Day 3 – Psalm 139 God Knows Us!
Yesterday a neighbor stopped in my office to chat a bit. He asked how things are going at St. Peter’s and I began to tell him of the exciting worship, the forty days of prayer and journaling we did, the new faces in our pews, and the tremendous outreach that is being done by our community.
“Wow,” he commented. “Most people I know today are scared of church. People today are tired of hypocrites and want to go to a place where they feel they belong. Why do you think they are showing up here?”
I love questions like that for it not only gives me the opportunity to share the good news of St. Peter’s, but more importantly I get to discover more about what people are looking for in a church. “A place where they feel they belong.” I keep hearing this.
Today’s Psalm reminds us that God continually seeks us. God is always present in our lives. God knows our every move and all our thoughts. (Well, that’s kind of scary, isn’t it?)
When we are tempted to feel that God has abandoned us, when we listen to the woes of politicians and news media, when we choose to believe the lie that war is a necessity, we can be assured that God is holding us. Our comfort and joy comes in knowing that God claims us as God’s child.
I firmly believe that St. Peter’s is a community of people where folks can reside and know that God is near. Some new folks have told me recently that they feel St. Peter’s provides a safe and welcoming place to examine their questions and relationship with God.
Let’s keep proclaiming that God loves us and knows us intimately. Our ability to rest in this presence of God enables us to reach out and hold the hands of those who wander in and want a place to belong. Will you make room in your pew for someone new so they can discover how much God loves them?
Reflection & Journaling
Blessing
How does the claim that God knows you intimately affect your life? Do you feel loved and cherished? What is your response to this incredible love of God?
Challenge
How is our congregation a reflection of this deep relationship with God? Are you willing to open your life and share with others how God is changing you? What hinders you from doing this?
Prayer
Loving God, you know me better than I know myself. Sometimes that frightens me and sometimes it gives me great hope. Thank you for your continued presence in my life, even when I doubt you are there. Nudge me to share your great love with people I meet today. Shed my fears of intimacy with you and replace them with a yearning to spend time in your presence. Amen
Yesterday a neighbor stopped in my office to chat a bit. He asked how things are going at St. Peter’s and I began to tell him of the exciting worship, the forty days of prayer and journaling we did, the new faces in our pews, and the tremendous outreach that is being done by our community.
“Wow,” he commented. “Most people I know today are scared of church. People today are tired of hypocrites and want to go to a place where they feel they belong. Why do you think they are showing up here?”
I love questions like that for it not only gives me the opportunity to share the good news of St. Peter’s, but more importantly I get to discover more about what people are looking for in a church. “A place where they feel they belong.” I keep hearing this.
Today’s Psalm reminds us that God continually seeks us. God is always present in our lives. God knows our every move and all our thoughts. (Well, that’s kind of scary, isn’t it?)
When we are tempted to feel that God has abandoned us, when we listen to the woes of politicians and news media, when we choose to believe the lie that war is a necessity, we can be assured that God is holding us. Our comfort and joy comes in knowing that God claims us as God’s child.
I firmly believe that St. Peter’s is a community of people where folks can reside and know that God is near. Some new folks have told me recently that they feel St. Peter’s provides a safe and welcoming place to examine their questions and relationship with God.
Let’s keep proclaiming that God loves us and knows us intimately. Our ability to rest in this presence of God enables us to reach out and hold the hands of those who wander in and want a place to belong. Will you make room in your pew for someone new so they can discover how much God loves them?
Reflection & Journaling
Blessing
How does the claim that God knows you intimately affect your life? Do you feel loved and cherished? What is your response to this incredible love of God?
Challenge
How is our congregation a reflection of this deep relationship with God? Are you willing to open your life and share with others how God is changing you? What hinders you from doing this?
Prayer
Loving God, you know me better than I know myself. Sometimes that frightens me and sometimes it gives me great hope. Thank you for your continued presence in my life, even when I doubt you are there. Nudge me to share your great love with people I meet today. Shed my fears of intimacy with you and replace them with a yearning to spend time in your presence. Amen
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