July 27, 2017
Dear MLEPC Members and Friends,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Have you all recovered from Mission:Possible yet? It was a thrill to hear stories on Sunday morning about how God had used you all to touch people's lives. Please keep on praying for the people we spoke with, that the Holy Spirit would be at work in their hearts to draw them to Christ. And pray that we would grow in compassion for those we encounter every day, that we would be bold to serve, build relationships, and share the gospel.
This week, we are resuming our Lord's Prayer series with "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." This is an easy thing to say but an extremely difficult thing to live. One of my friends says, "You know you have forgiven someone if you see them in a room and don't trip on your way in the door." How many people in your life make you trip? How many memories do you have about past hurts that make you stumble when they come to mind? The Lord calls us to forgive people, even when they know not what they do. How is that even possible? The first step is realizing how much we ourselves have been forgiven by the Lord.
This week, we will be looking at Luke 7:36-50, the story about the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears. She was forgiven much and loved much. Extra credit reading includes 2 Corinthians 3:5-11, Colossians 3:12-14, and Matthew 18:21-35. As you spend time with the Word this week, ask God to bring to mind where you need forgiveness - for yourself and for others.
Finally, as we enter the month of August, my prayer is that this would be a month of rest for you and your families. We have come through the busyness of VBS and Mission:Possible, and the busyness of the Fall will hit us soon enough. We all need seasons of rest and reflection, and I pray that God will bring you peace this month. Moses' blessing to the tribe of Benjamin said, "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders." (Deut. 33:12.) May the Lord wrap his arms around you and renew your strength like the eagles!
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Carolyn
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