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Pastor's Message - March/April 2010
“To Trust You Is To Believe”
Sometimes it seems impossible
To trust in you my Lord
But then again it’s all I have
When my back’s against the wall
The pressures forever mounting up
And worsens with little hope
Though I pray and leave it with you
It’s so hard for me to cope
I know, O Lord, you teach us patience
Especially at those times
You want us to trust completely
Though answers are hard to find
And there are times it seems as though
You have stepped back from us
We feel so much alone in our mess
Not knowing you’re watching with love
You never really leave us Lord
Nor forsake us in our need
You only want us to trust you
And in your word believe
You know the circumstances we’re in
And know the struggles we face
The situation when given to you
Can empower our faltering faith
For in your word we’re told to give
To you all our anxieties
And all the worries and fears we have
Praying for the needed victory
For in due course you will come through
To bring the needed relief
And through it all we shall develop
A stronger and deeper belief
© By M.S.Lowndes
http://www.heavensinspirations.com/trust-you-is-believe.html
These
beautiful words by Michelle Lowndes speak of the need to trust and have
hope. Her poem tells us that from that hope will come a deeper faith
and stronger belief. I also hear in this poem an underlying worry of
abandonment. You may have had feelings like that in your own
experience. It is then that your faith in God and Jesus can
become a lifeline. Much of our Christian message is based on hope and
trust in God’s promise in sending us Jesus – the gospel of our
salvation and the word made flesh.
While these words can have
such resonance with us and our own experiences, another part of the
Christian message is about bringing signs of that hope and trust to
others, especially those whose underlying worry has a feeling of
abandonment. Responding to that is not a trivial task. But here are
ways that show we have responded, continue to respond, and can respond
further:
1. In a letter to St. Peter's from of Executive
Director Jim Cornelius for the Canadian Foodgrains, he thanks us for
helping hungry people by supporting the Monkton Growing project with
our donation of $629. The Monkton Growing project helps supply food and
aid in response to the immediate need following human conflict and
natural disasters to give hungry people the energy to work and rebuild.
For example: working to address the underlying food insecurity in
Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Beginning in January and
continuing for eight months, the agricultural and life-threatening
needs of 4,200 households will be addressed by supplying seeds and
tools as well as food items. And again in the Philippines - Providing a
one-time food distribution to 10,000 households in response to the
rapid succession of typhoons and resulting floods in the Central Luzon
and National Capital Region of the Philippines. Our contributions and
the work of those in the Monkton growing project also bring sign of
hope around the world. 2. Deborah McCracken, of the Olive Branch
for Children, spoke to us in February of the Mahongo villagers in
Tanzania, that even though we are half way around the world, they know
the name of our village, Brodhagen. We are bringing tangible and
practical help with the irrigation project that we are engaged in
bringing them water and also bringing them a sign of hope. In October
we are planning our “Celebration of Local Food Meal” in support of the
Olive Branch and we will be looking again to grow and supply food for
that meal. It is soon time to think about planting. 3. Bev
Hagedorn from Shelter Link, spoke to us of young people in Stratford
that also need to hear and feel hope. The ELW ladies are asking the
congregation to help with collecting practical gifts of donations for
the youth at Shelter Link. 4. I had a meeting in
February with the pastors of the Upper Thames Ministerial and some
representatives of Habitat for Humanity. There is going to be a
Habitat for Humanity build in Mitchell this summer and we will invited
to participate. This Habitat for Humanity build will bring a local
message of hope to a family in Mitchell.
In January and
February Deborah and Bev spoke to us at St. Peter’s. Both speakers have
inspired us to respond. The Monkton Growing project folks are already
inspired and are making plans for another year of growing. Later in the
spring I will be inviting a representative from Habitat for Humanity to
speak with us and I imagine we will respond again.
Bev
Hagedorn sent a message to St. Peter’s listing the items needed (see
the ELW article for details). The closing statement in her message
particularly moved me:
“These items may not seem like much but,
they are to the kids. Every time one of us is brave enough to go out
into the world & speak on their behalf they know that someone cared
enough to see & hear them. Every time that people listen to &
hear us, they listen to & hear them. When those same people respond
the way (the people of St. Peter’s) have, the kids see tangible
evidence that the world just may be different than they originally
thought or were led to believe.”
I would extend Bev’s
words to also cover the family in Mitchell, the people in the villager
of Mahongo, the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and also
the people in the Philippines. That is hope made flesh. May your
Lenten journey be a journey that discovers hope.
Peace
Pastor Steve Johnston
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