Weekly Reflection, Sunday, September 2, 2018
By: Bob Hetherington
It is time to lean into the patterned ways of fall. Summer is over and it is time to get back to business. This includes paying attention to God’s spirit in our lives. The words of fall are discipline, investment, and spiritual growth.
Discipline – we need to create space for God’s spirit to work in our lives. What are the spiritual practices which will help you draw closer to God? On Sunday morning, we ask people to commit two hours for their spiritual development: one hour for worship and a second hour for education and spiritual reflection – attend the 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. worship services and come to the 10 a.m. Christian education/ forum time. Your Christian faith becomes stronger when you give time and energy to developing it. The leadership of St. Mary’s can serve you best when Sunday morning participation is part of your personal discipline. We wanted to strengthen the inner journey for people who come so that each person can do good work out in the larger community.
Investment – we are talking about going deeper. The challenges of our day require that we develop inner resources of compassion and love. In our world today there is so much which divides and separates people from each other. There is another way. Jesus is the ambassador for compassion and love. We need to invest our time and energy so that our hearts are open to new people and new experiences.
Spiritual Growth – we need spiritual resources so we can lean into life in creative ways. Jesus said, “he who would save his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake will save it.” At the higher spiritual levels “saving” comes out of “losing.” Jesus invites us to a life of generosity and sacrifice. Our gathering together on Sunday morning strengthens us to bring more peace and justice to this world. The mission of the Episcopal Church is to, “restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” It is a high calling and we need to keep working at it.
The process begins by “showing up.” So join us as we move into the patterned ways of fall. Discover the new things God wants you to know and where God wants you to go.