Last Sunday, Thanksgiving, we heard Jesus say to the Samaritan your faith has made you well.
This coming Sunday, we will hear Jesus speak about the importance of persistence. Especially persistence in prayer.
I guess, no matter how you look at things, gratitude, like faith and prayer, can be optional. But, if we are who we say we are, then we truly know all three are essential on our journey. You could almost say they are obligatory.
We are facing a time of great change at SouthWest. The situation is clear; but the questions and the answers are not. Now, more than ever, we are being called to trust that God is God.
Over the next weeks, we will be invited to weigh the pros and cons of how we want our beloved church to look, what we want it to become (or not). Essentially, we are being called to fill in the blanks.
I would invite you to view this as a beautiful invitation. A beautiful gift. And why? Because God is inviting us, you and me, to be active participants in our own future, our own destiny.
Someone once said that faith is relaxing. Relaxing in the presence of God, like being in the presence of a trusted and long-time friend. And prayer? Well that is the act of sharing your deepest concerns with that friend, trusting that they will help you discern the right answer, which might not necessarily be the one you think you want.
No matter what the outcome may be, when the dust settles, we are able to see God’s hand at work in the process and understand that we get what is needed.
So relax. Let God work through and walk with us in the days ahead and trust that all will be well.
In peace,
Pastor Beryl, DLM
*1 Not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer;
Not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer.
Refrain:
It's me, it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer;
It's me, it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer.
2 Not the preacher, not the deacon, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer;
Not the preacher, not the deacon, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer. [Refrain]
3 Not my father, not my mother, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer;
Not my father, not my mother, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer. [Refrain]
4 Not the stranger, not my neighbor, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer;
Not the stranger, not my neighbor, but it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer. [Refrain]
Source: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: an African American ecumenical hymnal #147
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