Dear friends,
As I look out my window into the backyard, it seems as if all nature is alive and resplendent with an explosive dose of spring. The birds are active and singing, the big magnolia tree has sprouted its new leaves within the last few days, and as the bright, warm sunshine hits my skin, I feel happy and a part of something greater than myself. How easy it is to feel the goodness of God infusing all life on a day like today! I even catch myself spreading a bit of that joy and sense of love to those with whom I am in relationship: taking a little time to chat with my neighbor up the street and the new cashier at the grocery store, cooking a meal for my spouse, and yes, even intentionally reaching out to and checking up on an isolated, former neighbor who can sometimes be a bit… well… “thorny.”
The readings for this week, and indeed for the next few weeks, give us examples of God’s love for us rooted in relationship, and how we are to do the same. But this is sometimes not an easy thing to do…. Peter in the reading from Acts, with the help of the Holy Spirit, does the hard work of confronting his own prejudice in order to widen his circle of neighbors whom he is called to love. Jesus, in the 13th chapter of John, shows the disciples by example how they are to love one another: lowering himself to the status of a servant, lovingly washing their dirty feet, and then commanding them to love one another in the same fashion. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
So, I invite you to come and worship with your church family at Luther Memorial this Sunday. Come and let the Word and Sacrament nourish your body and spirit so that you might be strengthened to love and serve. Come and connect with those who love and care for you.
See you soon!
Christopher Drummond
Organist
|