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Happy Thursday, Church!
Hey good people of the Community Church of Poway. I hope you are having a great week and that you have made your trip to the “well” to have your cup filled. Thank you, to everyone who worked on and made Sunday’s worship very meaningful. The story of the woman at the well, is so universally known for many different reasons. One of the insights I received from Sunday was that Jesus meets us where we are. It might not be a “well” for us, but we know there are times when Christ shows up, we are not expecting it and His presence makes it all okay. I hope you will join us this week as we continue with our Lenten series,
“Close Encounters of the Jesus Kind.” Rev. Brandon will bring the message this week about Encountering Jesus In the Unexpected. I know you will be blessed by his wisdom and words. It is also New Member Sunday and currently, we are receiving four new members. Maybe you missed the new member information gathering, no worries. If you would like to covenant with this church as your faith community then Sunday can still be your day. Just let me know so I can make plans. Brandon will be preaching using the story of the man born blind—John 9:1-41.
Click the link to get a head start on what promises to be a great day.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John 9%3A1-42&version=NRSVUE
The past few weeks, I have either been leading or attending funeral/memorials. I have to be honest—I get more fulfillment doing memorials than I do weddings. There is something so precious about memorials. They almost have a raw quality to them that taps our emotions in many ways. To hold the space for families who are grieving is a gift I do not take lightly. I was also reminded how precious life is. The priest who presided over Nina Melad’s funeral mass said something that stuck with me. He was sharing about death, grief and tears.
His line—“That’s the deal.” As people we can love deeply and that means that we will grieve even more deeply. “That’s the deal.” To grieve is to love. Tears are proof that God understands, for tears are a language that God understands like no other. As in every memorial I officiate, we recite together The 23rd Psalm. A key verse of this verse 4.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[d]
I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
God walks through the valley of the shadow of death. God never suggests that we stay in the valley. We slowly move out of it, never forgetting, but learning to live in the grace that our walking partner supplies. There is a great deal of grief in our community at this time. I encourage everyone to lift up a prayer for those who are in that valley right now. Know that your church family grieves with you—God grieves with you. Until Sunday, keep your cup filled so you are ready to offer a drink to another. A simple drink of grace can make all the difference. I love being your pastor.
Holding you close and lifting you high!
Pastor Greg
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