Monday, November 24, 2008

"The Gift of Gratitude"

Be at rest once more, o my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7

How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? Psalm 116:12

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord - in your midst, o Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. Psalm 116:17-19

Sometimes thankfulness is a reflex action. We feel it bloom inside us and express itself in a smile, a hug, a song…

Often, however, thankfulness begins with a choice. In my experience, there is usually a moment on which it hinges – a moment when it is up to me whether I will open or close my soul to gratitude.

One of the hidden gifts of thankfulness is humility. The joy of gratitude is not just related to whatever we’ve received, but that we’ve received something we probably couldn’t have given ourselves. Even the positive outcomes of our own hard work depend, at least to some extent, on factors beyond our control. No one works harder than a farmer, and no one knows better how much the harvest depends on the right balances of sun, rain, and earth.

Even as we express our gratitude for God’s good gifts,

We receive the gift of gratitude itself;
Pressed down and overflowing.

Let us seek the way of pure kindness…

In the name of the Father.

Let us shut the door on anxiety…

In the name of Jesus.

Let us remember beauty…

In the name of the Holy Spirit.

Even as we express our gratitude for God’s good gifts,

We receive the gift of gratitude itself;
Pressed down and overflowing…
Pressed down and overflowing.

Amen


(Pastor Scott Burnett)

Monday, November 17, 2008

"A Thank You!"

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Romans 1:16
We recently received some very nice letters thanking us for the wonderful ministries of Washington Cathedral. I was given permission to share one of them with you.
Dear Pastor Tim,
(And each of the Pastors that have shown so much of Jesus’ love.)

Almost 9 years have passed since I came in to see you saying I had cancer. I will never forget how you encouraged me, anointed me with oil and prayed. After nearly a year of treatment, my cancer has not returned. Thanks also for all of your encouraging sermons!

Pastor Naomi, you were so faithful in visiting Richard in his last days in the hospital. He loved it when you sang to him. Thanks for dropping everything to be with my family after Richard passed away.

Pastor Michael, thanks for helping with Richard’s memorial service and for the big smile and hug on Sunday mornings.

Rhonda, I want to thank you for the beautiful songs you sang at Richard’s service.

Marilyn, you have been so loving and faithful in our Sunday morning TLC. Thanks for all of your prayers, lessons and love.

Many, many others have touched my life at Washington Cathedral. What a wonderful church! My blessings and prayers for each of you.

I love you all,
Isabelle Booe
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17
Isn’t it great to be part of such an incredible church!
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Tim White

Monday, November 10, 2008

"Adoption!"

I was reminded recently by Stephanie Koster, a member of our church, that November is the month of Adoption in the United States. She shared with me her blessing of adopting her daughter, Jackie. Then I was reminded that in our choir we have our own little Roxxy Blair who received the blessing of being adopted as a baby by her family. What a blessing it is to be adopted! We have many of our church members who have received this blessing, either by being adopted themselves or by adopting a child into their family. And the blessing continues as those adopted children grow to be a blessing to all of the people around them! Our church just wouldn’t be the same without Jackie Koster and Roxxy Blair who insist on pouring out dozens of hours a month to be great encouragers of others!

This blessing of adoption so closely aligns itself with our Washington Cathedral culture.

Look at our Purpose Statement, Our Mission Statement and Core Values and see if you don’t agree:

Washington Cathedral Purpose Statement:
Care for the people you find and find people to care

Washington Cathedral Mission Statement:
“Building the greatest caring network the world has ever seen by empowering people to begin their journey into a growing faith in Jesus Christ and live in a healthy community of Christ Followers!”

Washington Cathedral 10 Core Values:
#1 We believe a Christ centered positive faith is essential!
#2 We prize greatly a joyful servant lifestyle!
#3 We cannot imagine being anything but a church that reaches unchurched people!
#4 We value highly, diversity and the dialogue of healthy life-long friendships!
#5 Our aim is always towards being a grace-filled community!
#6 We cherish God’s word and walking in the Spirit!
#7 We consider living out the good news of the Kingdom of God and relying on miracles as essential!
#8 We value highly ministry to protect our environment and ministry from the beauty of nature!

#9 We believe teamwork and the collaborative approach is absolutely necessary!
#10 We value highly, excellence and investing our lives in a philanthropic joint effort to make our world a better place!

Have you taken the time to adopt a child in our congregation to be an extra “auntie” or “uncle” to encourage them in their dreams? Have you noticed a single mom or dad who would benefit from having an extra “dad” or “mom”, “grandpa” or “grandma” to encourage them as they raise their children? It’s not hard to do. Just be available andallow God’s love to pour through you! You can follow in the footsteps of last weeks Beatitude in the book of Mathew:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matt.5:6 NIV

As Pastor Tim said recently….. these are the people who just do something right… because they KNOW it’s the right thing to do!

Pastor Naomi

Monday, November 3, 2008

"Harvest of Abundance!"

Autumn stirs my soul. It is Creation’s cool-down toward winter’s deep rest and recovery. And it is also the time of harvest and celebration. It is the doorway to the Holidays. Trees become bare, but not without flamboyant outbursts of color.

God’s economy is an un-hoarded surplus.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 6:37-38)

Shaken together and running over… What a picture!

Jesus announced the hilarious more-than-enough-ness of following him. And he made it very clear that this abundance is harvested from the fertile field of generosity. We enjoy more than enough of what we need for real life as we plant goodness in our relationships.

Pastor Scott Burnett