First of all, on behalf of our entire family let me say "Thank you" for all the expressions of love and concern, and for all the prayers, at the recent death of my mother, Shirley MacKenzie Wilton. The cards, the memorial gifts, the expressions of concern, the hot meals, and most of all, the presence of so many of you at the visiting hours and at last Saturday's memorial service meant more than words can say.

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease more than ten years ago. That led to her move back up to New Jersey from North Carolina, so she would have family members nearby to accompany her on her long journey through that debilitating illness. This church community meant a great deal to her, for as long as she was able to make sense of the worship services - and even after, as members of the Board of Deacons, the Elisabeth-Verdella Circle of PW, and other friends visited her at Harrogate, where she lived. Special thanks to her Harrogate neighbors, Ched and Ruth Church, who always looked out for her and often gave her rides to Sunday worship, and to Pastor Linda, who led the memorial service with sensitivity and grace.

"Blest be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love," goes the old hymn. We have been comforted by those ties of love in recent months and years, and we thank you for it.

Now, on to Sunday!

Our sermon text comes from chapter 3 of Paul's letter to the Philippians: "...their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior..."

There are so many experiences in life that conspire to fix our minds on "earthly things." It's so easy to stumble through our days, looking down at the ground, never regarding the majesty of the heavens.

Amidst the daily struggle of living, learning and getting along with others, it takes a conscious effort to pause, to look up, to aspire to the higher way of living set out for us in the scriptures.

Once it was common, in schools and other institutions of society, to speak of cultivating virtues. Being a virtuous person was an admired goal, something to aspire to. There's a good deal of moral relativism out there these days, so the old language about virtues isn't so intelligible to many people. Here in the church, though, we don't need to apologize for it. We still aim high, striving to live up to the example of Jesus Christ.

There's a place for you in worship this Sunday. Together, let us aim high!