Leaving

Over the past few weeks I have been contemplating changes in my life.  I will be moving to a new appointment on July 1.  This means I will be leaving people I love and meeting new people that I know I will come to love, but right now the thought of leaving so many people I have come to know and care about is somewhat overwhelming.  I know I am not the first pastor most of them have had and I definately won't be the last.  But I am their pastor, and I am not certain I want another shepherd caring for "my" sheep.

It is that word "my" that has brought me up short.  When did I become so possessive?  When did I stop seeing them as God's sheep and they become my personal property?  These folks are not not mine any more than my children are mine to own, to control, to hover over.  Each and everyone of us belong to only one person, God.  We are his children, and as such are called to care for and about one another, but to also hold one another loosely.

I need to keep that in mind for all aspects of my life.  As I move into a new appointment I need to remember that I am only here for a time.  Only God knows how long.  And I am called to be a shepherd which means I must do what is best for all God has given me to care for, even if it means turning them over into the care of another.  My prayer is that I will be able to do this with the grace and dignity God expects, all the while remembering that it is love that allows me to do this.

Blessing, Becky

Little Easter's

Each Sunday is to be a celebration of Easter, a "little Easter".  I wonder, how many of us really think of Sunday and worship that way?  For most, we see Sunday as "our" day that is interrupted by Worship.  "Why do I have to take one hour and go to church?" is a refrain we often hear.  We view attendance at church as something to be endured, a joyless activity that fulfills our obligation to God and allows us to continue calling ourselves Christian.

But what if we think of each Sunday as a day to recapture the excitement and joy of Easter how much more wonderful might Worship and our faith life become?  Easter is spring-time and renewal; Easter is spending time with family and friends; Easter is joy and laughter; Easter is celebration of the fulfillment of God's promise to us.  I challenge you today to begin to look at Worship in a new light by viewing each Sunday as the day you recapture the experience of Easter, allowing it to revitalize you and prepare you to face whatever life may throw at you with joy and strength and renewed vigor.

Blessings, Becky