Dear friends and members of University UMC:
The Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner. I’m grateful for YOU! In this season when the world seems to spin madly on and we continue to absorb troubling news from various corners, I turn my attention to our beloved, chosen church family and my hope is renewed. You continue to give and serve and love in ways that foster joy and peace. Our worship life together has been particularly meaningful to a great number of people. From the voices of children and youth in worship to inspiring liturgy and music, I continue to hear of your gratitude for our time together on Sunday mornings. Beyond the particulars of what happens in the sanctuary, we know deep down that mostly, it’s important simply to be together. Being a part of a community where you have a sense of belonging and purpose is important and life-giving. It confirms we are not alone on this journey called life. This past Sunday our choir director AV sang Carol King’s song “You’ve Got a Friend” for the offertory and the entire church joined together in singing the refrain: |
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You just call out my name And you know, wherever I am I'll come runnin' To see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall All you have to do is call And I'll be there You've got a friend |
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How good it is to know we have the gift of God and one another! I’ll miss you this week as I’ll be away with family and friends for Thanksgiving. In between visiting, I’ll enjoy some reading and preparation for the Advent season that begins on December 1. This is always a special time in the life of our church and I invite you to check the newsletter for special services and upcoming events. This Sunday, Megan will be preaching. As you know she has a huge heart for this community engaging in senior visitation, as well as coordinating campus ministry and young adult events. Megan will close out our sermon series on Grief and Loss and I know it will be another meaningful time of worship. In this Friday note I’m leaving you with a few resources about grief and death I’ve found helpful. There are so many books!, but these are a few of my favorites. Be sure to check out our children’s director Jillian Moore reading a children’s book.
What a joy to be your pastor!
Teresa |
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Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff
Well-known Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff has authored many books that have contributed significantly to scholarship in several subjects. In Lament for a Son, he writes not as a scholar but as a loving father grieving the loss of his son. Here is an excerpt where he considers the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who mourn.” |
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| “They are the ones who realize that in God's realm there is no one hungry and who ache whenever they see someone starving. They are the ones who realize that in God's realm there is no one falsely accused and who ache whenever they see someone imprisoned unjustly. They are the ones who realize that in God's realm there is no one who fails to see God and who ache whenever they see someone unbelieving. They are the ones who realize that in God's realm there is no one who suffers oppression and who ache whenever they see someone beat down. |
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They are the ones who realize that in God's realm there is no one without dignity and who ache whenever they see someone treated with indignity. They are the ones who realize that in God's realm of peace there is neither death nor tears and who ache whenever they see someone crying tears over death. The mourners are aching visionaries.Such people Jesus blessed; he hails them, he praises them, he salutes them. And he gives them the promise that the new day for whose absence they ache will come. They will be comforted.The Stoics of antiquity said: be calm. Disengage yourself. Neither laugh nor weep. Jesus says: be open to the wounds of the world. Mourn humanity's mourning, weep over humanity's weeping, be wounded by humanity's wounds, be in agony over humanity's agony. But do so in the good cheer that a day of peace is coming.” (Wolterstorff, Lament for a Son, pp.84-86) |
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My Heart Sings a Sad Song by Gary Alan ShockleyThis is a wonderful book for children of all ages. |
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“Everyone says that I'll be okay—but this minute, I don't think it's true. There's an ache deep inside me, way down in my heart, and it comes from being without you." |
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Take a listen to the book ready by Jillian: |
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The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief by Jan Richardson |
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| “Like a thin place, a blessing can help us perceive how heaven infuses earth, inextricable from daily life, even when that life is marked by pain. In the midst of grief, when our loss can make the boundary between worlds feel horribly solid, insurmountable, and permanent, this comes as a particular grace.” |
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The Five Invitations:
What Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski
I’m grateful for Beth Kelley for introducing me to this book. Here is a quote from it: |
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“We cannot be truly alive without maintaining an awareness of death. Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight. She helps us to discover what matters most. And the good news is we don’t have to wait until the end of our lives to realize the wisdom that death has to offer.” |
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