Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Exodus 20:12
Today we continue to follow this commandment by honoring Mothers. Many mothers were/are the heart of the Christian home-leading and guiding us to Church and in Christian life. In honor of Mothers, the following story is shared:
Up in heaven a child was ready to be born. The child asked God, "I know you are sending me to earth, but how can I survive there? I am so small and helpless."
God replied, "I have chosen a special angel for you there. She will love and take care of you."
"But how will I understand what people say to me? I don't know a single word of the language they speak!"
"Your angel will say the sweetest things you will ever hear and she will teach you how to speak the language."
"And when I want to talk to You...?"
"Your angel will gently place your little hands together and teach you how. That the simplest language of all. It's called prayer."
"Who will protect me there, God?"
"Your angel is soft and gentle, but if something threatens you, there is no stronger force on Earth than the power she'll use to defend you."
"I will be sad not getting to see You anymore."
"I will always be next to you, even though you can't see Me. And your angel will teach you the way to come back to Me if you stray."
Then it was time to go. Excited voices could be heard, anticipating the child's arrival. In a hurry the babe asked softly, "Oh God, if I must go now, please tell me my angel's name!"
And God replied, "You will call your angel......Mom." ------Author unknown
Let this be your prayer: I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. - Mark 9:24
Take time each day to be alone with God, through prayer and the reading of His word, the Bible. Spend time regularly with God's people in worship and spiritual fellowship. The closer we are to God, the less change we have to stray from him.
St. James was filled this past week with clergy, lay delegates and observers for the election of the Fourth Bishop of our diocese. I was struck by the diversity of people in attendance; not people that many would think of when thinking of their image of an Episcopalian. I’ve had these thoughts before in gazing over our membership on a given Sunday while attending a service. What I am struck by, is the differences in us all. There are people from every walk of life. What a gift to have such diversity in people and gifts. Yes, each one represented has their own special set of gifts. When I have these thoughts, I sometimes try to wonder what St. James would look like if we truly embraced our diversity and used our gifts both individually and collectively for the sharing of Christ.
This Saturday, the clergy and people of the Western Diocese of Louisiana meeting here at St. James will elect a new Bishop. Not only those involved in the voting, but all others across the Diocese, have sought throughout the selection process the guidance of the Holy Spirit in choosing a bishop and chief pastor. We offer up our prayers that our new Bishop’s ministry will boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let us join with him individually and as a church and diocese in this gospel enterprise to encourage sharing Christ.
I have attended Lutheran churches all my life. Church membership and fellowship with other Christians has held an important place in my life. Fellow Christians and my faith have been there to celebrate life’s wonderful blessings as well as serve as a comfort, support and ray of hope when disappointments have touched my life. I moved to Pineville and did not seek or attend church for a while. Then one weekend, I thought I should make that move to resume regularly attending church again. I visited some congregations and either did not feel welcomed or like I fit in. I was attending a weekly leadership forum at my place of employment in which Theresa Louviere also attended and she was chatting about different connections and activities she had with her church. I thought to myself-“I miss that connection”. A few weeks after that, I attended an educational offering at a Lutheran church and met Susan Frey. She point blank asked me if I had found a church home and my reply was “not yet”. She invited me to church at St. James the next morning. She stated it was a very comfortable place. I accepted the invitation and showed up the next day. I saw Theresa Louviere and a few other colleagues from VA. Since then I have been invited to potlucks, Wed night services, dinners and classes, and the grant musical offerings. Father Fred has been a pastoral figure I respect. I feel a sense of being welcomed and encouraged by his homilies and other interactions to ponder on and off during the week. Dave and Judy Curry have been friendly and inclusive by suggesting/inviting me to other opportunities—adult Sunday School, Evangelism comm. The “new person at St. James” experience has been warm and welcoming. Those I see and meet will often say hello and touch base week after week. I thank St. James for filling a void I let enter my life by not staying connected to a Christian congregation.
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Worship Schedule
Sunday - 8am, 10:30am, 5pm
(nursery provided at 10:30)
Wednesday - 5:15pm
(worship and healing, Chapel)
Verse of the Day
Select the speaker icon following the above verse to hear the chapter from which it comes.
The first of the two themes in our ongoing “Enhance and Advance” Capital Campaign is that of Enhancement. We are truly blessed with an outstanding historic facility here at St. James. With all of the charm and character that accompanies the privilege of enjoying a storied church building comes the responsibility not only for its upkeep, but also being stewards of its improvement. We have the opportunity, through this campaign, to restore the luster of the beautiful hardwood floors in our church, to ensure that all members and visitors alike have access to modern restroom facilities, to make our campus footprint more recognizable and even more aesthetically pleasing, and to ensure that our wonderful century-old church bell continues to ring out the mission of hope of this parish church for generations to come.
Part of our calling as Christians and members of Christ’s church is to be good stewards of God’s bounty. One of the greatest blessings included in that bounty that we enjoy at St. James in particular, is the magnificent historic church where we are privileged to worship. As a parish, we are tasked with not only maintaining that which we have, but also facing, head on, the challenges of our future. We find ourselves at a critical crossroads in the storied life of our parish. It is the ardent hope and prayer of your Vestry that you will reflect on the challenge before us, meditate with God on the tasks at hand and commit to joining, to the best of your means, in the Capital Campaign efforts to Enhance and Advance the continued mission of hope here at St. James.
Using the gifts God has given us to do the work God is calling us to do. Therefore:
?h Stewardship involves joyous acts of thanksgiving in response to all that God has given us.
?h Stewardship is about changing lives.
?h Stewardship programs should be guided by grace, not guilt.
?h We are God’s stewards. What we do grows out of our relationship with God.
?h Stewardship is fun – we are learning about God’s love
When we give, we have the opportunity to change the lives of others. When we give WE change. This powerful transformation comes from letting go and trusting God. We struggle to let go of things that we value and feel that we do not have enough of. We are influenced by the messages of fear that make us dwell on scarcity. We are challenged to change into giving people by practicing stewardship as a way of life. In these uncertain financial times, it allows us to turn to God for what we really need. In 2012, let us look at how we have changed by giving.
