Thanks be to God
St. David's Episcopal Church | The Rev. Frank Allen | 2.25.2016

"Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
 
Philippians 4:4
Dear People of St. David's,

I pray that you are well, and that this Lent is becoming a time of spiritual renewal and a growing sense of God's grace and love for you in your life and in the life of our community. It's a curious part of the spiritual life, this giving up and taking on we practice in Lent. Somehow, we become so much more aware of God's love, grace and purpose for our lives as we pay more attention to this God, who is always there, and we can be changed into our best selves.

This Lent, I've been focusing on living into the first of Jesus' two great commandments - loving God. Certainly we love God when we love others whom He has made, but we are also called to love God with our whole beings. We can love God by spending time with Him, by coming to worship Him together on Sundays, and by giving and saying thanks to Him.

As a parent, it can be a rare moment when our children thank us for something we've done for them or given to them. Oh, there's the polite thank you for the giving a gift or a vacation, but the deep, heartfelt thanks for our work as parents is often missing, but not missing entirely. I recall times when our sons had some insight about their lives and formation and said thank you to Amy or me from the heart. One came for me, when each of our musical sons thanked me for "making" them take four years of piano and sing in the choir here, at St. David's. Music is a big part of their lives and they understand that among the other gifts we have given, the gift of music has been foundational for their lives. I will admit that and other words of thanks felt pretty good.

Now, I don't know if God feels good about us giving thanks for some gift He has given us. He doesn't need our thanks, but if we're made in God's image, I suspect that He does enjoy our appreciation. Giving thanks to God is an important sign of our relationship and of our trust in Him. Like any parent or friend who receives our thanks for something, there is a deepening of affection and relationship, and so it is with God.

One of the ways we can practice loving and being in love with God is to say "thank you." For many of us, gratitude is the door to the spiritual life and I think you will find it so when you practice giving thanks to God in all things. At the very least, it is a sign of our love for God, who loves us so deeply and completely.

This Lent, I encourage you to give thanks, to rejoice always and in all things, both easy and hard. God will know your love for Him and you will be opened up to the greatest life any of us can ever know.

Grace and Peace.

 Frank Allen
**Please note: Lent Quiet Day, scheduled for this Saturday at 12pm has been canceled.**

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Worship Schedule 2.28.2016
8:00am, 11:15am & 5:00pm | Church
9:15am | Chapel 
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St. David's Episcopal Church
763 South Valley Forge Road | Wayne, PA 19087
610.688.7947

St. David's Episcopal Church | 763 South Valley Forge Road | Wayne | PA | 19087