August 20
Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,
Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
The church is a fellowship of followers of Jesus who join together that we might be transformed together. Our common devotion to God and each other strips away our natural inclinations toward selfishness and self-centeredness. It’s hard to be selfish when your heart is turned in compassion toward a suffering friend. As we sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to his stories and teachings we are more and more drawn to irrational acts of love. His parables disrupt our usual way of thinking and processing life. As if in secret, God is transforming us as we go about the business of the church. While we are singing God is infusing our souls with grace. While we are praying God is infusing our souls with mercy. While we are studying scripture with friends God is infusing our souls with the peace that surpasses understanding. While we are serving those in need God is infusing our souls with the tender love of Jesus which is the true hunger of each one of us. These are the fruits of membership in the church. We are transformed by God’s mercy, grace, peace, and love.
How do you know if you’re being transformed? Teresa of Avila says it’s pretty simple: you will experience an increase of love for God and neighbor.
If you begin to have an involuntary, unexplainable, irrational love for strangers and those who oppose you, differ from you drastically, or criticize you, then you are probably in a church whose focus is on the transformative power of God’s love in Jesus Christ. You might even be a member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. I have heard that the people there harbor the wild idea that love is all.
I want to close this note to you by sharing some good news related to our parish hall project. Last night we received approval to proceed with construction from the Board of Architectural Review. The BOAR is a group of city officials who help us stay within the guidelines that govern projects in a historic neighborhood like ours. Their approval of our plan is a huge step forward and sets our architect and construction management partners loose to obtain the permits required to break ground and start building. So, this is a - “Hurray!” - moment for us in our journey to realize our dream of a parish hall. My sense is that we can expect to see Dean Builds begin work on roof replacement and exterior improvements to the existing building very soon, maybe in the next few weeks. We’re getting started!
Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!
Love is all,
Hendree+