After the Summer Storm
Cool breezes and the calm after the storm.
are welcome after the turbulent night
in which trees are taken down by mighty
winds and the city goes dark at midnight.
In these early hours it doesn’t seem like
there are oodles of blessings to count.
All we can see are innumerable
uprooted trees and huge limbs about.
Yet on my walk down a gravel road
there are kind children picking fruit
off a thornless blackberry shrub and
sharing the juicy morsels with me.
So many families walking the
neighborhood, even teenagers are seen
out with their parents in the evening,
pausing to pet friendly dogs passing by.
On Saturday morning the Pride Parade
goes on as scheduled and one of our
youth summed up the all-inclusive love.
It doesn’t cost anything to be kind.
The feng shui of peace, the flow of love
grows as the crowd rallies around the church’s
Rainbow Flag Corp performing
their energetic, well-rehearsed routine.
Taking a break from picking up branches
to demonstrate God’s all-inclusive love
and celebrate unity in Spirit
is a very appropriate thing to do.
On to VBS!
Certainly, we have been praying for all of you and our community that have been without electrical power this past week. It’s not easy to adjust when dependent upon power in so many ways. Yet we are grateful for the strength and power that God provides that we have a Spiritual Hand to hold when feeling weak in the midst of the storm.
We move on to prepare for Vacation Bible School, which begins this week. Months ago, our parents requested a hybrid model, which means that there will be two days that we meet online and one in person. We must still exercise caution, especially with children who aren’t eligible for vaccinations yet.
It’s been fun seeing Kristin make the daily videos. You can be proud of many who contributed to the videos and will help with the music, yoga, story time with pastors, reading of scriptures, and daily opening and wrap up prayers.
I’m looking forward to meeting the children on Zoom for a nightly recap. You can bet they will have unexpected comments, questions, and jokes. I’m always amazed at how the Holy Spirit flows through their hearts and minds and helps me see things with new vision and hopefulness. This year’s Compassion Camp will be a celebration of our many blessings of compassion, courage, kindness, and love.
Be assured that our children continue to learn the stories of Jesus. Additionally, they are learning prayerful spiritual practices that will help them listen in their hearts to the voice of the Spirit and are equipped to carry on the virtues that Jesus demonstrated while walking this earth.
May your hearts be lifted in prayer, through scripture, and encouraging voices of others. You are loved and valued as a child of God. You can believe it because Jesus said so.
The Peace of Christ be with you,
Marta
Rev. Marta Wheeler
To view and download a PDF version of this devotional, click here: Devotional MW 2021-07-14