Prayer for the Morning:
Good morning, God.
Before this day takes hold of me and I am spread too thin to care,
I come to you to sit quietly, for you are good to those who wait for you, to the soul that seeks your peace.
Fill me with your life-giving presence;
May all that I do this day be done with calm attention, for you are my strength and peace.
Amen.
Household Prayer: Evening
Thank you for helping me to become a more generous and attentive person this day.
As I let go of all the things done and left undone this day, make me mindful that it is your strength and steadfast loving presence that keeps my faith whole and fills me with a quiet confidence.
Amen.
A few days ago, I was having a conversation about how church used to be. We used to have all our doors open early morning to late evening, if we were at church. There was nothing to fear. We could get busy any day of the week, but Sunday was for church and the whole family came to church. Then one person said, “Remember when we always brought our bible to church?” We all smiled and with no answer, we went on our way.
Then I started thinking. We want and should be safe in church, but we really are not. The last church shooting took place November 2017, in Sutherland Springs, TX, population six hundred. A gunman opened fire on parishioners at a Sunday service killing twenty-six people and turning this tiny town east of San Antonio into the scene of the country’s newest mass horror. There is no safe place any more.
What seems to be a life time ago, church was a priority. Young families came regularly because they knew the value of a spiritual education and church partnership in the up-bringing of their children. The elders were the example of what a Christian life was like. Yes; ups and downs, tragedies, losses and illnesses, the local church was a member of our family, and we a member of theirs. We held on to each other and worked together to support and maintain the church for the next generation.
I would like to have a solution for this question, but sadly I don’t. As your pastor, I can tell you that these questions are always in my prayers and on my mind. There is one thing that maybe we could do something about.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if we treated our bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to receive messages from the bibles text? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it when we travel? What if we used it in case of emergency?
By now I am hoping you are thinking hmm…where is my bible?
Oh, and one more thing…
What if we spent as much time in it as we do Facebook?
Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Some things are out of our control, and some we are not all going to agree on a solution. The saddest is what will become of the church when you are not here?
I hope this makes you stop and think I might not be able to make the big changes, but I will start by carrying my bible today.
Remember when Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you!
Peace,
Pastor Frances