At the request of our bishop and in light of an increased number of new COVID-19 cases in our area, Grace has agreed to postpone our plan to begin gathering for small group worship in the nave.
The staff, vestry, and liturgy cluster have worked to develop a viable plan that can be easily implemented when the case numbers allow us to do so with a greater degree of safety for all. These decisions are not easy but are always guided by our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of every human being.
Stuart+ and Cynthia+
Stuart asked us some pretty tough questions in his sermon last week. Questions like, “What do you really consider most important in your life?” “What are you giving your life to?” What do you desire?” What burdens are you carrying that you need to put down?” These are questions for the heart, and the heart often speaks best without words. So how are we—good ‘people of the book[s]’ that we are—to learn to hear the wisdom of our hearts? One of my favorite methods is to make a collage. Learn more at the link below and give it a try!
Cheryl Kelley
Director of Christian Formation
We are all familiar with the idea of a weekly Sabbath, a day of rest from labor, a day devoted to thinking about God, and especially to the idea that this is God’s world, and that without our constant busyness, it can still go on for a day.
In some situations where Sunday is a workday, such as for clergy (ironically), then other days are set aside to allow for this critical “down time.” Our clergy, for example, take Friday for our Sabbath rest. Some monastic communities observe their Sabbath rest on Tuesdays.
What many are not aware of is that the Bible also calls for a Sabbath rest for the earth itself! The twenty-fifth chapter of Leviticus calls for a Sabbath rest for the land on the seventh year, following six years of planting. The same Hebrew letters that make the word “Sabbath” also make the word “Seven” as well as the word “Stop.”
The earth, like humans, was also created by God with purpose and according to a design that requires it to have occasional times for rest and recovery. It seems like this pandemic is pushing open the necessary space for our whole earth to rest and recover.
Wise counsel I received as a young mother was “If you don’t take care of your body, it will take care of itself by forcing you to rest.” By the same token, it seems that in our ever-increasing pace of producing and growing that we may have failed to take proper care to allow our whole earth to keep to its healthy pace.
We are part of an eco-system that God created. So, as we are forced into this time of rest, let us look for ways to celebrate the rest that our entire planet is taking.
Cynthia+
This post highlights some events and news pertinent to the upcoming week.