Hi everyone,
This might not come as any surprise to anyone, but I’m pretty tired. I know, I just got back from Sabbatical so I should be full of energy, right? Well, you’d think, but for some reason that isn’t the case. Maybe it’s because I’m not good at taking breaks. Maybe it’s because there aren’t a lot of breaks to be had as a parent of young kids. Or maybe it’s just because I’m lazy. Either case, I’m tired.
But as tired as I can be, I can rest assured that life remains to be good. We are still given reason to celebrate. And anything that might be going on in my life or in the lives around me will pass and I’ll find myself with that energy again (unless I got that long-covid thing that I’ve been hearing about lately).
And we do have a lot to celebrate. We have our congregation’s 70th anniversary next week. We have been moving closer to “regular” worship styles and patterns. And we got a new projector (and dang it looks awesome).
For these and more we give thanks. And I look forward to celebrating 70 years next week and remembering all those who have been part of our community over the years. And I hope that while we might be going through things, that we can still find the time and energy to celebrate!
Here are the readings for next week:
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6:20-31
You know, while the beatitudes in Matthew are more popular, I’ve always appreciated the ones out of Luke. They’ve always seemed more full to me, and the fact that the “woes” are thrown in there makes it more meaningful in my opinion. Because while it’s nice to know that there are blessings in your difficult times, it’s sometimes good to know that there are dangers in the good times too. There is a balance that we should be aware of, and maybe we don’t need to expect it but we don’t have to be surprised by it.
But above all, I think it’s hope that we get from these beatitudes. We are reminded that God will not leave us and that we will always be plugged into our community and the body of Christ. We are reassured that whatever bad we might be going through, it won’t last. And if it does last, we can still know that God continues to bless us in the midst of it.
So I again look forward to next week’s celebration of our 70 years of ministry in South Burnaby. At the same time, I continue to celebrate all the joys and wonders of life, and revel in the blessing of God throughout the week and always!
Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash