Notes for the Week Second Sunday of Easter April 19 2020

Dear friends,

Over the last year or so there has been a recurring prayer in my heart: “Gracious God, show us the way to become more visible, more valued by those who pass our way each day.  Lead us out of our wilderness of uncertainty.  Should we make a bigger sign? More signs?  Colorful signs?  Should we install one of those $20,000 digital signs. Please God, show us the way.”

And God did.

Because God knows we didn’t want to be famous.  Our desire to be seen wasn’t about pride, or trying to grow or trying to impress anyone, it was about reaching more of God’s people, to bring them a sense of belonging, to allow them to go deeper into themselves, to find a way toward God’s love and renewed hope.
So, we put up a cross for Easter during Holy Week, and on Easter Sunday we covered it with flowers.  We acted with faithful sincerity for the betterment of our community and for the community surrounding us.  We acted with love, faithfully acting in a way we prayed was acceptable to God.

And God answered our love offering.  With a package of seeds.  Seeds of Hope.
And after leaving lunch bags at the foot of the Cross during Holy Week, we received these notes in response:

“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Because of this blessing my family won’t be hungry tonight
In this troubling time with so much darkness, the Lords light shines brighter than ever! God Bless U!
NMacaks”

And this….

“My kids want to say thank you for the yummy food! They hope this blessing will continue.
My son said, “Mom! This church is doing just like Jesus. He would always help and feed his people (any) people in need.”
We thank you! Love, Macaks”

And this….

Upper left corner:
Hand from a cloud and the statement “God’s Blessing” with “rays” drawn down to the cross.
Upper right corner: Drawing of an angel (and I think the text is “God’s angel”
Lower left corner: Drawing of an adult with two children saying, “Thank you Lord!” and a drawing of food packages)
Lower right corner: Drawing of cross with a spotlight on either side of the base.

God bless you, Macaks, for blessing us with your words and for allowing us to “hear” God’s words and to witness God’s love.

I am humbled by the simplicity of what we have been searching for.  It has been here all along.  After all our earthly hand wringing about how to become more visible, it took God and God’s people in our community, to show us the way out of our bewilderment.

A cross will be permanently installed at the site of our reader board.  It will serve to remind us, as it will remind all who see it, of how and when it first appeared there, and that it was in 2020, during COVID-19, when the doors of the church were closed, but God was still present.

We will design a cross that will be a place for prayers to be left, food to be found and that, once a year, will be converted to a flowered Cross to remind us all of the miracle of Resurrection and Hope that never dies.   And maybe we’ll put those lights at its base, as a little child imagined.

All these gifts from God.  Just love of God and our neighbor. We give thanks to the One who hears all our prayers.
We journey together,
Mother Esme+

“And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

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