Saving the Moment - November 17
Today’s Readings - Psalm 89:1-18; 1 Macc. 3:1-24; Rev. 20:7-15; Matt. 17:1-13
There are times in our lives when we’re overwhelmed with a sense of the divine. A sense of God’s presence that grabs us by the back of our neck and shakes us. It’s not often but when it happens it’s undeniably the Holy Spirit shaking us awake. I hate to admit that I’m not always in the mood for God to come visiting. Sometimes, I just want to be left alone, to get my work done, to be left stewing in my own complaints of the day, my own misgivings about the state of the world and my own sometimes shaky faith. But those times when I’m open to it, when I embrace it for all it’s worth it’s absolutely glorious and I catch myself wishing I could capture the feeling somehow so that I could revisit it whenever life seems to be less than what I wish it could be.
Yesterday morning at church was one of those moments. The choir’s offertory anthem was beyond words gorgeous. I couldn’t help but smile as I sat in the sanctuary listening to the beautiful voices and notes that a composer had so artfully arranged.
Other moments have been the past couple of Sundays, when I’ve seen the generous response by the Saint Stephen’s members to our request for non-perishable food items to donate to local food pantries. We’ve chosen to donate the collections to our parish partner, Christ Church, Fairfield. They’ve seen an alarming increase in the number of people their food pantry serves. The response to our collections has been nothing short of amazing. Those who have brought food have been more than generous. It is on these days when I take stock of the generosity of our parishioners that I’m caught up in a sense of the divine. Each time I call the deacon at Christ Church to tell her I have more food for her, she expresses sincere gratitude for our generosity – your generosity - and she tells me about the numbers of people who will have a meal because of your contributions.
In this morning’s gospel, Peter clearly has his heart in the right place. Like us, he simply wants to hang on to this amazing moment that he has experienced while on the mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. He still doesn’t understand Jesus’ mission. Jesus has more work to do, and as much as it would please the disciples, he’s not going to play it safe. Jesus knows he can’t turn away from his destiny, the path he will take towards the cross has already been chosen.
As the season of Advent approaches, take notice of the ways you and your family can be helpful in our community. We still have work to do. There are so many needs, and no better way to prepare for the coming of the Messiah than giving of your time and treasure out of gratitude for the gift of the Christ child. Sunday, November 23rd there will be an Advent festival in the parish hall during the Educational Forum at 10:15. The focus will be all the ways we can “Bring Advent Home.” Make plans to come get ideas, pickup an Advent wreath kit and enjoy some time together.
Faithfully,
Sally+
Questions for Reflection and Challenge - What are some ways you can help out in your neighborhood, or in the city? Why not invite some friends to join you, more hands make lighter work and you will make a bigger impact.