THE PARSON PONDERS
It matters desperately who we think God is.
For some, God is the one who has written the script for our
lives, but not given us a copy. For others, God is the Cosmic
Lord High Executioner waiting eagerly for the right moment
to unleash his vengeance on the world. We all grow, day by
day, little by little, more and more like God as we imagine
God to be. That’s why it matters desperately who we think
God is.
We learn about God from what the Church teaches – but we learn
more from what the Church does, from its way of being in the
world.
St. Francis Church portrays God as open and welcoming, as
enjoying life and people, as patient and tolerant. We paint
a picture of God when we bless animals in October, have a
party on Easter morning, collect supplies for the storm-stricken
Gulf Coast, send money to South Asia for Tsunami relief, and
bring Macon together for racial reconciliation. We paint a
picture of God when we celebrate Communion together each Sunday,
when we chant the music of Taizé, when we pray for our loved
ones on Thursday mornings. We show who God is when we anoint
people with oil for healing, when we pray over graves for
the souls of the departed, when we bless marriages, give thanks
for births, and baptize new Christians.
We stand for an image of God that is true to the orthodox
tradition of merciful saints. We stand for an image of God
that gives people hope and courage to face life’s challenges,
that teaches us ways of compassion, and that fills our souls
with reverence and wonder. We are here to channel grace where
it’s needed most.
Contributing money to sustaining and building up St. Francis
Church is an act of faith and love. It’s a gesture of hope
in a world beset with despair. Your gifts change lives, sometimes
save lives, by showing people a better picture of God. We
need your pledges of support to keep this ministry alive.
It doesn’t matter how small the pledge may be. God blesses
our loaves and fishes to work miracles. Your pledge is an
act of prayer. It represents your heart. Give us your heart
and we’ll fill it with the Spirit of Life and Truth.
Times are hard. We know that. We don’t expect people to pledge
more than they can afford. We only ask what you feel you can
probably do. No more. No pledge is too small for God to bless.
No pledge is too small to give us hope and courage to carry
on God’s work at St. Francis.
The Very Reverend Dan Edwards
To make a financial gift to the ministry of St. Francis,
to pledge ongoing financial support, and/or to receive more
information about how you can be part of the work of St. Francis,
please contact us today by e-mail: francis@stfrancismacon.com
|
