Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ Amen
How many of you remember the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? All of you I am sure. Sleepy, Doc, Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy and Happy. Their personalities actually are more com-plex than their names would indicate. So why am I writing something about the Seven Dwarfs? First to inject a little humor and because this week I decided we needed a special “hymn” as we go about our minis-try via zooming…..so here it is: “Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho…it’s off to Zoom we go!” grin—I hope.
But another topic, which is a bit more serious and is so close to my heart, is our relationship with
Jesus through prayer. Prayer is a conversation be-tween two people who love each other. How about we start a “Prayerful Gratitude Campaign” as we head into the summer months?
It will go like this:
- Every virtual meeting, be it a Bible Study, a committee meeting or any other gathering, we will talk about the power of gratitude and share something that you are grateful for. It can be anything as simple as the local family run ice cream shop has opened!!! Yeah. Everyone will share.
- Then I suggest that each of us start a “gratitude list” of things for which we can thank God. Keep it anywhere that works for you— for me that is a notebook by my bed. For you, it might be on your computer.
- Here comes the important part:
- I would encourage you to pray over the list every morning and every night by going slowly through it, saying “I thank you God, for ____and meditating on that blessing. If new blessings come to mind, you can add them to the list.
- When we gather virtually—no matter the reason—let’s share what a difference the “Prayerful Gratitude Campaign” is making in your lives.
My dear brothers and sisters of St. Matthew, I want each of you to know how thankful I am for each of you. Your presence and prayers uplift me each and everyday. If I had to go through COVID-19 with any congre-gation of my choice—it would be St. Matthew. I thank you for your faithful generosity to the mission of St. Matthew. Ministry truly continues albeit a bit differently. Come and join in Zooming opportunities and if you have an idea for a Zoom group, please let me or Deacon Bill know so we can help facilitate it. We are not the only ones to lead groups!!
I look forward to “seeing” you in worship on Sunday.
In Christ,
Pastor Peggy Marks