July 26, 2023 Weekly Update
Greetings church!
While in Angola, I had the opportunity to preach on July 9 at the Quessua United Methodist Church. The service included five choirs, lots of scripture, celebration, offerings, and holy communion. Using scripture from Mark 14, I spoke about the time Jesus encouraged his disciples to stay awake and alert. Jesus wanted his followers to pray for him and be present in the moment that was before them – a moment of suffering, transformation, and great sacrifice.
Jesus was awake that night – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He was fully present to God’s Spirit and his friends. But the disciples were not present or fully aware of what was going on.
Richard Rohr reminds us that the purest form of love of God and love of neighbor is to be present to what is in front of you. He reminds us to stay awake to the movement of the Spirit and gentle nudges of grace in our midst. Our Angolan siblings are so good at that! I witnessed so many people and ministries alert to the needs of the church, the community, hungry neighbors, and malnourished children. The church in America can sometimes be asleep to our neighbors’ needs, or spend so much time focused on the past or future that we forget to pay attention to the people in front of us. But Jesus reminds us to stay awake and be present to those in our midst. The purest form of love is offering attention and love to God and our neighbors. May we all stay awake and present to one another in the weeks ahead
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Jared
P.S. –
Here are a few images of items I brought back to our church from Angola. I purchased a hand carved wooden nativity for us to display during Advent and Christmas. I purchased assorted fabrics that we might use for altar decorations, table cloths, or a future fundraiser. Some fabrics were manufactured in Africa. Others are from Holland/The Netherlands. I also received a beautiful neckerchief from the United Women of Faith/United Methodist Women’s group of East Angola.
