Musings from Graceland

GOD LOVES THE WORLD THROUGH US. OH DEAR!

My friend Lisa Samson, who also happens to be an amazing author, wrote this today:

I'm heading over to St. Raphael's Episcopal Church this morning to hear a friend of mine sing. He's so good, he's actually paid to lead his section of the choir. I think he's a tenor, but don't quote me on that.

While finding the service time on their website, I came across their vision statement:
“The World will know the love of God through the people who worship God at St. Raphael’s.” Which, naturally, led me to thinking about God's love for the world, and you can't think about that without remembering (if you at all grew up in Sunday School!) John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (Sorry, I grew up on KJV.)

Then I thought about the churches so many who read this will attend today. Or already attended yesterday as we did 6:00 mass at Holy Spirit parish here in Lexington. If this isn't something you deal with, please disregard. But I get my fair share of emails from women who are so sick of church, of the same thing Sunday after Sunday, who feel inadequate spiritually and in many other ways, who wonder what this whole thing is really for if this is all it is and if it is, well, it's not all that hot and let's stay home and eat fresh bagels and read the paper. And it isn't merely about church, is it? It's deeper than that.

But today, off you'll go, and you'll sit in the pew, or the padded chair, or for some of you, the folding metal chair in the elementary school cafeteria. If you're feeling disillusioned about church and the basic Christian walk you're experiencing, I wonder if you'd be so kind as to write down that vision statement above on a slip of paper and take it with you this morning. Ask yourself: If your church folded in the next five minutes, would it make a bit of difference in delivering God's love letter to the world? Would it make a bit of difference if you decided it was all too much trouble? I sincerely hope not. But if the answer to those questions are yes, why not ask God how you can love the world as he does, and how you can lead your church to do that too? You may find that becoming an agent of God's love will help clear up some of the spiritual ailments you've been battling so long.

Just a simple little Sunday message from me. With love and hope.

lisa

ps: Chicken dinner at the Samson house today! Family, friends and neighbors gathering. Try it sometime. It's a yummy way to show love. (Now, the dishes are another thing altogether.)