Reflections
One day last week as the heat index was approaching 250 degrees I was getting the Community Harvest plots ready for our fall planting by pulling weeds out several of the plots that we use for Food Pantry produce. After an hour I was exhausted and sat/ lay down at a picnic table in the shade to recover. There were several children on the other side of the chain link fence engaged in a serious water fight with buckets and hoses, and I became the grateful recipient of an occasional splash of that life giving water. Seeing my almost prone posture, one of my fellow gardeners who had just arrived, observed in a friendly and caustic way, “Looks like you’re ready to do church, Preacher.”
“Not a bad thought,” I responded, and we both laughed.
The more I thought about his comment the more I began to enjoy the image. All too often we think of church as a place we go to “straighten up and fly right.” The Puritan ethic that we all have breathed in for our entire lives roots itself, often unconsciously, deep within us and often tells us that we need to work hard to be good. Church-going is meant to help us in that arduous, moralistic task, we are told.
But my friend’s image is far closer to the truth, I believe. Life, more often than we dare to admit, wears us down, and we are not always interested in moral admonitions to get up and try harder. It’s instructive of that perceived reality of church-going when we find ourselves saying, “I’ve had a hard week, so I think I’ll skip church this week.”
Rather, a truer image of our emotional and spiritual posture in church is that of an exhausted, dehydrated soul who cannot always hold his head up and needs the respite of sitting in the shade of an old oak and being splashed by the divine water that comes is surprising (and often laugh-filled) ways.
There is a wonderful hymn in our Hymnal whose that speaks to what I am trying to say:
“This is the Lord’s house, home of all his people,
School for the faithful, refuge for the sinner,
Rest for the pilgrim, haven for the weary,
All find a welcome.”
(Hymn 51, verse 2)
I think we’ll find a way to sing this one more often.
Other Matters of Interest
Highlights of the Nativity Mission Committee Meeting- August 7, 2023
-Received and approved the very positive financial statement from Nativity’s new
Treasurer, Robbie Fisher;
-Authorized the Junior Warden to proceed with the plans for an accessibility ramp
and get estimates for the painting of 1)the church steeple, and 2) the entire
exterior of the church;
-Noted the need for some gutter repair on the rear of the Salt and Light Building;
-Accepted a recommendation from the Senior Warden that we use Nativity Salt
and Light.org as the domain name for the building’s ministries;
-Adopted the following vision statement to describe the ministry of the Salt and
Light building: “The Salt and Light Building is a ministry of the Episcopal Church
of the Nativity and is seen as a Community Center serving the needs of the people of Water Valley and Yalobusha County. It is a meeting space, a resource
Center and the means by which Nativity Church will endeavor to be a vibrant
source of salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14) for our congregation and for the
wider community.
-Agreed to participate in the Water Valley Art Crawl (October 14) through the use
of the Salt and Light Building;
- Elected Les Nichols Nativity’s delegate and Jan Nichols, alternate delegate, to
the Annual Diocesan Council February 2-4, 2024. At this Council the diocese will
elect its new bishop;
-Authorized the purchase of a $10,000 certificate of deposit for 12 months.
Sacred Ground Program Begins
Our Sacred Ground program began this past Wednesday with 12 participants. This 11 session course is called a “spiritual journey of race and faith”, so your prayers are invited for the following participants:
James McCormick, Vivian McKee, Beth Mayeaux, Eddie Wood, Dawn Denham,
Tommy Reynolds, Frank Trapp, Jenni Campbell, Jackie Daniels, Jean Bynum, Mary Beth Pulsifer and Margaret Love Denman.
Calendar Dates to Remember
September 24( Sunday)- Gospel of John Bible Study begins: 9:15am in Salt and
Light Building.
October 7 (Saturday)- Feast of St. Francis of Assisi: Blessing of Animals-9:30am in Pocket Park
October 14 (Saturday)- Art Crawl: Details will be forthcoming!
See you Sunday!
Blessings and Peace,
Duncan
(601)260-1937
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