Reflections from your Pastor……
Visitor to New York, steps out of a cab and asks a local man, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” To which the local deadpans, “Practice, practice, practice”
Everything that I have ever excelled at, or even become fairly proficient at in my life has been in large part due to practice, practice, practice. I believe that our Christian life is no different with a slight variant. The variant is that we don’t necessarily become “better” at being Christian, but we can grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The result of this relationship, while not always rosy, is a life lived with purpose and intention. A purposeful life finds its anchor in a place that cannot be moved. It is a life that is not (as) susceptible to the changing winds and storms that arise. It is a life that finds peace and contentment, even joy, where others struggle to fill an unknown void. I believe it to be true that our eternal life is in God’s hands and that Jesus came and sacrificed himself for us. However, God grants this new life to us in the here and now, without cost to us. Come and drink without payment, the scripture states. But there is a way that we can participate in this new life, today. There is a way we can live into the incredible blessings which God in God’s mercy has seen generous enough to pour out upon all people. By living our lives in such as to way reflect God’s desire for us, God’s will and plan for our living, we practice our faith. Worship, tithing, volunteering, praying, learning, helping, random acts of kindness, loving, forgiving are all things that we can practice that draw us closer to the heart of Jesus. So I invite you, practice your faith, go deeper, let your anchor be the love of God which surrounds you. And may your practice lead you into the never ending, overwhelming grace of God.