Walk in Love: Stewardship of Creation
In last week's e-news I shared why I always use the verse "Walk in love..." as my offertory sentence.
“Walk in love…” is in my neural pathways. If I say or think those three words the rest of the offertory sentence flows with little conscious effort. It is almost pre-linguistic: a reflex, perhaps even rote. That's what some people say about liturgy often repeated: it means nothing as we repeat words robotically. But I don’t think that is the case. I think that our liturgy and this phrase Walk in love has been written into my brain so deeply that it's part of me.
“Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God.”
My walk in life is meant to imitate Christ’s walk. My walk should emulate his self offering. My walk is a reminder that everything I have and am comes from God, and living life with that attitude reminds me that I should walk through life as though it is a gift, not a possession.
I know this most when I go for long walks along the Brandywine or hike with our Holy Hikers. The first 10 minutes of any walk my mind is often busy, overfull with the stresses of the day and concerns for those I know and love. But at some point I hear a bird, or see the sun glinting off the water as it flows by and... something shifts, I slow down, breathe deeper, take notice of the world around me. My mind stills, and my walk becomes one of love. This is the moment I'm flooded with gratitude. This is the moment I become generous.
Peace and blessings,
Rev Jill
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