Lutheran Volunteer Corps

The Thrill of Hope

On Fall Retreat, I read Strength for the Journey, a collection of Peter Gomes’ sermons. One of the homilies that stuck with me dealt with blessings. Gomes wrote that part of praising God is recognizing and being thankful for our blessings, as well as lifting up our concerns. He cited that in many churches, the time the congregation needs to enumerate its sorrows outlasts the time they spend on joys.

When I started attending my church in Baltimore, I thought it definitely wasn’t the place for me; there were only about 15 other congregants and I brought the average age down by about 10 years. However, I felt called to go back. Every week, I see a new and special part of my church. I thought of Peter Gomes’ message last week during Prayers of the People time. Several people spoke about joyous things in their lives and when we moved on to concerns, a couple of people raised up sick friends. After two or three concerns, Miss Lena piped in, “I forgot to say how thankful I am that my nephew is coming home for Christmas” and then Carla gave thanks for the prayer vigil. Even though the church faces huge problems with neighborhood involvement and attendance, everyone there is filled with hope and joy. Their exuberance about their relationships with each other and God shines as an example of the love and hope central to Jesus’ teachings.

posted by sarah @ 10:07 AM