This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope and pray this e-Messenger finds you well. I found myself reflecting a lot about last Sunday. Denise and I had family coming into town, so Saturday was for us, a cleaning day. You all know the deal! After a birthday dinner with friends, we settled in for the night. The next day was a whirlwind. A smaller than usual 8 AM service, and a larger than usual 10:30 AM service that included young Ben's baptism. It was amazing!

During that service, word came to the church that a parishioner's health was failing, and so as soon as I could following the 10:30 AM service, I made my way to her house. We prayed, we shared an anointing, we talked about the baptism–Lib loves kids–and then we said goodbye knowing that we were and are on God's time.

One family celebrating, and another preparing for a final goodbye, with a 5 PM service still to come. The day was a great reflection of the complexities of life.

Church is a community. Together we celebrate highs and lows, ups and downs, and everything in between. At now nearly 900 members, St. Martin's often has people celebrating the highs of new life while at the same time, others are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

These peaks and valleys are part of the reason why community worship is so important. Together we pray "thy will be done" while standing in faith, support, and love with our siblings in Christ. This makes good and holy worship both a reflection of our relationship with God and also one of the ways we love our neighbor as ourselves. Your greeting of "peace" may be the nicest thing a person hears all week. In many ways "peace" is another way of saying "I love you," something, I dare say, we could all hear a little more.

There are too many ups and downs and side to sides in this life to navigate them alone. The good news is, we don't have to. Your worshiping family cares. Friends await you.

In Christ,

Mitch