stand and worship God alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we be challenged to not be roadblocks to God's kingdom, but instead to be a guide and a companion as we journey together with Christ, as our hearts continue to beat more and more like God's. We grieve the loss of friends like Montez, but we thank God for their testimony of faithfulness and vision.
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