Each year following Annual Conference I like to take time to sit in the Sanctuary alone to breathe in the silence, feel the spirit of the place and in the quiet express my gratitude to God. I think about the countless worship services that have occurred in this place when ordinary people gather to reach out and touch the Spirit of God, I think about all of the funeral services when eternity became a reality, and I think about all of the weddings we've had here when love became the beginning of whole new family. I am so often reminded that it's here, in this church, where life really happens.
In these quiet retreats, I sometimes walk and pray for each pew and the people who gather here, many of you by name, and pray that in some small way we can work together to open new doors to a deeper understanding of God's Kingdom and our place in it. I pray that together we can learn to depend on one another, learn from each other's experiences, and be comforted by each other through every season of life. I pray that we can be true to our commitments and become a community bounded together by our pursuit of God rather than fractured by our fears. I pray that our worship time will transcend the planning and the preparation and provide the inspiration for even the most seasoned Christians to humbly offer grace, forgiveness and love to everyone.
Of course being the church has never been easy and as far as I know the Bible never suggests that it should be otherwise. It will require us to stretch, to grow and to obey God's Word in ways we would rather avoid. So when tensions rise and grace seems hard to come by, I invite you join me in this place of silence and celebrate all that God has done, is doing and will do through the people of God in the coming year when faith and life connect.
Blessings,
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