STEWARDSHIP DEDICATION IS THIS SUNDAY!!

 

We will dedicate our Estimate of Giving cards and Time and Talent Sheets during worship this Sunday.  Giving of your whole self through your finances and time is a spiritual exercise for all of us, individually and collectively. The Estimate of Giving card is just that – an estimate.  It acknowledges a financial commitment to God and enables the congregation to plan the mission and ministry of the congregation in the upcoming year.

 

The Time & Talent sheet tells us your ministry interests for the upcoming year.  PCLT committee chairs are committed to responding to your requests.  We promise to be in touch!

 

Please prayerfully consider how you will fill out these forms.  Then bring your time, talent, and treasure estimates with you on Sunday morning.  We will have extras in the narthex in case you forget.

 

Dear Saints,

 

I pray you all are doing OK on this post-election Wednesday.  It has been a different and difficult election season.  I know some of you woke up this morning excited about last night’s results. I know some of you woke up this morning with a heavy feeling in your heart and spirit.  It would have been this way no matter who won last night.

 

We will all need to work through the realization of yesterday’s election in various ways.  For those of you who are celebrating, celebrate, but also please remember your friends and family who feel differently.  For those of you who are angry, be angry. For those of you who need to cry, cry. For those of you who need to grieve and mourn, grieve and mourn.  We will all experience this news in different ways, and some of us are feeling more wounded then others.  Let’s be gentle with each other.

 

And please be gentle with yourselves.  Over the next few days, take time from your work and daily routine to care for yourself – take some deep breaths, read a poem or prayer, take a long walk.  If anyone would like to visit in person or over the phone, I’m here!  Feel free to call me at 512-228-6565.

 

Remember our messages from Sunday:  God is still in control.  We are children of the resurrection; and resurrection is about the faithfulness of God who will never ever abandon God’s good creation.  Whatever dies will be reborn.  Whatever fails will be rebuilt.  Whatever hurts, will be healed.  Whatever causes despair will be overcome with joy.

 

Love is, always has been, always will be the answer my friends.  We were siblings in Christ yesterday; we are siblings in Christ today; we will be siblings in Christ tomorrow.

 

With so much love,

Laura

 

 

On this day after, I invite you to take some time with this poem from Walter Brueggemann’s Prayers from a Privileged People.

 

Post-Election Day

 

You creator God

who has ordered us

in families and communities,

in clans and tribes,

in states and nations.

 

You creator God

Who enact your governance

in ways overt and

in ways hidden.

You exercise your will for

peace and for justice and for freedom.

 

We give you thanks for the peaceable order of

our nation and for the chance of choosing –

all the manipulative money notwithstanding.

 

We now pray for new governance

that your will and purpose may prevail,

that our leaders may have a sense

of justice and goodness,

that we as citizens may care about the

public face of your purpose.

 

We pray in the name of Jesus who was executed by the authorities.  Amen.