Blessed Sunday to all!! Worship was so wonderful today. I made some connections between Elijah, Elisha and the transfiguration of Jesus. (It was one of those “got it” moments) Pastor Joel is amazing. The music was especially exciting today. We sang “Breathe.” “Breathe” was the last song Casey ever sang and he sang it with Bruce. I sang this song as I served communion today at the altar. I am not sure I said the words “The blood of Christ shed for you” each time I served the wine because I was so caught up in the words of the song. I find it so profound that at the time he sang with Bruce, Casey had one lung completely overtaken by cancer and the other one covered in all but about 20%. So I served with tears streaming down my face and thought so much about my son. I was sharing these feelings with Pastor Joel and we both agreed that Casey got to sing this song all the time. And I was once again assured that Casey is just fine and God holds him in His hand all the time.

Deuteronomy 7: 9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”

God loves us so much that He sent His own son to die because of His love for us. Jesus died for our sin so we do not have to die in our sin. God loves us so much that He came to earth in the body of Jesus Christ so that His Son could stand in between us and the Father so when we go before God, we go transfigured because of our transformation by the love of God in Jesus Christ. God made His covenant of love with the nation of Israel and then offered us His love in Jesus to continue for a “thousand generations.” I think we are among the thousand generations.

God called Moses, Elijah and Jesus into a life of obedience. Jesus called Peter and John into a life of obedience. The mantle was passed down to Elisha by Elijah. The ministry was passed down by Jesus to Peter and John. And Peter and John passed down the ministry of reconciliation down to the remaining apostles and they in turn passed it on to the early church and, eventually, to us. Our challenge is to obediently pass along our lives of faith and God’s love onto the next generations.

As I prepare to be a spiritual director for the upcoming Happening Weekend, I am wrestling with this challenge. What will I do to further the kingdom of God in this group of teenagers? My own young adult children will be there in positions of leadership. In what ways will I show them the love of God and help them to understand how important it is to continue to grow in their faith? And in what ways will I let them know that the God who claims to be the God of their lives…is God? The same God of Elisha, Moses, Jesus, Peter and John is our God and …is God!

The Holy Scriptures say, “He is your God. We are profoundly and amazingly blessed.

Take joy in the journey. Love you all. Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.
Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.