Gratitude in Our Hearts

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.   It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel,
all of you share in God’s grace with me.
-Philippians 1:3-7

I thank God for you.  Your prayers while I was sick have encouraged and sustained me in my physical recovery.  Your flexibility and understanding with our shifting schedules and adapting to new (old) worship spaces is admirable.  Your willingness to pitch in and do whatever is needed shows a depth of faith and love for God.  Thank you.

We are busily working to restore the Main Sanctuary to full functionality after the flood April 28.  Until then, we are so thankful for the Garden Sanctuary space and the opportunity to worship.  Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to adapt to these changing circumstances.  We will hold worship again this Sunday in the Garden Sanctuary at 9am and 11am.  Please enter the building from the parking lot closest to the office and Kennewick Avenue.

One of the blessings of this flood has been seeing God’s people love and serve one another as they love and serve the church.  You truly have been the heart and hands of Jesus Christ, helping with clean up, moving hymnals, setting up chairs, working to adapt our live-stream equipment to a new space, getting the word out to the congregation, and singing with all your heart.  You are a blessing to me and I thank you.

This Sunday, May 15, we will have a special worship service of Gratitude.  As you pray this week, I encourage you to think of someone in the church who deserves a thank you.  In this newsletter you will see a link for an online “thank you”.  We will share these names and stories in worship on May 15.

Emptier of tombs, we find ourselves running down the street after lies, rather than walking with you. We find it easy to love other people, as long as they don’t annoy or bother us. We hunger for love and search for affirmation, yet find it difficult to let others love us for who we are. Forgive us, Compassionate Heart. You listen to the whispers of our hearts, and then sing of the promises of hope. You grace us with peace, so our hearts can rest in you. You continue to transform us into Easter people, brothers and sisters of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.