Dear Beloved Community at CCSM,
I hope you had a good long weekend and are feeling settled into the rhythms of summer. If you missed last Sunday’s service, there’s still time to go back and watch! Rev. Penny’s sermon really spoke to me as she shared some of her story, and I trust it will move you too.
Looking ahead to this coming Sunday, we are blessed that Rev. Jorge will be preaching about some of his story and the wisdom for us all that comes from it. I always find people’s stories so moving — that’s the case for so many of us. Educators of all stripes strive to teach using stories, advertisers try to sell with a story, there’s a whole trend within sermons called narrative preaching. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that there is any other way — but a lot used to be communicated more through simple statements of fact and argument.
I’m grateful to live in a moment when stories are all around us. They aren’t perfect and don’t necessarily give us a full picture of everything, but they do draw us into relationship. They engage our emotions and lodge in our memories. They help us to be self-reflective and to want to share about ourselves.
That’s some of what I hope this Sunday’s message and the next few weeks’ services will offer for you. A chance to reflect on your own story and the wisdom you have arising from it. To see and understand where we are different and also where our stories intersect. To knit and weave us together into a deeper sense of community with one another and with God, the one who is working in each of our lives.
Blessings on your week — if you feel moved to share anything or want to connect, please know we are here for you!
Peace,
Sheryl
