The grace and peace of the living Christ is certainly with us.
How incredibly blessed I feel to be the pastor of a church who can
present a balanced budget for 2 years in a row, and that ended 2008
with $6,000 to carry over into 2009. In these troubling economic times,
this one little light on a hill has something to talk about. I think
you may not have heard this good news enough because we may think we’ll
“jinx” it! Trust me on this one – you might think you’re able to jinx
the Huskies, but you cannot jinx God! Just over a year ago, we were
faced with the possibility of a $40,000 deficit. We had to face some
grim budgeting choices. The Finance Ministry along with some faithful
members interested in this church’s finances strove diligently to put
us on track. Do you remember the last time a plea for cash came during
worship? It hasn’t happened since 2007. Sing Hallelujah! We paid every
bill on time every month in 2008, including our apportionments – without
solicitation for additional funds. All this, and the Trustees were able
to go to the General Fund to ask for the needed funds to install a new
oil burner (which will keep our oil expenses down AND helps us leave
a smaller ecological footprint on the planet).
Why am I bothering to put this in writing? Things like this don’t happen
just because we’re being better budget-minded Christians. Things as
big as this happen because the hand of God is alive. I can try to explain
the financial solvency on paper, but it still doesn’t all come out right.
What is happening in our country is also happening in our church. Most
of us have thinner wallets right now. So how can we explain this? I
firmly believe that this kind of miracle can only be God at work.
We are about to enter the season of Lent - a time to turn toward God
& to listen to the still, small voice that wants us to become the
very essence of divinity that all too often hides inside of us. It is
the time to be a light on the hill. It is the time to let our collective
lights shine & to tell the story of a very living God. It is our
church’s stories that can give others hope because it is a story about
God.
I am reading the book, Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy.
This book tells the story of the Nickel Mines tragedy on October 2,
2006. You may remember that five Amish girls died & five girls were
critically wounded in this schoolhouse hostage shooting in a quiet Pennsylvania
community. You may also remember this story of the Amish people shining
a light on forgiveness that should change the world forever. There is
one sentence from this book on page 52 that I am trying to write on
my heart right now:
We’re supposed to be a light to the world, but we’re not supposed to
say, “See what I am doing’…
It’s important that we put the honor where the honor belongs [to God].
The world is indeed changing whether we want it to our not. Let us
endeavor together to change in Christ’s Way, with the hand of God moving
us spiritually into a future where we can accept God’s grace (perhaps
the hardest task of all - that’s why we do a little bit of Easter every
Sunday even during Lent); where we can respond to that grace in faith-filled
acts of love.
You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.
God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public
as a city on a hill.
If I make you lightbearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under
a bucket, do you?
I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop,
on a lightstand – shine!
Keep open house; be generous with your lives.
By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this
generous Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:14-16, The Message)
See you in church,
Pastor Karen