{RE:} Remember the Wonderful Works

Last night, I was at the prayer vigil for Ukraine. In the midst of war, we remember God’s call for peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers…” God gives us His peace in the midst of the chaos around us. In the midst of the blizzard, the “ guide rope” is secure. He never fails us! He never has and He never will. Father Vladimir from St’s Peter and Paul opened us after the Lord’s Prayer was sung. He is one of my heroes! He opened the cathedral in Romania to Billy Graham and then was beat up by the communists. He was severely persecuted for his faith. Now in his old age, he still stands strong in his faith. I introduced my grandson Jacob to this man. I know he will REMEMBER! From one generation to the next, the story must be told! God is faithful!!!!

Ever since I was 9 years old I have felt a very deep personal relationship with God. His love saved me and is the reason I am who I am today. I remember very vividly he didn’t promise me that life would be easy, in fact he told me it wouldn’t be, but he did promise he would never leave my side and he hasn’t! And even on my darkest days, leaning on Him has given me strength and peace! I will forever give God all the praise and be so grateful to him!

When I think of God's works, I usually consider the natural world and all God has created-- which he then created us to enjoy and care for! I'm sitting on the back porch for quiet time this morning for the first time in quite a while, hearing the river and the birds and watching the snow melt. It reminds me of the song "So will I" that I love so much.

But I also love the imagery of God as our garment, here in the prayer but also in scripture. I take off the spirit of heaviness today; I put on the garment of praise. Jesus clothes me in white through his own perfection, and I am free & clean!

This is a hard one for me. Yes, I can look back and see all of God’s blessings through my lifetime. I have been blessed by the Holy Spirit on my lifelong journey filled with trials and tribulations, and I have walked alongside the people who embody the hands and feet of Jesus, and I still admire and seek the counsel of Mother Mary as my faith tradition taught me. But this current path has been lonely and confusing as I seek Jesus on my journey and face door-after-door locked or slammed closed in front of me. I’m thankful for our virtual time together but every attempt I’ve made to connect to a faith community for Julia has been ugly and filled with rejection. She has seen and heard the worst of church people and is missing her beloved church community. And every step I’ve taken to create that for her, recently, even through the ECO CLP training program, has been met with indifference and even reproach for my desire to create a faith community for her and her peers. I hear God saying, “not here; not now,” but it doesn’t help me to help her. Especially at Easter time; a time she dreads because of a terrible, unexpected live portrayal of the Passion in our youth ministry years ago. So terrible it even affected my son and his peers, many of whom walked away from “church” because of it. Yet, my perseverance of my circle of faith, while honoring my brothers and sisters in God who pursue him through their Jewish, Muslim, and interfaith traditions, has paved a beautiful cobblestone path that has narrowed considerably. We are called to live in community, unless you’ve been pushed into the shadows and margins to be isolated and shunned - the modern-day “lepers”. If we’re not sitting in the doorway to the church we don’t exist; we don’t belong - meaning we’re not missed if we don’t show up. I’m tired, God. Carry me, Jesus. Pray for me, Mary. I turn to you, now, to help me lay the cobblestones for Julia’s path to a fruitful faith journey, because that which I do for the least of my brothers and sisters I do for you. Amen.