October 2008 Message from the Pastor

Thanksliving

By now, I hope most of you are practicing a more disciplined devotional life. We have encouraged you all year to use the devotional resources we make available to you electronically or in printed form. We’ve asked you to pray more and meditate and seek “the peace of God which passes all understanding.” Our NCD team is asking you now to be more intentionally thankful for God’s graces and to share your thankfulness on the papered windows in the Narthex. Together we want to count and paint our blessings.

Indeed, thanksgiving is about spirituality. It’s about an attitude that binds us to God as we recognize God’s goodness and mercy. And it’s about how we live each day, living hopefully, looking for the bright signs that God forgives, accepts, and empowers us even when we face life’s hard challenges.

It is possible, I believe, to live thankfully in even the worst of times because we don’t live only in the present. The children of Israel, we remember, often lived under the hand of oppressors, but could still look back to a time of greater prosperity and could believe the promise that God would restore peace and prosperity again. And the early Christians, who faced persecution, looked to Christ’s resurrection as a powerful motivator to live with the belief that even death is not fatal.

I have a habit of starting my day by looking at the newspaper or, if I head off to the Y, watching CNN or other news stations. The “news” is often depressing or even tragic. But the other news of the day is that I’m alive, usually feeling healthy, able to enjoy the beauty in the world around me, nourished by some good cereal and fruit and hopeful that it will be a good day at work. I know not everyone will be thankful today and tragedy might strike close to home for me, too. But my thankfulness helps me to remember that God is constantly re-creating new days. While a part of me is thankful that I am not in some newsworthy tragedy, I am more mindful that God’s plan is for all to be blessed. And if tragedy strikes, my duty is to pray for victims, pray for healing and work to be God’s agent of hope.

Our spirituality reminds us daily that God is at work loving us and the creation and hope will springs eternal. For that we can be truly thankful.


Pastor Jim Friedrich