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Dear friends in Christ, I wanted to remind you of our covenant to pray for those who are struggling in the Middle East with the rise of ISIS. Many are being displaced and having to leave their homes because of the growing threat of terrorism. I read yesterday that Turkey has as many as 1.3 million refugees. As mentioned also on Sunday, Christianity is today the religious group most likely to be persecuted. We are asking each of you to pause wherever you are on Thursdays at noon and pray for these who are suffering. I invite you also to pray for our political leaders as they seek to lead us through these troubling times. We are seeking information within our denomination so that we can better inform you as to how we can pray and support those in need. To guide you in your prayer, a friend sent me a marvelous hymn/poem written by Brian Wren. It's called "When Pain And Terror Strike By Chance." I wanted to share it with you. When pain and terror strike by chance, with causes unexplained, when God seems absent or asleep, and evil unrestrained, we crave an all-controlling force, ready to rule and warn, but find, far-shadowed by a cross, a child in weakness born. We marvel at God's nakedness and sense the play of chance in Herod's anger, Peter's growth, and Pilate's troubled glance.
Our Savior's tempted, tested way never was cut and dried, but costly, risking life and love, betrayed and crucified. How deep the Wisdom of our God, how weak, but truly wise, to risk, to sacrifice, to die, and from the grave arise, to shed the shroud of death and fate, freeing our hearts for good. We breathe the ample air of hope and take our chance with God. Since Wisdom took its chance on earth, to show God's living way, we'll trust that fear and force will fail, and Wisdom win the day. Then, come, dear Christ, and hold us fast when faith and hope are torn, and bring us, in your loving arms, to resurrection morn. Finally, it was good to welcome new members Emma Taylor, John, Rachel, and Margaret Rose Champion, Edith Baxter, Camden Davis, Elizabeth Faucette, and Harper Trevathan to our Brentwood campus as well as Wesley and Amber Gomes as new members of our Trinity Church. Welcome to our church community. The peace of Christ be with you!
Davis