Greetings, family and friends. I bring you peace and love in the name of God made flesh!

Sunday morning was a difficult morning for all of us. No one was prepared to hear the news that Max had for the church. I know that I am not alone in feeling a bit confused and worried. I wish I could tell you what was happening and where we are going from here as a church. The upcoming days and weeks will answer whatever questions we have and calm our concerns.

What I can tell you is that God is always present with us. God does not leave any of us alone, even when we sometimes feel anxious and overwhelmed. In Matthew 18 and Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep. Jesus wants them to know and wants us to know now that we are God’s beloved, and God will pursue us relentlessly to shower us in God’s love. Jesus was comparing the actions of the shepherd with the actions of God when one of us is “lost.” The interpretation of this parable clearly lets us know that individually, there is nothing God will not do to be in relationship with us. What we forget is that a shepherd watching over a flock of sheep is not God. While the shepherd cannot be in two places at once, God never leaves the 99 alone. God is all-powerful, always present, all-knowing, and all-loving. God can be with the many while seeking us all out individually. We read in Psalm 139, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

I have a note on my computer at the hospital. Just a small visual reminder of the good news of Jesus Christ. The note says, “do not let darkness have the final word!” No matter what we face, we are never alone. No matter how great the suffering, how scary the situation, or how sad our hearts become, God made flesh is more powerful than all of it. The Almighty creator of the universes and of things seen and not seen watches over us and walks beside us continuously. We cannot go away from God; we cannot flee God’s presence. God knows where we are, even when we feel lost.

My love to all of you,
Mary