Welcome to May and the potential the new month brings. Today is grand and beautiful in Chuckatuck, even though the lawn folks were out earlier this week and cut most of the butter cups down. But the new seedlings have budded and one has put out leaves – there are signs of new life on the church grounds. We pray you are well and lift those special people in our midst who are on the front lines of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the disruption of the virus, we still gather as best we can for worship and a periodic Virtual Coffee Hour. It is nice to see and hear folks at Coffee Hour – wish more could join us.
In worship today there was the theme of the shepherd. We heard the 23rd Psalm and John’s gospel where Jesus declares that he is the gate and the shepherd – the one who leads the chosen flock in safety. But, the other two readings today spoke to the age-old process of what defines our community of believers. The first Epistle from Peter reminds believers that they have a response based on being part of the Christian community and that response should be reflective of their participation in the Christian community that resides in the secular community. In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is helping the 1st century Christians define what they do that sets them apart from the other believers. There are traits he offers in his sermon and, not surprisingly, we may need to consider the lead of Peter – and answer the question implied, “What does it mean to be a community of God [without being in proximity to each other]?”
I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
Video from May 3, 2020: https://youtu.be/jopQqRGx3x8
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