- Genesis 9:12-13

Holy One, through Jesus Christ, you have called us to follow you and not to look back. Lead us then forward in faith, living out the good news , not that we may be praised, but so others may know the joy of your goodness, justice and peace. Amen

This Sunday, you will hear the beautiful vocals of Diane Yates, singing a piece called “Silence” by Lizz Wright. You often hear Diane playing percussion, but wait until you hear the rich, low timbre in her singing. I heard this piece months ago, and immediately thought of Diane signing it. The lyrics encourage us to listen to the silence. It is in the silence that we can hear the praises, and use our silence as a song of prayer. 

I had a blast arranging this piece, as there was no music available for it. It is accompanied by the guitar, cello, synthesizer and piano. James Franklin will join us on guitar, after a long hiatus. We are so glad to have him! I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday! 

Silence: Lizz Wright 

Have you heard the silent night

The earth is always singing

Praises of the morning sun

Even before morning

And the whole world is singing of

It’s beauty all day long

And even the quiet dark

That silence is a song

Weep not for the day of gray

For the heavens are not weeping

The roses are still red and gay

They are even blooming

And the whole world is singing of

It’s beauty all day long

And even the quiet dark

That silence is a song

That silence is a song

With love,

Recently Deb Saylor and I attended a meeting and listened to a young pastor recommend that Black Lives Matter banners should be removed and replaced with something that welcomes the community in a more generic way. In the past couple of months we've witnessed the vandalism of our banners several times and followed comments on social media that were often far from kind. Still, we persisted in boldly affirming God's love for all and displaying the banners. This week we received the following note:

To all who donated to the banner and security fund, to everyone who scrambled to install cameras, restore and re-install banners, and to all of our Ark and Dove family for your support - thank you! Our banners may be controversial to some, but they are an important reminder of our commitment to social justice in our world.

With stories of heat waves across America and Europe, fires burning in our forests, and droughts across the western states constantly in the news, it’s understandable that many of us are suffering from climate anxiety. In fact estimates are that 2/3 of Americans suffer from some type of climate anxiety. How do we cope? Several articles from the Internet have suggestions. First know that your feelings are valid. Climate change is a problem but it’s not hopeless. There are still things we can do to limit the effects. Second, talk with your friends and family about your feelings. You will find out your feelings are much more common than you think. Third, act. Join an advocacy group such as the Ark and Dove Earth Care Team. Support green candidates for office. Take small actions at home to reduce your carbon footprint. Finally pray about climate change. Make it part of your daily prayers.