Dear Friends,

A recurring theme in the Bible is the God’s call  to communities and individuals. Often, the details of those calls are vivid and dramatic. Moses turns aside from his shepherding to see a burning bush. Paul is thrown to the ground by a heavenly vision and the voice of Christ calling out to him. Mary has the routines of her day in Nazareth interrupted by the appearance of the angel Gabriel.

How clear were those calls! And yet there is also the story of Samuel, who listened one night again and again in the temple, until he finally understood that it was God who was calling his name. The call can come with with clarity. But it can also come through repeated thoughts and urgings.

Perhaps you have experienced what I have more than once –  thinking repeatedly about someone or some situation,  and discovering that when I finally write a note or respond to an urge to help,  I am in fact responding to God’s call.

The Holy Spirit speaks through wind and flame, but also through whispers and wondering. You will note that this week’s News and Notes is rather lengthy – full of all kinds of invitations to participate in events and programs here in the parish and beyond. As you read through, you might consider whether some urging or nagging thought is in fact the work of the Spirit in your life, inviting you more deeply into all that God is doing in and through you.

Faithfully,

Tom