I am so grateful for the words of thanks you offered on Sunday for Pastor Appreciation Day. The flowers, the gift cards, the notes from the children, and your kind words made my day! It is an honor to serve alongside-side you each week, and I look forward to more years of ministry together. It is a joy to be your pastor!
Many of you have commented on the sermon from this past Sunday. Thank you for your thoughtful words and for those of you who have continued to dialogue by email, text, and one-on-one. I am so glad that God spoke to you through it. I’d like to share one more reflection on the subject from a website that I engage with often, RevGalBlogPals. This past week, pastor and regular contributor, Rachel Hackenberg, wrote a prayer on the topic of Lament. I pray it will speak to you as it did me.
Sunday Prayer: Lament
Answer us, we dare pray,
O God of our groaning.
Reclaim what has been cast away,
O God of our weariness.
Seek out the pieces of our hearts,
lest they be scattered by the wind.
In your goodness, let there be a light
to keep us company as we cry.
In your mercy, let there be a hope
to draw water for our dry spirits.
In your love, let there be a word
to whisper us back into life.
Until the days of our delight
outweigh the days of our distress;
Until the season of evil
fades in the eternity of justice;
Until our tongues are loosed
from the dust of death.
Let there be a light,
let there be a hope,
let there be a word.
Amen.
-Pastor Jane