September 3

Beloved families of Good Shepherd,

Peace be with you!  In this Sunday’s appointed Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus uses some very strong language in hopes of grabbing our attention.  Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”  Jesus goes on to say, “none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

My sense from this passage is that Jesus is not trying to deprive us of the things that are good for our well-being.  Jesus knows we need our family and material possessions for human wholeness.  My impression is that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is speaking sternly here to protect us from falling off a spiritual cliff.  The spiritual danger from which Jesus wants to save us is the illusion that Love is not present within and around us—that the created world is all there is in this life.

Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century French mystic and author of The Practice of the Presence of God, developed a simple practice of noticing the lovely presence of God as he washed the dishes.  Brother Lawrence writes, ‘What can please God more than if we leave all created things many times during the day to withdraw and respect Love present within?  Like Jesus, Brother Lawerence recognizes the spiritual risks involved when we accidentally miss the presence of God and the close friendship Love desires with each of us:  “Aren’t we being rude, and even guilty of leaving God alone, when we busy ourselves with so many unimportant things that don’t please Love and might upset God?  God puts up with these patiently, but we are wise to worry that one day our distractions might cost us dearly.”  

The big work of our children’s ministry at Good Shepherd is to share the stories of our faith so that children can learn from an early age to attend to Love’s beautiful presence in their lives.  We do this through a contemplative practice called Godly Play.  Our regular Godly Play practice in Sunday School and Children’s Chapel provides a safe space for children to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence through story, wonder, silence, and play.  To learn more about Godly Play, go HERE.  We periodically offer an Introduction to Godly Play Lunch for parents and caregivers to learn more about the art of accompanying children spiritually.  If you are interested in joining one of our future Introduction to Godly Play Parent Lunches, email Patty HERE.  

We are excited to resume our Moms’ Ministry gatherings this Tuesday, September 9, 8:45-9:45 am!  This group meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month for the purpose of friendship, support, and spiritual growth.  Come and be refreshed in body and spirit this Tuesday!  To learn more about our Moms’ Ministry group, go HERE.

We hope to see you this Sunday!

Many Blessings,

Patty