Dear St. John’s friends and family,
Through St. Benedict’s Rule of Life, we learn that we should treat every person as we meet Christ. And that all that we do for a stranger, we do for Christ. This challenges us to greet everyone with joy and an open heart. This is dangerous territory. How do we do this without getting hurt? There isn’t. Pain is a part of our human experience in this world. In fact, we are called to share in each other’s pain and grief. We are to share in sorrow. Most of the time, we don’t want to do this. We don’t want to even acknowledge our own pain, much less someone else’s. We’ll walk along from the grief stricken when it is someone we know and love, but what about a stranger? Will we stop and truly listen with our heart and let their pain pierce us? Will we allow ourselves to truly care for the stranger?
We are called to love and be a compassionate people, representing Christ’s love in a hurting world. We’ll continue to explore what that means today. You can find the bulletin at https://stjohnsumctc.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/9-26-21-Worship-Bulletin.pdf.
In this moment, may our hearts be open to God’s presence. This moment is a gift as we become aware of God’s love for us and for the stranger. In God’s presence, may we find courage to encounter the stranger.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Stephanie
Click this link to view the YouTube worship service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HAdVZVR7hs