Dear Glen Mar friends,
One of you gave me a little vase of dahlias from your yard this week, a burst of color, breathtaking in audacious joy. The giver said, “When I went to bed last night, the dahlias were not all that much to look at, but this morning, all of a sudden, “Pow!” And all week, as I have enjoyed them, I have thought about that. Thought about how God breaks forth, often out of circumstances that don’t look all that promising and then “Pow!” Color! New Life! Faith, hope and joy and love!
Sometimes in our life together, we can get a little accustomed to the grays of life—another day at the office, another school year, another Bible study, another Jewels for Hope/Journey to Bethlehem/stewardship time…and all the while, God is sending forth blossoms of color and hope and possibility…all the while, God is present and giving gifts to God’s people. I pray that we would always be open to those movements of the Spirit amongst us, and that we would always welcome those bursts of color, those evidences of Jesus’ touch, in our midst.
I want to encourage us all to re-engage this fall with those practices of the faith that we may have thought we were “used to,” like prayer, scripture study, Holy Communion, Christian fellowship, hospitality and generosity. One great way to “jump start” your growing season is through Disciple Bible Study…and Pastor Gayle will be facilitating some Disciple 1 Classes this fall! Contact Gayle or Mandy for more info!
The Holy Spirit is always working, always bringing forth new life, if we have eyes to see it and if we will take the risk to be a part of it. As scripture reminds us, God’s word to a people in exile is, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19.
The Holy Spirit makes new life burst forth in wilderness spaces—for you, for me, for the church. It’ll take your breath with joy and holy surprise. Like a vase of dahlias on a cool September morning. Just when you least expect it….pow!
Pastor Mandy
