Second Church Steps

  Friends, it is a little TOO easy to relate to the familiar Noah’s Ark story of Genesis.   However, teaching it to a multi-aged class this Sunday taught me something new.   Noah put his reminder on the ground where he would be able to touch it and to remember that even a seemingly forever-flood comes to an end.    Faithfulness means remembering that God is with us.   God put a reminder in the sky where we can remember to look up, to look around, and to remember that God’s love cannot be overcome by any kind of flood, fears, or sorrow.   It had not occurred to me, until today, that we need to build a reminder for ourselves, too. Like Noah, we know that these days will seem far away by next year.   However, we need to remember that isolation, fear, and tiredness do not last forever; God has set a promise in the sky.    So, I encourage our families to build a touchstone in your house or garden to remind us that God’s hope floats.  ...

Covenants are important and life giving moments in our lives as Christians.  They are moments of promise and faith.  They are moments of action and attention.  They  are important moments that have a unique beginning. These promises are not chores to check off or dates circled on a calendar; they are holy promises that begin with God.  They all begin with God choosing us and choosing to be in a relationship with us.  In return we are loved, claimed, and wanted.  This gives us the freedom to respond with truth, kindness, caring, and service to others. We learn about truth when we read God's book of hope and good news.  We care for God's people both our friends, neighbors and ourselves by participating in  Sunday School, Choir School, or VBS. We serve others by living as a people of promise. How do we live as  promise people?  We do it by remembering that we are HOLY PROMISE People  and lived the truth that so is our neigh...