Fires, the Future and Blessing the World

Well, it's been a long week. It all began with a fire in our chapel following the 11:00 service. Only three of us were left in the church when we heard the smoke detector's shrill beeping. Our lay leader and his wife discovered the fire in the chapel, and we immediately shut all doors and called 911.


We even made the news.


Damage assessment is still underway, as well as clean-up. 


The interesting thing in all of this is that I am in the midst of a sermon series on Stewardship. Our congregation is now faced with the opportunity of redesigning a new chapel that will be used by the generations that succeed us. Stewardship relates not only to what we do with what has been given us, but also with what we are passing on to those who will follow us.


There was a poem written by Rebecca Parker, the president of Starr King School for the Ministry that I read in last Sunday's sermon that I share here now:



Your gifts
 whatever you discover them to be
 can be used to bless or curse the world.
 The mind's power,
 The strength of the hands,
 The reaches of the heart,
 the gift of speaking, listening, imagining, seeing, waiting
The mind's power,
 The strength of the hands,
 The reaches of the heart,
 the gift of speaking, listening, imagining, seeing, waiting
 Any of these can draw down the prison door
 hoard bread,
 abandon the poor,
 obscure what is holy,
 comply with injustice
 or withhold love.
 You must answer this question:
 What will you do with your gifts?
 Choose to bless the world.

Indeed.

Pastor Craig

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