How Long, O Lord

How Long Ago?
I did not blog after the last Presbytery meeting in Salem. Perhaps I was feeling time and perspective were good things to weigh-in. (Plus, we took some Lenten time off, headed to the Oregon Coast, and worshiped at the beautiful Pioneer Presbyterian Church on the Clatsop Plains in Warrenton. What wonderful, well-respected history, and what warm and welcoming worshipers!)

So, I do feel the Presbytery meeting went well. There were some tough spots, to be sure, and places where I might have moderated more or less, or jumped in differently or more quickly, but over-all, I hope everyone felt respected and their positions heard. We need to be able to continue to hear from one another.

I did come away with the distinct opinion that, now as much as ever, we need each other. When we became Presbyterians, however long ago that was, we did not agree on everything. We probably never will. But in all our errors and diversity, we do reflect the need and diversity of the world. And we are strengthened in our diversity. We can learn from each other, even about ourselves; we are reminded that we are not perfect, that we all need humility, that the ideals of peace and significant mission and our servant call in Christ Jesus, often beyond our comprehension, is more important than the disagreements we can comprehend.

I told our kids in worship last week that, when we give, particularly to One Great Hour of Sharing, we enter into relationship with other people. And God delights in those relationships.
I think that holds true, too, when we give each other the benefit of the doubt.

Spirit, Fall Afresh

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. -- Albert Schweitzer

As you read this, I hope you have been praying for our presbytery and the up-coming meeting in Salem. If you haven't, start now! Yes, presbytery meetings can be a time to re-kindle the spirit about which Schweitzer spoke. We pray that God's Holy Spirit may rest upon us, guiding and empowering us together. We pray that the love of Jesus Christ will unite us, and that we can demonstrate that love to the world, and to each other. We pray that God's Church, in the Presbytery of the Cascades, the PC(U.S.A.), and in your congregation, will be given worthy work to do, that we can participate in God's amazing creative power, and that we may see the Church as a place of hope for a world that today so profoundly needs hope.
Amen?