“Back to Abnormal”
Tour title for Trevor Noah
Friends in Christ,
Noah and Namaah were changed by the flood. Moses and Miriam were changed by the plagues. Everyone around him was changed by the Good News as well as the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. If we have not been changed by the last nineteen months we’ve missed something.
Along with Trevor Noah, we’re not going back to normal, and it is certainly our Christian call not to go back to abnormal. If Isaiah and Jesus are right, we’re called forward to something better, even what John calls a new heaven and a new earth.
In the last month our Church Council has sent a large donation to the Hope Central UCC Church in JP (from our Capital Mission funds) to help them winterize for the season ahead. Council has approved another large gift ($8,000) for capital improvements at a hospital in Haiti. Thank you for not going back to normal.
Also this month our Christian Education program welcomed over 20 children each of two weeks to renew our classrooms and methods, one week by making over a hundred sandwiches for the Waltham Day Center. Thank you, too.
During the month ahead we’ll organize again along with Temple Shalom in West Newton to support at least one Afghan family to re-settle in the area. Nothing normal about that, except our great collegiality with Shalom.
We intend to re-start our Christian Anti-Racism group this month, and we thank God for that, so we can address the abnormal.
All through we are striving to be a Christ’s Church in worship, teaching our children and serving our world. It was an abnormal world to God’s eye in February of 2020 when the pandemic began and we are called not to make it normal but moral, meaningful and in touch with the immortal. If you can help with the refugee effort, by bringing your children to our safe spaces or bringing your voice to prayer and discussions, please do. We can’t wait to see you again. There is so much that has changed, and so much that remains the same, such as God’s call for us to love with all our heart and serve with all our wisdom.
Peace to you, Ken