A welcoming community of faith practicing and preaching the love of Jesus
August 17, 2020
Dear All Saints Family,
I was reminded this week about a story on NPR’s “Kid Logic.” A young boy, on his first airplane flight, asked his mother, “When do we start getting smaller?” Prior to that moment, his only experience of flying airplanes was seeing them getting smaller and smaller until they disappeared in the sky. This young child had not yet developed the concept known as object permanence — that idea that a distant airplane is still the same size as when it was on the ground.
We all face challenges during this pandemic, perhaps even feeling that our experience of God is disappearing. Worship isn’t the same. Our sense of community may appear to be more a memory than a current reality. Where do we find stability and permanence? Here are a few things to explore:
- Hear the Good News! Spend time reading the Bible. Whether it’s a daily reflection from Forward Day-by-Day (contact the office if you need one);praying the Daily Office (www.missionstclare.com instantly provides the complete services, with readings); or simply reading a book of the Bible, you’ll soon discover the assurance that Jesus is always with us. Throughout history, suffering and death have been part of the human condition. But this reality is not the final word. God is with us each and every day, to the end of our lives, and into life eternal. Alleluia!
- Discover community in new ways. Join our Sunday Virtual Coffee Hour. Call to check-in on fellow parishioners. Send a postcard to someone you haven’t talked to recently. Participate in Christian Education. Plus, we’ll have several new offerings beginning in September! Watch for news in this week’s Wednesday email about enrolling in Education for Ministry (EfM classes) to be held on 6:30 Monday evenings via Zoom. And soon you will hear more, as our All Saints Book Club selects its newest book and we respond to the recent Adult Christian Education survey.
- And pray. Pray for the patience to see God’s presence around you. Pray that you can become more and more aware of God’s many blessings and the needs of others around us. Pray for the strength and courage to live each day into Jesus’ Way of Love.
God is with us, even in those times when we may not feel God’s presence, inviting us to seek the truth of God’s love for us — a love that is so much more than we can ask for or imagine.
I’ll be praying for you while I’m on vacation this week.
