With Sadness and Love

This week we have felt great sadness with the news of violence

that has touched the house of God! Let us be in prayer for all the family members, church members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, fellow believers in Christ who died at the hands of a young man who showed us the face of true evil.

Holy One, help us to forgive the young man who caused such pain this week in Charleston, SC. Teach us to love like you taught by example as you walked this earth and gave us redemption  through your own death and resurrection.

Comfort those who mourn, heal those who hurt, love those who do not know your redeeming grace. Help us to learn from our past so that we can bring peace to our future. Amen

A New Normal

Change is something that comes to everyone, at some point and time in our lives we will all be known to change. It is how we gracefully embrace the change that faces us.

     As we move through life stages, we see rapid change. From the day of our birth to age 5 our bodies and minds are growing and changing so rapidly we can hardly keep up.

     It is no different in the time of the church. From the moment that Jesus was crucified, died and rose again the birth of the church took on such rapid change that the disciples even had a hard time keeping up. From the time of Pentecost and the disciples finding themselves in the upper room praying for what would be next; the Holy Spirit arrives on the scene and they all received power to do mighty things in the name of Jesus, the Christ.

     Peter speaks boldly for the first time in public since Jesus was no longer with them on a daily basis. The followers of Jesus needed to find a "new normal" for themselves. They had to learn to trust God more than ever.

     Church, are we ready to address a "new normal"? Or are we going to get angry and fight amongst ourselves, or are we going take the focus off of ourselves and trust God for what God has had planned for God's church from the beginning of time?

      I would prefer to take my eyes off of the "new normal" and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and the grace and love that comes with knowing Jesus as my savior and redeemer of all people!

    Let us not find ourselves like those that heard the disciples speaking in many languages wondering what was happening; but keeping our focus on the mission of what we are to do: 1st - pray; 2nd - share God's love and forgiveness with all those we meet; 3rd - pray more!