Good November All,
I don’t know how many of you know, but November is the end of the liturgical church year. We spend 27 weeks in the season after Pentecost, with a couple of special days toward the end, such as All Saints Day and Christ the King Sunday.
This Month I want us as a church to explore gratitude. Since it is November, and we celebrate Thanksgiving, where is your gratitude being shown?
So, to prime the thought process this month, I am going to give you a few questions to think about as we move through November.
- What does gratitude look like?
- What does gratitude feel like?
These are important questions to keep in mind as we look at what gratitude is all about.
Through October, I have been thinking about my continuation in living with joy. I have also been thinking about ways to expand that joy to others. Because the truth is, there are some people who push off the joy that is given. It seems like they lack gratitude. So, let’s say you invite someone to worship with us; what you are essentially doing is inviting them to become a disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. You are also inviting them to live a life of both service and joy.
Friends, I want you all to know that in this month of gratitude, I want us all to look at how we are living. Are you sharing your experiences of living in a world that has heartache and struggle? But there is something else, the world also has profound joy and satisfaction. And what do they bring? I hope that they bring a true and deep binding of hearts.
All this grows out of an awareness of being interconnected in life. It allows us to open up to living in gratitude. It allows us to continue to live into joy. But none of this cannot begin without God.
So, this month let’s give gratitude to God.
Let’s give gratitude to the church.
Let’s give gratitude to those whom we admire and, yes, even those whom we don’t.
We can only do this if we look outward.
Friends, enjoy your November. For those of you who are going someplace warmer, travel safely. For those of you who are staying put this winter, stay safe and warm.
Lastly, we will begin our Advent journey on the last Wednesday of November. If you would like to take part, please sign up so we can plan accordingly. This study will take place on Zoom. I hope to see you there.
God bless you all,
Pastor Greg Leslie
