As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:12-17).
Happy Valentine's Day Friends,
I hope each and all of you are having a wonderful day, knowing that you are chosen by God as holy and beloved. And I encourage you to take the opportunity today to share with someone that they are beloved by God and by you. Offering a kind word, a loving gesture, a warm welcome, a sacrificial act to a friend or stranger, may be all they need to begin to know they are of sacred worth and feel a part of community.
In this Scripture reading from Colossians, Paul goes on to call us to forgive others, just as God has forgiven us. Forgiveness...sometimes that's a hard thing to offer, and even to receive. As we continue to walk through the Lord's Prayer and learn how to pray as he taught us, we'll take a look this Sunday at the phrase, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Come Sunday as we ponder together what that means and how and why we might be able to live into that kind of forgiveness.
This Sunday we'll also be receiving a Mission Box offering for Family Promise (Faith Mission will be next Sunday, 2/24). In partnership with Family Promise, Trinity offers a warm welcome feeding and housing homeless families in the Trinity facilities for a full week about once a quarter as they move from homeless to home secure through the Family Promise Ministry. Learn more about Family Promise here and, to be a part of serving when Trinity hosts these families next month, click here.
Looking ahead, I hope you'll mark your calendars for these important dates:
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 6:35pm - Worship and Send-Off in the Worship Center celebrating the ministries of Rev. Lenora Rousseau and Ted Grueser
Sunday. Mar. 3, all services - Celebration of 150 years of the United Methodist Women with special guest speaker, our District Superintendent, Rev. June Edwards
Wednesday, Mar. 6, 7-9am - Drive-By Ashes at the Trinity property with prayer, imposition of ashes and free coffee for anyone driving by
Wednesday, Mar. 6, 6:35 pm - Ash Wednesday service in the Worship Center (in the round)
See you Sunday as we gather at the table and taste Christ's forgiveness.
Grace and Peace,
