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Dear San Marco Church Family: You may have noticed that one of my favorite writers is Father Richard Rohr. If you have never read any of his writing, I highly recommend him. Recently, I read the following quote from Father Rohr, “One great idea of the biblical revelation is that God is manifest in the ordinary, in the actual, in the daily, in the now, in the concrete incarnations of life.” Because we live by faith, and not by certainty or by irrefutable evidence, it is important for us to observe evidence of a loving God in our daily interactions. It can be as simple as remembering that every person we meet is a beloved child of God with inherent sacred worth. Of course, not every person we meet feels beloved, and sometimes our role is to remind others that God deeply loves all of humanity and wants us to experience unconditional love. Folks who have been disappointed and hurt in life have a hard time accepting love because of a fear of more disappointment. Yet God calls us to serve as ambassadors of a loving God who is always seeking the good of all humanity. This requires great effort and patience, but Jesus teaches us that serving others is a fundamental source of joy and meaning in our lives. I have found that I need adequate rest and time alone with God before I have the patience and energy to serve effectively. When I am tired and fatigued, I can easily get discouraged. How about you? Have you noticed how difficult it is to see the good all around us when we are exhausted? The takeaway from this thinking is that if we want to see the world and other people as God sees them, we need to take care of ourselves, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. We do so not just for ourselves but for the kingdom of God! This Sunday, August 24, I will be sharing a message based upon Luke 13:10-17. The message title is “Holy Interruptions!” Please read the passage before worship and consider how it might apply to your life now. I look forward to seeing you in worship, and I appreciate your prayers. Steve Hart
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