Welcome to our blog! This is a place to share ideas, thoughts, concerns and joys of our faith journey. I'll be posting sporadically, but hope you will feel free to comment and join in the discussions.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

First One Step, Then Another

Watching a small child learn to walk is exciting, isn't it? They stand tentatively at first, wobbling back and forth on chubby legs. It there is something to hang onto, they begin to trust the vertical experience and shuffle sideways until they get the hang of this walking thing. Their smiles are usually so huge then, as if to say, "Hey, lookee what I can do!"

This Sunday, our congregation got together between the services to take the next steps towards calling a new pastor. We elected a Call Committee from the people in attendance. It's a nice cross section of people who will act as something for our congregation to hang onto as we begin the steps in this process. It's an exciting and scary time for our congregation. Full of hope and promise, just like the small child learning to walk. But I am convinced God is with us in this time, and his arms are sure and strong as we ask him to take us from the here into the future.

I can't wait until we can smile that big, huge smile with a new pastor and say, "Hey! Lookee what we can do!"

Thursday, September 4, 2014

All Things Great and Small

On the milkweed plant outside in my yard, there is a monarch caterpillar happily munching it's way to chrysalis oblivion. I go out and check it's progress day-to-day. Also on some other milkweeds are some very tiny bugs called aphids. They are also happily munching on the leaves and stalks. And there are hundreds of them all over the plant, sucking the life out of it. Why does one bug make me happy as I watch it consume a plant (the caterpillar) and the other distress me so much (the aphids)?

I don't know the reason. Any more than I know why I don't like spiders very much even though I know they are helpful creatures. It occurs to me that we are all here on earth in unique ways. Each of us impact the world, some in very small ways, others in huge, impressive ways. But the earth would be a little different if we weren't a part of it. And whether we can see the part we play is pretty much irrelevant. We are not here to judge someone's worth or acceptability. We are not here to judge, period.

This Sunday, we will all come together at St. Marks. The caterpillars, the aphids, the butterflies, moths and even fruit flies will join together in a service project or two to help someone out. To think of someone other than ourselves. To share God's Work with Our Hands. We hope you will join us as we celebrate our diversity and comraderie on this special Sunday. You don't even need to bring some milkweed!