Hello everyone,
I’m at the stage where some of my mentors and heroes are dying. On occasion I’ve been caught out not having made time to tell them how much their life, work and support meant. Other times I have managed to express my gratitude in time for them to hear it.
Something happens to us when we express gratitude. It’s easy, especially in winter, to only see the darker side, to feel life’s a burden. We must intentionally re-set for an “attitude of gratitude”.
This morning I was grateful for the Traffic Management guy achieving very smoothly the feat of my driving into St Andrew’s carpark and letting a van drive out, while keeping straight-through traffic still moving along The Terrace. Likewise, those doing the footpath-works for which he was managing the traffic have been especially cooperative in facilitating our events being able to continue. They might be grateful we have a porch the public can use as alternative footpath while they work!
I was grateful to a small group of climate change protestors in our congregation who held an email conversation last week over the St Andrew’s submission. (You can read it in the order of service.) Their contributions meant pulling it together was much easier. We made the submission date!
I am grateful to those who quietly offer pastoral care and support to those who need it. In a gathered church, local connections can be more important and effective than centralised ones.
Each night before sleep, you might like (if you don’t already) to give thanks for one thing for which you feel grateful. Let’s privilege gratitude. We can brood on irritating, disappointing and annoying things, but that does not profit us or others in any way, whereas gratitude does. Practice gratitude.
Paul Barber is our Treasurer. On Monday at 11am he and his family will be expressing their gratitude for the life of their mother and grandmother at Diane Barber’s service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Anglican, Paraparaumu. It is always difficult when a parent dies. We wish Paul and his family every sympathy and assure them of our love and support. Being a treasurer at St Andrew’s is not the easiest tasks as you might imagine and we are grateful for Paul’s service in our life together.
At the Sunday Gathering we’ll mine the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well for fresh symbolic insights. The Exploring Faith study group will follow – we’ll be discussing chapter 4 of Religion as Metaphor. I’d be grateful if you would read the chapter and bring your copy with you!
Susan
To view the full e-news click here https://mailchi.mp/bed5036ac571/this-weeks-newsletter-from-st-andrews-on-the-terrace-1492089
