Good Afternoon Friends,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30
NRSV
).
From Harvey and Irma to the shoot
ings in Las Vegas,
we are all still reeling from the events of the last few weeks. Our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the victims from the hurricanes
and those who continue
not
to have the basic resources they need for living.
We are
especially
burdened
for the families who lost loved ones on Sunday evening.
To say we are weary of the violence is a gross understatement.
One of the victims, Kristin
Babik
, who was wounded, is not only from Gainesville, but was active in Trinity as a teenager. I invite you to continue to hold Kristin and her family
(as well as all those involved)
in your prayers
,
as she recovers eno
ugh to be able to return home.
A couple of us h
ave been in touch with Kristin'
s mother
,
and friends
in Trinity are making plans to care for them in tangible ways.
In the wake of yet another mass shooting is it time for us as a nation to take an ethical and political stand against the proliferation of violence in our country and
to seek peace
in significant and meaningful ways.
I implore you to prayerfully seek God's guidance
and use your witness
as a follower of Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace.
This week in worship, we'll take a closer look at who we know Jesus to be as revealed in the Gospels as we continue "
theSkim
: theBiblein7weeks." Gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion which means "good news." The Gospels proclaim the good news of salvation as given in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We certainly live in a world desperately in need of that good news.
Beginning Monday,
Steve and I will be out of town
for two weeks
, first as Steve plays in the National 50s Clay Court Tennis Tournament in Sarasota and then as we travel to Northern Ireland
. We are a part of the Marcy Cohort 2017, a small group of United Methodist c
lergy
from Florida
learning about peace and reconciliation with Rev. Dr. Gary Mason
,
a Methodist pastor who has spent more than thirty years on the ground building peace in a conflicted society in Northern Ireland. Gary has been working with our group for a year now, and this trip is the culmination of our learnings. We are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the ways it will shape our hearts and leadership.
While we are away, Revs. Aaron and Lenora will be concluding "
theSkim
" series with a week on Acts and the Letters and a week on Revelation. I know you won't want to miss the messages they will share.
You're also invited to be a part of the Order of St. Luke service this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. The focus will be on pediatric cancer as we offer prayers and healing.
From the bottom of my heart...
Grace and
Peace,
