A Word From the Pastor (October 2006)

Dear Friends in Christ,

The opening verses of Psalm 139 are both comforting and disconcerting. On the one hand, how good it is to know God’s watchful care surrounds us each and every day. Whether we are working or sleeping, God is there. When we suffer loss, the Lord is near at hand and knows our every sorrow. When we are in physical or emotional or spiritual pain, the Lord discerns the thoughts of our hearts. The lord knows what we need to sustain us in times of trouble and stress. When our hearts are weary, God’s Spirit is near to uplift and encourage. Our joys are known on high and celebrated in the heavens. God knows our gifts and talents and leads us to use our gifts for God’s holy purposes. God hears our prayers, understands our doubts, strengthens our resolve, leads us in paths of righteousness. How wonderful to be known and loved by God, to be embraced by the Lord of Life, to be surrounded by the grace, mercy, and compassion of our Creator and Sustainer and Empowering Spirit.

On the other hand, Psalm 139 is a pointed reminder that we are, in fact, known by God. God knows how mean we are and how good we are. God knows when we are a blessing to others and when we fall short of our calling. God knows the gifts we have been given and whether we have squandered those gifts. God knows when our thoughts and words and deeds don’t mesh. God knows when we are jealous of a neighbor, angry at a co-worker, impatient with a child. God knows when we are hard-hearted toward the poor or indifferent to those who suffer. God knows when we seek vengeance against an enemy or do unto others what we would never want done unto us. God knows when we put ourselves first and ignore the rights and concerns of others. God knows when we divide the world into “us” and “them” and lose sight of the fact that we are all God’s children, formed by God’s hand, that Christ came in love for all humanity. Nothing is hidden from God. God knows us through and through.

May you and I live with full awareness of God’s abiding presence. May we be grateful for God’s steadfast love and cautioned by God’s watchful, all-knowing eye. May the news that God knows us, really knows us, be a source of joy and strength. May the news that God knows us call us to walk in ever more Christ-like ways. May God’s abiding love and presence sustain us along earth’s rocky journey and keep us in God’s righteous paths.

Yours in Christ,
Peggy Ann Sauerhoff