Thursday, May 31, 2012

Returning to God


I was part of a conversation with friends last week about the challenge of staying connected to God on a regular basis and how hard it is to get back with God when we've been away.

Most of us agreed that our lives seem to be better when we're paying attention to God, saying our prayers, coming to church and trying to be open to God. Somehow, our problems aren't so big; our lives run a little bit smoother; and it's easy to pray. We talk to God like talking to a friend and can ask God for help and guidance for anything.

We all agreed that when we are in a season when we forget to pray, skip church for all kinds of reasons, and forget that God is even there, then when some challenge comes our way, we are afraid to ask God for help. It could be a loss of confidence, a loss of a job or the loss of a loved one and it's just so hard and humbling to come back.

Well the good news is that God is always ready for us to come back, especially when we are wearied or burdened by the changes that life gives us. Jesus invites us back and promises that when we come back, when we seek God, He is always ready and willing to renew our lives and our relationship with Him.

So go to Him now. Whether it's been a long time or just yesterday morning, God is looking forward to us opening our lives to Him and leading us down a path of life that is fuller and greater with Him than without Him.

Oh, and I'll see you in church.

Grace and Peace,
WFA

Thursday, May 24, 2012

A Higher Calling


I hope you are looking forward to what the upcoming long weekend. Due to a previous commitment, it's not going to be a break for me, but that's more than okay because the church year and the calendar have conspired to place the celebration of Pentecost on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

In other words I'll be in church on Sunday to honor the high calling God has placed on all of our lives. Also, I will be at the Radnor Memorial Day Parade on Monday giving the invocation and giving thanks for the high calling of those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

This is a pretty big weekend for remembering that God has a higher calling in mind for our lives. God has given us gifts and abilities, resources and hearts that can beat stronger if we take up our lives and live them for others - and sometimes give them up on behalf of others.

You see, our lives are meant to be lived at the highest level. God didn't put us here in His creation to merely pay attention to our self-interests alone or for mere comfort and enjoyment. Those are part of our lives and good ones for sure, but like a vacation or some "toys" we may enjoy, they are meant to be a small part of our lives. The majority or core of our lives is meant for service, for serving the interests of God and other people, for being all that we can be for the good of God's world. And if we will live for others and use who we are and what we have beyond ourselves, then the Spirit will make our hearts beat stronger and give us meaning and real purpose in
our lives.

So wherever you find yourself on Sunday (in church I hope) and on Monday (saluting the flag and remembering those who have died for our freedoms), say a little prayer to ask God to lead you to a higher calling and then live it.

Grace and Peace,
WFA

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Run the Race


Summer vacation is fast approaching. It is always good to get a little rest and relaxation in the midst of the lives God is calling us to live, so that we can run better.

I have had the occasion the last few days to ponder the race each of us is running and the lives we are living because I attended the funeral of a priest who lived to be over a hundred. Now, that's a pretty good span of life by most people's standards, but it wasn't the length of his life that caught me, but the fact that through all the phases and changes and chances of his life, this person continued to live. He fought the good fight. He kept running. He took on the next part of his life with passion and daring and grace and confidence. And he was able to keep "running" (even when walking became a physical challenge) because he held a deep trust in God and knew that he never ran alone. God was with him every step of the way and you could see it as people talked about his life, as though it was some great story or competition that he had won.

That's good news for those of us who sometimes find ourselves slogging along, inching along in the lives we're living. It's good news because it promises that we will have the strength to keep going. It's also good news for those of us who find ourselves in a good place in our lives because this same God is the One who brought us to this point.

I like to think that in whatever I am doing God is somehow involved. God has brought me to this particular point in the course of my life and so I can press on with a deep sense of confidence and hope. And if I have made a wrong turn or find myself in some of the rockier climes of life, I can hold onto the hope that I am not going it alone.

So run your race! Take a deep breath of the Spirit and press on. Open your heart to God's presence and power and grace and run.

Grace and Peace,
WFA

Thursday, May 10, 2012

God Calling


Spring is a good time to enjoy the wonder of nature and all of God's gifts with the beauty and the promise of new growth, as well as a time to take a moment and count our blessings and notice God's grace and love in our lives.

Take a moment and count the many ways God has blessed your life. Remember that God is calling you and me to use these gifts to love Him and to love others with all that He has given us. For the gifts that God gives are never for our enjoyment only, but to empower us to make a difference in the world. It is a calling that we hear in different ways at different times in our lives. Whether we are just starting out, raising young children, in the "prime" of our careers, or when our lives have slowed a bit, God is calling. If we hear God's call then we will see His blessings and His directive to continue to use our gifts to both better our life and better the lives of others.

This spring God is calling you and me to answer Him in a specific way and it's coming from our fellow parishioners. We are in the midst of an important capital campaign that has been three years in the making. We want to make St. David's a better place to share in our ministries and raise up the people of God. I am hearing that many of us are not answering God's call, much less the call of our fellow parishioners, who are talking about the plans and asking us to share our gifts. Please be gracious and hear the call. Give of your time to consider how you can be of help to our ongoing mission and ministry so we can help current and future generations of Christians seek God at St. David's Church. It's never easy to ask someone for money, much less give our money away, but that is part of God's calling on our lives today at St. David's.

So please take a moment and count your blessings. Then listen for God calling you to make a difference at St. David's and for the life of the world.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Solid Ground


I to take a moment to thank all of you who have made this such a tremendous year for St. David's and our mission and ministry. Both the parish and our staff have all given of their time and talent and treasure to seek after God and to make God known to others. So, on behalf of God, I thank you.

It's raining as I write this week's message and though I enjoy rain, I am reminded that not all of our days are filled with that deep sense of thanksgiving and goodness for the many blessings of our lives. Sometimes our lives are hard. Sometimes there are dead ends that challenge us to our very cores. Sometimes there are tears and real sadness. And sometimes life simply overwhelms us and we feel as though we are up to our waists in mud and muck.

Like many of you, I know I feel that way, probably more than I would admit and certainly more than I reveal. For good or ill, it's not usually acceptable to show our sadness to others or when we're going through difficulties. We hope and expect that those moments or seasons will pass quickly and we can return to our sunny selves.

Thankfully, as with all our lives with God, we are not alone. God is with us in the mud and the muck. God is with us in the sadness and the struggles we face. God is always with us to empower, encourage and lift us up onto solid ground.

As people of God, we may live each day in hope and confidence, whatever we may be feeling or facing, because God is with us and is always moving us to solid ground.

Grace and Peace,
WFA