“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 (ESV)
Dear Friends,
This week we received notice from the Episcopal News Service. Beloved Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is publishing a book of sermons about love! Alleluia! We need to hear and we need to read and we need to see more LOVE! Presiding Bishop Curry is scheduled to launch his book of sermons, entitled, The Power of Loveby the end of this month through Penguin Random House publishing. The book includes the Presiding Bishop’s message to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at their royal wedding which elevated the PB to world wide renown. Other sermons featured in the book include his message to General Convention in 2012 and this past summer’s General Convention. The most recent General Convention message dwells on the practice of living in love.
Bishop Curry suggests the following seven steps to living in love:
1*TURN: pause, listen and turn away from what brings hurt and hate and choose to turn and follow Jesus.
2*LEARN: reflect daily on scripture, and especially on the life and teachings of Jesus.
3*PRAY:daily, spend time with God in prayer.
4*WORSHIP: every week, support your faith community and gather for worship, giving thanks and praise.
5*BLESS: serve others and in doing so, share your faith.
6*GO: tell folks how you know God’s love. Witness in words and actions.
7*REST: set aside time to restore and nurture the love God in Christ has placed inside you.
As well, should you wish to hear and/or read Presiding Bishop’s sermons,
Practicing love is not necessarily a love we feel with affection in our hearts. Jesus is talking about a love that involves action in truth. We often sing the popular hymn by Peter Scholtes: “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love…we will work with each other, we will work side by side…and we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each other’s pride…they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.” More than ever in our country we must show our love as Christians. A recent Pew Research poll of 5,000 adults shows that our alienation and polarization from one another, especially regarding immigration, international affairs, government intervention and aid to the under resourced has increased by 36% from an average of 15% since the mid 1900s. The solution to this continued divide, Pew suggests, is dialogue. We’re called to talk with one another, in love, not in hate. In other words, say what we mean, mean what we say and don’t be mean when we say it. Reach out to one another. Get around a table. Share a meal. Practice the seven steps of love. Now is the time. Most likely we will find, we have more that unites us than separates us.
Where there is hate, let us sow love, St. Francis is attributed to saying.
One great neighborhood sign of love in action is our annual Trunk or Treat. Sadly, the nor’easter coming in this weekend is forcing us to cancel Saturday’s event. Instead, mark your calendar for Advent Family Weekend November 30-December 2 as an opportunity for fun and getting ready for Christmas. This Sunday, we’ll worship together as we take a look the miracle of Jesus restoring sight and perhaps wonder what Jesus is calling us to see. Gwynn Crichton, our seminarian will bless us with her monthly preaching. Youth will meet following worship as we begin the plans for a youth led worship on Sunday January 27th! Parent Support Group with a pot luck dinner convenes at 5:00 p.m. with babysitting and discussion of Liturgy of the Ordinary; Sacred Practices in Everyday Life.Once again, the weekend is full as God in Christ thrives in us as Epiphany.
Finally, please, continue to give prayerful thought to your giving for 2019. Can you stretch to adding an extra $25.00 a month in your giving? Your extra $300.00 a year enables the music ministry to hire two musicians for Christmas worship! Complete your pledge form and plan to bring it on Sunday November 4th. We’ll honor those who have gone before us since the last All Saints and who now rest in God’s great cloud of witnesses. We’ll celebrate God’s eternal life promised for us and submit our pledges for the 2019 year. Thank you for your support!
Many blessings,
Hillary