Dear Middletown Reformed Church Family and Friends,
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
Jamie and I are back from vacation and what a wonderful, relaxing time we had in the Poconos. We went to the pool nearly every day; did some sightseeing at Hawks Nest; grilled out and cooked delicious food; read in the late afternoon/early evening hours; prayed together; and had good, meaningful conversations. It was what we both needed, a time to “come away” and create a space in which to focus not on human doing, but on human being. My prayer and hope for you as your pastor is that you will carve out time this summer to focus on being present to yourself, your loved ones, and most importantly, to God. Let the doing cease for a bit, and just be.
“Come away to a deserted place
all by yourselves and rest a while.”
—Mark 6.31
Let go of what you need to do, what you have to do,
what you're supposed to do. Let go.
All you do, all you accomplish, even the most life-giving,
is only a shadow of who you are.
Allow a deeper calling to have you,
a greater life to possess you.
Go to a deserted place all by yourself,
a place which is not a place but a time,
a time of spaciousness with lots of room
for the silence to open wide, where you can listen.
Spend time in that place inside yourself,
a place of solitude, where you are solely a soul.
Let an infinite delight create you again;
infinite love flow through you.
Let God's primary joy, that you are,
become your primary joy.
Be at peace in that peace. Give it time.
Give it time. Let that be enough.
Then go out into the world,
a faithful steward of your holy being. — Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Come and worship with your church family this Ninth Sunday after Pentecost when we will explore the sermon topic, What is the role of forgiveness in the process of healing? Tom will lead us in our hymns and sing the Anthem “Be Still and Know.” I am preaching from Genesis 45.1-11, 15 and Luke 17.1-5 and my sermon title is Forgiveness — A ‘Must Do.’ After worship, come downstairs to the Lower Auditorium for coffee and conversation with your church family before heading out to enjoy your summer fun.
See you Sunday!
In gratitude for the privilege of being your pastor and the holy call of loving you,
Pastor Trish