Dear friends,
Christ is risen! Greetings to you in this Eastertide season, an extended time in the life of the church set aside for us to continue reflecting on all the ways the mystery of the resurrection rings true in our lives of faith. This week, I thought it would be appropriate to create for us another opportunity to continue pondering what all it means for the Light of God to be present in all times and in all places, including in each of our lives, wherever we are on the journey. I invite you to spend a moment with the image below, a reference to my sermon on Easter Sunday about a photo of the cosmos that took 8 years to create. It's the largest ever known long-exposure photo in existence, a glimpse into the realm of God's perspective beyond time. As you look at the image, consider pondering the questions below:
Where do you see God's light today?
Where could the world see more of God's light in your own actions?
In what ways might our perspective begin to change if we made it a practice to meditate on and/or imagine the timelessness of God's light and love?
Image courtesy of University of Hertfordshire’s Bayfordbury Observatory
As we continue this Easter season, may we each be a reflection of God's timeless light in all the time and in all the places. Alleluia!
With love,
Pastor Doug
+++
This week's Joys and Concerns
Among our Joys:
We continue to give God thanks for the mystery of the resurrection, praying that more may come to see the ways new life is taking shape in the world; witnessing the "new thing" God is doing.
Among our Concerns, we pray for:
Charlene Housman, recovering in ICU from a stroke Wednesday afternoon
Marylu Mills
Daniel Davis, friend of Susan Pearson
Rachel Morford, daughter of Mary Morford
Kathie Call's son, Michael Call
For our homebound friends, Helen Bosley, Elaine Jonson, Harry and Margaret Lobberegt, Mereidene Moore, Jane Nelson and Jim and Kay Thompson
We lift to God all the family and loved ones of Iola Verena Reese whose body died on April 14th.
We pray especially for Verena's son, Arthur "Tim", his wife Lisa and their family; daughter Marita, her husband Don and their family; daughter Pamela and her husband, Elvin; her son Roger and his wife Carolyn and their family; her son Karl and his wife Carmen and their family; her son Chris, and her son Dan and his family. We also pray for her son-in-law, Artis and his children, her surviving brother, Tap and his familyand surviving sister, Walterene and her family.
The Reese family extends an invitation to any in our congregation who wish to attend her memorial service, this Saturday at 2pm at Living Grace Church, 106 S 28th St, Tacoma, WA.
Among our local and global community prayer concerns:
We continue to pray for those in harm's way in Ukraine, and for peace to prevail in the midst of conflict and oppression as it rears its ugly head around the world. We pray also for those facing ongoing violence and oppression in nations around the world, including Yemen, Afghanistan, Palestine, Ethiopia, and Syria. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.
For the Village on 6th and Orchard, for all who live there, have lived there, work, volunteer, and/or give in all kinds of other ways to support this important cause. We also pray for the courage to continue working and advocating for substantive change from the bottom up, so that all people are given the dignity and love in life that God so calls us provide for one another.
For Global Ministry partners in Lebanon.