Deacon Anne Strong

Hello, Sisters and Brothers,

These verses from Luke today portray a God wooing (I love this word) us to a deeper relationship with one another and with God. The God we know in Jesus Christ is a God who is for us, calling us and, yes, wooing us to be co-creators of the world. All existence is interrelational and interdependent. One reason we must pray is to help God shape this world. I believe our spirits meet God’s Holy Spirit in prayer. This communication is deeper than when we use words. Psalm 102 is written by a psalmist whom is baring his soul when he pleas, “Lord, let my cry come to you.”

In the book of Acts Moses visits his blood kin in Israel for the first time. Imagine how Moses felt to witness the divisiveness and hostility of the Israelites…disillusioned? Moses tried to be a peacemaker and said “Men, you are brothers, why do you wrong each other?”

The Body of Christ is woven into our liturgy and prayers. We are not asked to know doctrine, but we are commanded to know God and love one another! We are asked to be open to God’s guidance and surrender ourselves to God. Our Lord’s Prayer is a living creation of unity. It begins not with “my” but “our”; an illustration of our own common identity through Jesus; we are a family.

The Holy Eucharist is communal. WE receive the gift of bread, the tangible witness of God’s presence with us and for us in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Receiving this TOGETHER unites us to God’s will toward inclusive well-being of ALL creation.

Let US ALL go forth in the name of Christ.

Your sister,
Deacon Anne