What a beautiful worship service last Sunday, lifting up the sacredness and preciousness of water in our bodies and on this planet, our deep interdependence upon it, and the infinite lessons it teaches us about movement and change and going with the flow in our lives.
Speaking of change and movement, this week our focus turns to the theme of the Reformation. Rev Sheryl Johnson will be preaching, drawing from her life experiences and her studies in her PHD program at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious aspects were supplemented by ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church. To learn more about the UCC’s reformation roots, read here.
Rather than consider the reformation a one- time dramatic event that took place hundreds of years ago, we within the UCC perceive the reformation as an ongoing, life-giving process, one that Jesus was committed to, and one that we are committed to as well. God is still speaking!
I’d like to share with you a timely prayer, adapted from the Prayers of Martin Luther:
Waken our hearts, O Lord, our God;
make them ever watchful to serve You and Your purposes.
Trouble us with the smallness of our vision and work.
Trouble us with the greatness of Your command to make disciples of all nations.
Trouble us with Your great love for sinners and our own slowness to make You our greatest love.
Trouble us with the brevity of our lives and time, talent, and treasure not invested in eternity.
Comfort us by drawing us to Yourself with the cords of Your
unfailing mercy.Comfort us, O Lord, with the assurance of our salvation and
unending glory with You when we suffer and are afflicted.Rekindle in us a renewed desire
for the coming of Your glorious kingdom
when all wrongs will be made right,
when everything that is broken will be made whole,
and when we will trade a cross for a crown.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Pastor Laurie will be away at a spirituality intensive retreat and returning on Monday.
