Trusting God

Romans 4: 1-5 The Message

Remember when you were a kid and you played "Do you trust me?" with your friends?  One person would turn their back on the other and the friend would open their arms and promise to catch the other as she fell backward.  Was that a hard game for you to play?  Why or why not?

Trust is a tricky thing isn't it?  Once it's betrayed it is very difficult to get back.  Seeds of doubt are planted that are very tough to get rid- like weeds that won't respond to Round Up.  We can try and try to get back in the mindset of trusting another person but just because we WANT to doesn't mean we CAN.

Trust requires forgiveness, and yet we can forgive someone and still not fully trust them after the fact, right?  Some part of us dies in a relationship when the trust is smashed to pieces by bad behavior, secrets, anger and betrayal.  Getting over that fully so that the relationship can continue can be a very difficult endeavor, not impossible to be sure, but a challenge none the less.

The world sends us all sorts of messages as it seeks to grab our trust:  Trust me I would never lead you down the wrong path.  Trust me I know what I'm talking about.  Trust me I would never hurt you.  Trust me you need this product to make your life better.  But this kind of trust is penultimate.  It is not trust that will ultimately bring life.


Trust is a very delicate and precious thing, not to be taken for granted, not to be abused or distorted but to be held delicately and with great care.  Where can we go when it seems that there is no one left to trust?  Where can we turn when we are wracked with feelings of betrayal, hurt by another's disloyalty, surrounded by treachery?  St. Paul says "back to God who makes us right again."  God brought Abraham into a right relationship, Abraham didn't do it, God did it.  And Abe trusted God to do it.  Even in the midst of our pain we have someone who will always do the right thing for us- not because we deserve it and certainly not because we have earned it by our hard work and perseverance!  But out of love God continually makes us right again through Jesus Christ!  That is something we can put our ultimate trust in!

Back to that childhood game of "Do you trust me?"  I always had a hard time with it.  My friends in the neighborhood were jokesters, so was my brother!  And they would catch me once just so I would feel secure but then the next time they would let me fall to the ground.  Oh how they would laugh!  I would laugh too but you better believe that the next time we played I was more cautious-- I would put my foot back to catch myself every time because I knew at some point they would let me crash.  I couldn't allow myself to feel secure in that game.  They noticed it too and would always comment, "Don't you trust us??"

Learning to trust God might be a little like that game.  We might mistake falling down with God not putting his arms out to receive us. . . bad things happen in life, just because we are Christians does not make us immune to struggles.  But God promises to be there to catch us when we fall.  When the world pushes us and jostles us around we still have one safe place in which to dwell-- that is in our Lord and Savior who not only catches us but holds us and comforts us.  God will not always take every bad thing away in order to protect us but each and every situation we encounter gives us another opportunity to grow and trust in the One who made us and who loves us most.  May you feel Christ's loving embrace today and may you trust God to take care of you no matter what else happens.  Amen.

Image credit:
inquisitr.com

If you do well won't you be accepted?

Cain was prone to sulking.  Perhaps he was jealous of his younger brother Abel- sibling rivalry and all that.    Maybe he was the kind of guy who always expected everyone to look down upon him, rough childhood you know being the first human to be born from a mother.  We don't know if Adam and Eve took parenting classes or not.  Maybe his experience conditioned him to be ready for the oncoming criticism rather than expecting to hear words of praise.  Maybe as the firstborn he was overly responsible but felt like no one ever noticed him, took him for granted.  


Genesis 4: 1-10



Who knows?  But for some reason he gets his nose out of joint that God doesn't like his offering of produce from the farm.  Maybe God likes ranchers more than farmers?  (Just kidding!)  Maybe God was working with Cain. . . maybe he had some personality traits that needed a little honing and shaping.  Maybe Cain needed to learn to relax and accept himself a little more rather than constantly comparing himself to his little brother Abel.  Maybe God wanted to see how Cain would react if he didn't mush all over him-- a sort of test of patience and self-definition.  That's a lot of maybes isn't it??


Our congregation is focusing in this second week of Lent on the spiritual discipline of "WORSHIP."  Worship shapes us and forms us into disciples for the sake of Christ's mission in the world.  You can't be a disciple if you rarely worship, it's just not possible.  I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings here but there is a definite path toward spiritual maturity just like there is a path and a practice toward being anything that you want to be.  You cannot be a virtuoso, or even a mediocre, piano player unless you practice.  You cannot be a skilled athlete unless you practice your sport.  You cannot be good at your job unless you participate in training, continuing education, apprenticeships and the like.  Why would we ever think we could be "disciples" of Christ just by showing up on "C" and "E?"  


So then, Cain comes to God and offers his produce as an act of worship.  At least that's what we hope he is doing, the text doesn't really tell us about the condition of his heart.  Maybe there's the rub- maybe his heart wasn't in it at all and he was just going through the motions.  But maybe he was giving a gift out of love but then got caught up in what he was going to get back in return (praise and at-a-boys.)  That would negate the "gift" aspect of it all I would think.  


Maybe God wanted to push him to go a little bit deeper, to learn how to regulate his own actions in the face of disappointment.  (Certainly God knows the things we each need to learn, right?  I know this borders on God testing us so forgive me if I go to far with that- I'm not usually one to do that.)  But we see that Cain has an adverse reaction and we are not told why the offering was less-than-acceptable to God.  There has to be more to the story, there usually is you know.  Cain has a reaction!  It's a big reaction.  We used to call these hissy-fits or going ballistic.  You get the idea.  


What is God's reaction to Cain's reaction? (Newton said for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, of course he was talking about physics but I think it applies to relationships as well.) "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won't you be accepted? And if you don't do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it's out to get you, you've got to master it."

Is this story about Cain's ability (and our ability) to get a handle on our own reactions?  If you do well won't you be accepted?  But if you don't, well then sin is lurking at your door, it is waiting to grab ahold of you and take you captive and then look out!  Something bad is gonna happen!  


How do we "master" our shortcomings, our reactions, our sin?  Well first of all we never do it alone!  We do it with Christ on our side.  We listen to him, we dwell in the Word, we pray, and yes we worship.  Through all of these spiritual disciplines our hearts are changed.  Nothing else in life changes because of our worship-- things still go wrong at work, loved ones still struggle with health, we may even lose our job but worship/prayer/dwelling in the Word changes who we are and how we will handle things.  Will tantrums help?  We might think so sometimes but ultimately the answer is no.  Will sulking make any difference other than irritating everyone else around us?  Probably not.  But worship, coming to God for the sake of praising God and not expecting to be patted on the back for it but genuinely immersing ourselves into the songs, liturgy, prayers, community, bread and wine/body and blood, these are the things that change us from reacting and sinning to accepting and moving forward with a deeper sense of peace.  


We shouldn't be too hard on Cain for his tantrums or his sinfulness.  We are all sinners.  But perhaps we can learn from his mistakes and live in the fullness of Christ Jesus who accepts us and our offerings but who also might occasionally push us to attend to those places where we need to do some maturing.  


Have a blessed day!!


Image credit: Marc Chagall at www.biblical-art.com

Perseverance, Tenacity, Endurance and Hope

St. Paul writes in Romans 5: Suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Somewhere in my upbringing I learned that quitting isn't a good thing.  I hate to quit things- even when I know I should!  There's a voice inside of me that says, "Quitter!"  Even when quitting is really the only option for the sake of sanity, conscience or health.  It's funny because I encourage people to say "no" to things if it doesn't fit their gifts/talents/timing/passion.  But it's still hard for me to do.  It goes back to that darn First Commandment really:  You shall have no other gods!  Sometimes I make my own self-sufficiency into a god; my own persevering personality into an idol; a bone I cannot let go of for fear of what?  Letting someone down?  Looking bad in someone else's eyes?

St. Paul doesn't look at the characteristic "perseverance" as something WE DO out of our own brute strength and power.  He sees it as coming from suffering (rather than suffering through something just to prove we can and will do it!)  Suffering for the sake of our faith is what he's talking about- not suffering for the sake of suffering. . . and it is this suffering for the faith that produces the tenacity to hang on.  That's because when we are suffering for the faith we are clinging like crazy to the cross of Jesus.  It might look differently to those who are not in our shoes.  They might characterize it as "useless," "vanity," "foolishness," even "evil."  But we should not be concerned about what others think or say-- we should only be concerned with God's opinion.  Others cannot see the whole picture of our suffering for the faith, they see what they want to see from their perspective.  We do the same to them.  Paul reminds us very clearly that Christ died for us WHILE we were sinners; and he died for our brothers and sisters who are also sinners as well.  We suffer.  They suffer.  We don't have to understand each other's sufferings in the faith but we can give each other the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to live obediently to Christ.

So we suffer for the faith because we know ourselves to be justified by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.  We understand ourselves to be redeemed by our Lord, made right again through Christ, not by our own merits but simply by undeserved grace.  That suffering produces perseverance (tenacity, endurance, resolve, firmness, differentiation, resoluteness) which then forges our character and through this new character of ours we are given HOPE.  Hope is that which keeps us looking forward rather than over our shoulder at the way things were (and will never be again!)  Hope is what fuels our mission.  Hope is what sends us out in confidence to a world in desperate need of the gospel.  Hope will never put us to shame!  Our own self-sufficiency will --- but hope will not ever cause us heartache or shame!

Let us live in the hope of Christ who claims us, names us, calls us, strengthens us, guides us, loves us and sends us!

Image credit:  kaushik.net

Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat

In our family we love musicals!  The stories, the songs, the hard work that goes into them-- it's all appreciated!

Yesterday we went to the Norwalk High School Musical "Guys and Dolls."  Believe it or not, I hadn't seen this one before.  I knew a couple of the songs though but had no idea where they originated.  For instance, my paternal Grandfather used to sing to me, "I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!"  Wow, that brought back memories of long ago when I was about 6!

The show stopper yesterday was the tune sung at the "Save A Soul Mission," a Salvation Army type Mission in New York City.  The "sinners," who were a bunch of gamblers, were tricked into attending a mission meeting-- they lost a bet!  Soon they start getting in to the whole thing, a couple of them give "testimonies" for the benefit of the group.  (They were mostly in jest if you can imagine.)  Waiting his turn to talk, Nicely Nicely steps up to tell his story (and steals the show by the way!)  He sings about a dream he had. . . he was on a boat to heaven where people were resisting the temptations of the time period (dice and whiskey- you get the idea.)  Eventually he is thrown overboard, which is a rude awakening.  He sings, "The devil will drag you under with a soul so heavy you'd never float. . . sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat!"

Our lessons in worship yesterday were all about temptations!  Adam and Eve being tempted by the devil; Jesus being tempted by Satan too.  There are temptations all around us, every day; they seek to draw us away from the God who loves us.  Jesus showed us what ultimate trust is- he resisted giving in to showing his power, self-sufficiency and authority; he resisted the temptation to test God; he resisted the all out bribery of Satan.  He simply trusted in the Father without having to force God to prove himself.

Why is it so hard to TRUST?  Trust God, trust ourselves, trust others?  Why are we so suspicious?  I guess the simple answer is "sin." We are plagued by it even if we aren't running dice games and drinking whiskey and staying up until all hours in places we shouldn't be.  Sin still grabs ahold of us.  We still are tempted to by lots of things- more stuff, more security, negativity, mistrust. . .

Jesus shows us a better way.  It's not an easier way, however.  It requires us to let go.  It requires us to TRUST in the One who is completely trustworthy and true.

How will we resist temptation in these days of Lent?  How will we make it a practice to resist and reject Satan?  In our baptismal liturgy we are asked, "Will you renounce the forces of this world that keep you away from God?  The forces that defy God?"  I renounce them!  This is not a passive resistance-- it is ACTIVE.  (When I hear "sit down you're rocking the boat" I think of someone telling me to hush, be quiet, don't make waves, don't cause trouble. . . what do you think of?)

By renouncing the ways of the devil that are ALWAYS contrary to God's holy will, we are rocking Satan's boat, not the boat to heaven!  By clearly drawing a line in the proverbial sand in obedience to God we are rocking Satan's boat!  We walk away from temptation.  We stand up against evil.  We walk toward God through Christ Jesus.  God has promised us to be with us always in Christ- that means in times of joy and peace and in times of temptation and struggle.  There will always be a boat rocking somewhere and someone will always be saying, "Sit down you're rocking the boat!"  But whose boat would we rather rock?  Be sure that the devil will try to rock your boat!!  Might we want to rock Satan's boat by being faithful and obedient to our Lord and Savior??  (Get up get up get up get up get up, Get UP and rock that boat!!)


Image Credit:  ebsqart.com artist Robert Kimball

Those who love their life will lose it. . .

Isaiah 58: 1-12

Isaiah lays it all out there doesn't he?  (In God's words not his by the way...)  You fast and yet you turn around and bicker.  You worship and then you turn around and cheat others.  Those are harsh words to hear, aren't they?  No one likes to be reminded of the fact that we are simultaneously saint and sinner.

Why is it so hard to put God first?  It's our human condition and it smacks us in the face over and over again, that is if we are willing to really see what's going on.  This first week of Lent reminds us that God calls us to return to him with our whole hearts.  Jesus says that those who love their lives will lose them and those who are willing to lose their lives will gain eternity.  We are going to lose our lives anyway, someday that is.  Morbid thought perhaps but we are mortal after all.  Yesterday one of my track kids said to me, "Did you see that movie (something like) 1,000 ways to die?"  No, I didn't.  I only need to know about one way.

In our baptism we died to our old selves, our old Adam, our old man or woman.  Drowned.  Buried.  Ashes to ashes and all that.  But in Christ we are raised to new life!  We will lose our lives sooner or later.  But if you really think about it and embrace it, we lost it in the waters of baptism.  Sometimes we just don't realize that until much later!  Our baptism is our daily returning to God; our daily humbling, our daily reminder that we cannot  do it alone but Christ who walks with us every step of the way does it for us.  We live for him.  He gives us a new life!  That makes a qualitative difference!

Be blessed today! (And every day for you are loved and raised to new life through your baptism!!)

"You're a Church Person"

Track and Field has begun again for another season.  (Be still my heart!  I get to spend two hours a day with 37 middle-schoolers who are amazing, funny, happy, moody, want to be noticed, don't want to be noticed, eager to please, don't care if they please, coming into their own, figuring out who they are- you get the idea, you've met them before.)  

On our team, Liz (my fellow coach) and I have just a couple of rules that we strictly enforce.  One of them is about respect.  The kids know that they have to use their words respectfully, that we won't tolerate cursing, swearing or name-calling.  The penalty for such a slip whether it was a slip or a blatant infraction is that the athlete has to run a mile.  That's extra, over and above the rest of the workout.  So, every year it happens a couple of times- a bad word comes sailing out of an adolescent mouth (usually from a boy if you can imagine that).  And without fanfare I calmly say, "You owe me a mile."  The perpetrator hangs his head and sets off in that familiar counter clockwise direction to do his four laps.  That's the end of it. It's really not a big deal but it does make them think about their words, at least for a few minutes.

As we got started this year, a not so nice word entered my ears and I realized that I had not explained the rule to the newcomers.  So the team sat down to hear about this important tenet of our time together.  As I was explaining, one of the young men that was on the team last year said to me and the others, "That's because you're a church person."  I guess he thought that since I was a pastor that I had a real aversion to foul language.  People do that to me all the time.  They say a bad word and then quickly realize that they are in the presence of a pastor and so for some reason they think they cannot be themselves.  It happened one year when I played in a co-ed volleyball league.  The team captain would shush the other players when they would curse over a bad play, "SHHH, she's a pastor!"  I have to admit it was a bit annoying. . . pastors are just people.  Everyone who knows me knows that I'm just a person like every other person you know.  I think at the root of it they are trying to be respectful to me but what about the other people that they come in contact with?  Is it only considered disrespectful to pastors to speak like that?  Is anyone impressed when we go off and spit out a string of expletives?  Probably not.  Or maybe they don't even care and just think, "Ah a human being with feelings."

For me this is more about "being a church person" than it is about potentially offensive language.  I've heard all of the words before and they don't really faze me, I've even said them myself from time to time though I don't make a habit of it.  The reality is we are not perfect.  The reality is that we slip up from time to time no matter how hard we try.  The reality is there is GRACE for all of us- forgiveness, a new beginning, a second chance (and third and fourth etc.)  Yes, I am church person but I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination!  Again, you who know me know that I speak the truth about this!!  But I try to be faithful representative of Christ. Operative word:  TRY!  I think we should try, even if we fail- no, knowing that we will fail!

Our gospel lesson for today, Ash Wednesday, is one that we have perhaps taken too literally.  "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them. . ." (Matthew 6:1)  Do we only hear the first part of that and discount the second part?  Beware of practicing your piety before others. . . so we fail to practice our piety, our faith, our discipleship in front of others because they just might see us?  You are a church person.  Shouldn't our actions in the world reflect something of our faith?  Shouldn't our lives exhibit the fruits of the Spirit wherever we go (to the best of our ability anyway): patience, peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, love, self-control?  Or should we hide our light under a basket?  Of course not- we have nothing to be ashamed of for the gospel frees us and Jesus rescues us from sin, death and the devil and forgives us when we mess up.  Thanks be to God for that!!

As a coach though, I have a responsibility to teach- not only hurdles, high jump, sprints, baton exchanges, etc.  But to teach teamwork, responsibility, sportsmanship and more.  The reason I have the rule about words on my team is because I want to teach respect and self-control.  I think it's important.  I think it's missing in many quarters of our social lives.  Maybe it is because I'm a "church person" though I know people who are not church persons who act respectful, kind, encouraging etc.  What I do know is that church people are expected to act a certain way.  We don't always live up to it though which can put a black mark on the name of Christ.  But we're trying, we really are!! That young man's comment is important though.  He is saying that there ought to be something about us that can be seen by others if we call ourselves church people.  I agree, and so what I said to the young man on my team was, "You are a church person too."  (Because I know that he is, and he really does act like it too.)

The world is watching us "church people."  We are under a microscope.  Don't be frightened by that, that's just the way it is.  Don't be burdened by others' opinion of you just do the other thing that I tell my team, "Do your best, that's all we ask of you."  We live the way we live (or at least we TRY to)- in obedience, faith, love, generosity- BECAUSE Christ has done something life changing for us.  Our words and actions just might show someone something about what it means to be a "church person." That would be great if it did!!   Everywhere we go we are a living witness to God's love for us and all humanity.  We may never get it completely right but we can rest assured that we are loved and that God knows that each one of us is a work in progress.  Amen.

Image credit:  fumchurst.org

Giving Up or Opening Up?

Lent is fast approaching.  The Ashes will be applied tomorrow to furrowed brows and upturned faces alike.  A question to ask might be, "What are you giving up for Lent?"  Chocolate?  Wine?  Gossip?  Will it be a sacrifice?  Will you really miss it? Will it take discipline on your part?  If you give something up will it be something that causes you to think about Jesus every time you turn to grab for it?  Will it be a source of discussion around the proverbial water cooler?  "I gave up pizza for Lent!"  or "I gave up red meat for Lent."

There's nothing wrong with giving something up IF it helps us to focus our attention on Christ; but if it is just an exercise done out of guilt (or even indifference) then why do it at all?  If it is just something that you were taught to do when you were a kid and so you keep doing it without intention or purpose then doesn't that leave you feeling empty, or worse- guilty?

Instead of giving up something why not open up?  Open up our hearts to be more like Christ. Open up our spirits to the Spirit's working within us and around us.  Open up our mouths to sing God's praises and to proclaim the goodness of our God who sent his one and only Son to save us from sin, death and the power of the devil.  Now there's an interesting conversation to engage in on your lunch break!!

Rather than focusing on taking something away how about adding something?  Not something that will cause you to feel bad if you forget to do it one day. . . that's not the purpose (we really don't need anything else to make us feel bad about ourselves!!)

What if we opened up our lives to Christ in order to enhance our daily walk?  What if we were intentional about spending quality time with our loved ones- in conversation, in play, in prayer?  What if we carved out time for our friends, to reconnect, to laugh, to have a little bit of fun amidst the daily grind?  That would be holy wouldn't it??  (My answer is YES!)

Here are a couple of other ideas to help you focus on Christ in this time of Lent:
Set aside a time of centered prayer.
Make a habit of doing a daily devotion?  (Then share it with a friend!)
Make a special offering to the poor and hungry.
Take an extra walk around the block so that our bodies will be healthier (spiritual well being is a whole body/mind/spirit experience).

The reality of the Lenten season is that God is right here with us-- it's a time for us to notice that in ever deeper ways and to respond with gratitude to all the blessings of this life that God has gifted us with-- especially the gift of a Savior.  It's a time to renew our baptismal promises and to bask in the gift of our being daily forgiven.  It is not a time to beat ourselves up, to put more pressure on ourselves; instead it is a time to be gentle with ourselves because this journey is NOT an easy one.  Lent (and a life of faith for that matter) are not for the faint of heart!

Open up those fingers, then, that are so tightly clutching to whatever it is that is holding your attention and instead allow Christ to fill your hands and your heart with his mercy and love.  Amen.

Love for the Eucharist

Do you see this man?  

He is one of the three 90 year old saints of our congregation.  His name is Kenny.  (He is holding Andrew who is three and who was just baptized today in worship!)  Kenny is married to the love of his life, Maxine, for 65 years.  In the past couple of years they have not been able to be in worship with the rest of the community of saints at TLC.  They miss us.  WE MISS THEM!  It's not the same without them.  It's not the same when anyone is missing from the fold!  So each week we are always incomplete in some way because each week someone is missing.  Some are sick, some can't drive anymore, some are busy, some may have forgotten that we are there.  But we are there and we continue to be there.  We come together to worship Christ and to receive God's bountiful gifts of love, grace and sacrament.

Today we went on a field trip.  Mobile Church!!  We went to him!  And to her!  And we brought the Eucharist.  The bread and the wine; the body and the blood of Christ, "Do this in remembrance of me."  Jesus was there. . . in the flesh and in the blood and in the mobile Church.

As I prepared the meal for Kenny and Maxine I told the 10+ kids who came along to look at them; really look at them.  "You see boys and girls, what we take for granted each week-- Holy Communion and coming to the Lord's table-- they yearn and hunger for!"  Look at them.  These two never missed church, not even when the fields had to be harvested!  (Well maybe once or twice  :))  Now they cannot make it to worship except very rarely when they are having a really good day.  Watch how they receive the gifts of God:  "This is my body given for you."  A tear runs down his cheek.  "This is my blood shed for you."  She bows her head in reverence and whispers, "Thank you."  Look at them; see how they respond to the Eucharist. See how they need Christ.  See how they hunger and thirst for Him.  See how they appreciate what He offers!

Learn from them to never take Christ for granted.  Learn from them what this Eucharist means.  Don't be cold to it.  Don't be indifferent to it.  It is a precious treasure, it is a gift from Christ. It will strengthen you.  It pronounces you FORGIVEN.  It binds you to the One who sacrificed himself for you.  It is Christ!  It is for YOU!  Amen.

A Place Where You Can Be Yourself

How many places in your life are places where you can truly be yourself?  No masks, no false pretenses, just you in the fullness that you are and can be?  At work?  At school?  In a club or organization that you belong to?  At your church??

Recently we were in a small group setting at our parish and I asked the questions, "Who are we?" and "Why do we exist (as a congregation)?"
Some wonderful answers emerged:
* We are a people of God
* We are a people in need of grace
* We are people that support one another
* We are here to serve our neighbors
* We are here to worship the Creator
* We are here to partake of the sacraments and be formed into disciples
* We are here to make a difference in the world and to use our gifts to show others the love of Christ
* We are here to welcome all people
And then came the comment that I was not expecting at all. . . "We are a place where you can be yourself."  

Now maybe to you that sounds rather dull or innocuous, but to me that sounds like angels singing in my ears!  We are a place where each and every person is on a journey to becoming exactly who Christ has made them to be- themselves!  No one has to conform to some hidden agenda or expectation.  Nobody has to work themselves into a frenzy to be accepted- each person is accepted for who they are and that's that.  Everyone has a voice, a say in the life of the community and no one individual voice is more important that another voice.  All are equal, all are valued, all are cherished.  For us this has been a long journey!

Sometimes in churches there are those whose opinion matters more than another's. . . Sometimes in churches there are people who hold all the power and influence. . . Sometimes in churches there are those who think they don't matter. . . but God has a different idea about this, St. Paul says, "God shows no partiality."

We don't get it right all the time, to be sure.  We are definitely sinners in need of grace and mercy and we mess up from time to time.  We get grumpy here and there, anxious about things here and there, but all in all we do pretty well.  But those words she said that day made me stop in my proverbial tracks, "We are a place where you can be yourself."  I hadn't thought about it like that and yet that was always my greatest hope for the congregation as their pastor, a hope I had never articulated out loud; to hear this long time member/disciple of Christ who has seen the ups and the downs of communal life, who has experienced and witnessed the turmoil as well as the joy, to hear her say "We are a place where you can be yourself" well to put it plain and simple--- that is amazing!!  Wonderful!!

 Doesn't God want each of us to be comfortable with ourselves and for us to love one another just for who we are and not for who someone else wants us to be?  For that to happen there has to be trust, respect, forgiveness and love amongst the saints.  (And frankly that is often not an easy task!)  For that to happen we have to give it all to Christ, trusting in him to form and shape us into his disciples, not perfect people, but people who kneel at the foot of the cross with humility and hope.

Lord continue your good work among us, forming and shaping us into exactly who you have designed us to be.  Amen.