The Pastor's Corner for November 2017

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you!  Diana, Will and I want to thank the congregation for the thoughts, prayers, gifts and cards we received when our daughter tragically lost her life.  Your out pouring of love was overwhelming and we hold all that you did for us precious in our hearts  You have helped make this journey we have been on more comforting and by your faith more assuring that the God of love is also the God of life  You have truly come to our aid by surrounding us with your love in Christ Jesus and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

Rev. Dennis, Diana and Will Hopes  

​November 2017 Newsletter:

According to the weatherman the big freeze is coming this weekend (12/28 & 29) and even though I don’t like the implications it presents.  Like winter is coming.  The cold will definitely have a positive effect for me as I say goodbye to mosquitos and those pesky little black fleas that I call pirate fleas or no see’ums.  I don’t know if these tiny black fleas bite, pinch or sting but for such a little creature they know how to get your attention!  

This year we have been inundated with both mosquitos and fleas.  Which leads me to the thought why did Noah even take these two creatures on the ark?  Or, oh God what was the purpose for you creating these two bugs because I can only rationalize that they were put on this earth to annoy humankind along with some other creatures that I don’t want to take the time to mention?

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it is a time where we show our gratitude for the many blessings that God has given us.  No matter who you are there is a blessing!  The blessings begin with the fact that you are given a day, you woke up or you had breakfast, lunch and dinner.  My dad used to tell me I am lucky kid because I got three good meals, clothes on my butt and a roof over my head.  Never really appreciated my dad’s wisdom until, because of my own folly the things I once took for granted became a struggle to provide in my daily life.

Thanksgiving is a time of celebration and a time of joy but not for all as daily struggles, disabilities and tragedy have struck many in our country to cloud and block the vision of better days ahead.  The struggle sometimes becomes just too hard and hope becomes a delusional optimism that those in need can’t allow themselves the luxury of having.  Hope, a way out is what they need, and our hope is always in Jesus and those who are willing to witness to that hope it never fails to give someone else an opportunity for a better day.  Our yes to Jesus is also a yes to making a difference in someone else’s life.

My annoyance with certain bugs will end this weekend and I will not have to combat their annoyance in my life until next April or May, hopefully.  Besides the issues I have already mentioned we are still dealing with issues of poverty, racism and inequality of all kinds that are continuing in our country and the victims aren’t given a winter to find reprieve from their challenges.  So, in this time of celebration let’s make a special effort to share our abundance with someone else.
 
We have a hat and glove box in the church foyer.  We just finished making kits for ingathering.  We got monthly mission goals to not only give to the world but to our local community.  We contribute to shoe box angels.  We are truly a missional people.  

Let us remember what Jesus did when he walked down the hot and dusty roads of Galilee.  He engaged in humanity no matter what the human condition was.  We, who have picked up our cross to follow Jesus, are called to do what Jesus did and that is to bring love, justice and hope to a people who have been disenfranchised from the world.  Our giving is precious, and I thank all of you for what you do.  However, there is one thing we still have in abundance besides our check books and that is eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to work, and a faith that calls us to do something about the issues of our day.  

A funny thing about those issues is they are unlike the mosquito and the flea where when a cold wind blows we get relief from their annoyance.  But when a cold wind blows against the issues of the day it usually only makes matters worse. 

May God bless your Thanksgiving tables with abundance of love, joy and happiness.   

See you Sunday, 

Rev. Dennis Hopes