HELLO!

I received this email when I returned home this evening…“It was lovely to see so many people in church this morning and a bunch of new faces.” I confess to some confusion over church attendance. In the summer months Bethe and I both commented how neither of us had ever seen summer services so well attended. That continued into late September. But then…in October attendance was not as robust as it was last October. And then…November has been amazing, lots and lots of people. We had no power out of way last night and into the morning. I went to sleep at 330 am and waited for the power to return so I could shower before church. The power returned 830 am, I engaged a nervous Bethe at 935 am. If you missed it, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sex4sx7NM0g

During the announcements Jerry shared his initiative to create Friends of Ralph buttons (A catchy title!). He and Juanita made them available in the Hall after church, asking for a donation to the Accessibility Fund. They are still available, if you would like one, they are in the office.

In my sermon I referenced Walter Brueggemann’s dividing the 150 Psalms into expressions of Orientation, Disorientation and Reorientation. He believes human beings regularly find ourselves in one of three places:

a place of orientation, in which everything makes sense in our lives;

a place of disorientation, in which we feel we have sunk into the pit; &

a place of reorientation, in which we realize that God has lifted us out of the pit and we are in a new place full of gratitude and awareness.

Using these three “places,” Brueggemann suggests life has a rhythm as we move from one place to the next. This can help us identify psalms that fit our personal lives. They give us resources for the journey of faith.

As I was leaving the church today, I received two messages. 1) With permission, I share that Shawn’s cancer diagnosis has taken a turn for the worse. He requested my presence, I went immediately to be with him, pray with him, remind him how much love surrounds him. I will be visiting with him and his family again tomorrow. 2) Dorothy, our new Usher, asker me to pray for her beloved Nigeria. I assured her we would do this.

Wherever you find yourself today; in a state of orientation, disorientation or reorientation, know you are loved. Love is what matters. Peace, Kevin