| A few weeks ago, I attended the annual meeting of the conference that I belong to as a Methodist minister.Ā In four days, our conference conducted business, reviewed ministries, ordained new ministers, celebrated those retiring, and worshipped together.Ā What made this annual conference special was that this was the first time our conference hadĀ been able to hold all of it in a live format due to Covid.Ā This year was especially meaningful for me.Ā Emotionally, it was more than I expected.Ā Iāve been to countless worship services, business sessions, and gatherings – so many that I donāt think I could count them (all); but, after a three-year hiatus, each event has beenĀ simply more meaningful. Ā The most meaningful event was the memorial service where our conference remembered those who have died from one conference year to the next.Ā Previously, due to my age, I seldom had a connection with those remembered that had gone before us. The ministers being remembered had retired long before I entered the ministry, so I never knew them; however, that is not the case anymore.Ā As I sat in the pew, I could recall faces, stories, andĀ shared events of friends and colleagues that are now no longer with us.Ā It was sobering and emotional. Ā It has been my experience that in times like this, the liturgy of the church can be a foundation.Ā The written prayers that have sustained the test of time, spoken by the faithful throughout the years, were more than just words we prayed during the service.Ā They were a connection to those now celebrated.Ā Though I hope it is years from now, those after me will pray those same prayers when my path is finished.Ā Iām grateful for the great cloud of witnesses that completed their journeys and now rest from their labors.Ā Iām grateful that we are still connected in the mystical union that exists for all those who are in Christ.Ā Iām comforted by this connection.Ā Ā I hope you are as well.Ā You donāt have to be in a memorial service to acknowledge this connection.Ā We are connected through the bonds of Christ.Ā However, worship does help, as does the liturgy: Ā āAs we gather in this holy place, we feel Godās flowing Spirit raising our eyes towards heaven.Ā We feel the eternal light of the Holy One lifting the shadow of death.Ā We feel the fellowship of the living echoing the friendship of those gone from this world.Ā We come to the Author of Life, the lover of our souls, secure in our Lordās great faithfulness and the hope that rings triumphant over the silence of the tomb.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā O God of both the living and the dead, we praise your holy name for all your servants who have faithfully lived and died.Ā We thank you for the sacred ties that bind us to each other and to those who now encompass us in the great cloud of witnesses.Ā We pray that encouraged by their example, and strengthened by their fellowship, we may be diligent followers sustained in prayer, worship, witness, and service by your great faithfulness. Amen.ā Ā  This Week’s Readings: *Monday – Matthew 23 *Tuesday – Matthew 24 *Wednesday- Matthew 25 *Thursday – Matthew 26 *Friday- Matthew 27 Prayer Requests: *Children’s safety as they participate in summer activities.Ā *An immediate end to the crisis in Ukraine. *Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not. *Comfort those who are grieving and in distress. *Wisdom for our leaders as they navigate through uncertain times. *Guidance for those seeking to find their way. *Continued Growth Inside and Outside the Walls of St. Paul UMC. |
| āDonāt worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.ā – Philippians 4:6 |