Dear friends:
One of the (many) surprising gifts of aging is how beautiful children become. When life is no longer quite so pressed by time and schedule, it’s easier to enjoy their sense of wonder and innocence. We do this regularly on our evening walks. Children are often out ‘chalking’ the sidewalks, playing tag, and riding bikes. Some speak, others wave, all are beautiful, and it never fails to cheer my heart.
On one recent walk I saw a mom playing with her little boy – a three-year-old, perhaps – and he was running in circles, laughing, and calling out, “You can’t catch me. You’ll never catch me.”
She chased, as a parent does, closing in, getting closer, closer as he squealed with delight. Until finally he collapsed in feigned defeat and got what he really wanted: to be scooped up in his mother’s arms and reminded of her extravagant love. In fact, that’s the whole point of the game, to be scooped up and reminded that you’re loved.
This weekend we’ll start an important sermons series entitled “Welcome Home: A Place Where…” in which we’ll explore defining values of a Christian home and how they shape who we are. We’ll start at the beginning, with unconditional love.
In addition, we’ll begin a month-long celebration of our investment in other homes in the community. This weekend kicks off a month-long series of announcements on investments in Affordable Housing made possible primarily by our capital campaign. Rarely does a congregation enjoy the privilege we will enjoy for the next month as we announce ambitious new partnerships and investments.
We’ll start this week by welcoming Rev. Dr. Peter Wherry, Senior Pastor at Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, as we announce an exciting partnership with that congregation. We’ll follow this with similar announcements every Sunday in September (except Labor Day weekend) as Covenant continues to “bravely work toward a whole and just world.” I hope you will make an extra effort to attend, either in-person or online. I’m confident you’ll be glad you did.
You can prepare by reading this iconic story as if for the first time. Join us, and invite a friend.
