"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdo

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In reading the news of the day we can sometimes think that there is much to fear in our world. There are even those who seek to exploit what is fearful in an effort to create division and strife among us. But we worship a God who tells us over and over and over again to not be afraid. I've been thinking about this a lot lately... really, it's hard not to think of this!

As I've contemplated the temptation towards fear I've realized that we have a great opportunity to share the love of God with those around us.

How? By living the grace that we received.

How, again? By treating others with the kindness that we have experienced through Jesus.

You see, one of the unfortunate attitudes that accompany fear, is suspicion (or even hatred) of people we do not know. This suspicion then becomes circular as those who do not know us are also suspicious. So, a simple sounding remedy is to move beyond our comfort zones and build relationships with others. Some simple first steps here are: to be kind, to refrain from passing on unkind words; to learn to recognize God's presence in the world and among the stranger; to be patient; and to above all pray for those we encounter.

This is obviously not a complete list. Maybe you have some suggestions to add and I would be welcome to receive them and share them with our congregation.

Along these lines, in response to some of the violence that we have experienced lately we have been exhibiting cross displays on our lawn. The first display was a little over a year ago, after Charleston. Then, in response to the murders in Orlando, some of us gathered to paint 50 crosses in colors of the rainbow and placed them on our lawn. The response to this display has been amazing and it leads me to believe that we have a great opportunity to share the love of God with our neighbors.

Just this past Sunday I was walking home from worship and a man stopped me on the street and said, "I owe you a thank you." As I had not previously met this man I wondered, "what for?" But before I could ask he said, "that display of crosses was beautiful." He then went on to share more about how the memorial display touched his heart, as well as to share with me some of his own struggles that he is dealing with. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet a neighbor who happened to be Jewish. I was able to experience another aspect of God's kingdom that day.

My hope and prayer is that we, and all of God's children, can find ways to build relationships with our neighbors so that instead of the possibility of fear we experience the reality of God's kingdom on earth.

May the peace of Christ be with you all.

Some other news:

• Please join us for a cake reception after worship to celebrate the baptism of Ryan and welcome our new members, Anna and Sami.