#PsalmOfTheDay: Psalm 30

Please share your reflections in the comment section:

Psalm 30

1 

I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.

    You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.

2 

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,

    and you restored my health.

3 

You brought me up from the grave,[a] O Lord.

    You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

4 

Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!

    Praise his holy name.

5 

For his anger lasts only a moment,

    but his favor lasts a lifetime!

Weeping may last through the night,

    but joy comes with the morning.

6 

When I was prosperous, I said,

    “Nothing can stop me now!”

7 

Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.

    Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

8 

I cried out to you, O Lord.

    I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,

9 

“What will you gain if I die,

    if I sink into the grave?

Can my dust praise you?

    Can it tell of your faithfulness?

10 

Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.

    Help me, O Lord.”

11 

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

12 

that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.

    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

#ThursdayThoughts: #Survival, #Sanity, #Attention #Delight

From “The Artist’s Way,” by Julia Cameron

“Survival lies in sanity, and sanity lies in paying attention…The quality of life, is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight.” Julia Cameron

As we weather these days ahead, days of uncertainty, let us pay attention and enjoy the moments that uplift us. Sharing our gifts of noticing, and nurturing. Listen to the birds beginning their morning discourse before the sun has even created the horizon. Listen to the sounds of children tumbling out of bed. Listen to the beat of your own heart. Here for a reason.

Delight in the gifts we are given.

Black capped chickadee

New Plan for Sunday 3/15

Two-pronged approach being tried out.

We will have the church open Sunday for those who want to gather as usual to
worship together and support our community in-person;  Gloria Toot will lead
a multi-generational informal Sunday program, “Thirsting”, based on John
4:5-42, and in our tradition to thirst means desiring to know the truth.

This will be held in the fellowship hall where we can spread out and observe
some good-health practices (#social distancing).  As an experiment, Pete Toot is preparing a worship guide using a traditional service format which also draws on some lessons from the Gospel of John.

It explores how we can understand how God relates to us in ways that we can recognize even when they are not obvious.

This guide will be made available to all church members as a handout and
email.

 

General hygiene guidelines for church service via Council of Ministers:

A few suggestions: sit 5-6 feet apart from each other, put your name on a hymnal and use the same one each week, greet others with an elbow bump or a bow and a ‘Namaste’, use only individually wrapped items for coffee hour snacks, and of course if you sneeze or cough, use your elbow and dispose of any used tissues immediately, and go wash your hands!