Goodness Weekly 7.11.22
“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That's one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.”
– Fred Rogers
Partner Updates:
Save the date for The Market at Sunset Ridge – hosted with our partners Dezynr & Rosehip Coffee!
We are so excited about this next market that Nadia & Katie are curating to encourage and support local small businesses, build community and sustainability. Come out and spend time with your neighbors!
What’s Good:
Simone Bates is one month old!! She is beautiful, healthy, and surrounded with so much love. Send lots of prayers to the Bates family as she continues to grow!
Good Work:
Community Care Team -
This is a team of people committed to helping to care for our neighbors. We will do this by showing up for a neighbor who is feeling lonely, taking meals when they’re needed, etc. This week we will have a QR code on our Food Pantry to invite people to share other needs that they have & invite you to sign up to help meet those needs.
Sign up using this link:
Message from Jess:
Our elder, Larry Bob Moore, serving our neighbors in one of his many roles at CAM
I was talking to a friend recently who was having some tests done due to health concerns. The tests all came back pointing to one root cause—stress. The remedy was simple—reduce stress.
And as we were talking we were laughing about how much easier it would be if the doctor would have prescribed a medication, given some strict dietary guidelines, anything that would have come with a checklist to mark off and move about the day.
Reduce stress, find more calm, practice a little more peace—these are too nuanced, too subjective, kind of like love your neighbor as yourself.
When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to the lawyer, he didn’t give a blueprint, it wasn’t prescriptive. It was so simple, in fact, that this brainy teacher of the law could only respond to the question Jesus asked—who was the neighbor? – with the answer, the one who showed kindness.
Loving our neighbor feels a bit like the prescription to reduce stress because we, like the lawyer, like the Galatian people we talked about a couple of weeks ago, enjoy the comfort of the guidelines, the clarity of the instruction manual. Jesus didn’t give a lot of those, instead he said watch how I do it, and to the lawyer— go and do likewise.
Kindness is not being nice, but it is a word like mercy, compassion, grace, and goodness. It’s a deep word that takes deep work and it starts with seeing the other person as a person. Kindness stays when you leave; it says—you’re not alone in this world, we are all connected to one another. To be a neighbor is to acknowledge the interconnectedness of each of us, it is to live a communal life that depends on the other person. May we follow this path of goodness and kindness, bearing good fruit in the world.
Join me this week in rooting each day in kindness, seeing the other person as our neighbor & responding with mercy and compassion every chance we can.
Upcoming Events
Sunday, July 17th, 4:30pm Chapel Worship & Liturgy
Tuesday, July 12th, 9:00am Story Time on the lawn
Wednesday, July 13th, 9:00am Coffee & Games at Rose Hip Coffee
Saturday, August 13th, 9am-1pm The Market at Sunset Ridge!!
Morning:
Make me an instrument of your peace, Lord
Help me today to build bridges and extend
olive branches when what I really want to do is put up a wall
I see you, God, extending your love and grace
and mercy and it moves me, Lord
You move me, Lord
Move me to kindness and goodness
Move me to good fruit and as we move together
may everything I do be a signpost to you.
Amen.
Evening:
God of every good and perfect gift, thank you for today
I saw so many unique faces of you today
Thank you for the people who showed me
a little more of who you are
May my heart and soul find rest in you tonight
May your creation find peace and comfort
May you awaken me tomorrow,
ready to bear your love and your light in the world.
Amen.
