A MESSAGE FROM REV. LINDSEY ALTVATER CLIFTON:
RESPONDING TO GOD’S GRACIOUS LOVE
Greetings, friends!
This Sunday, we kick off our four-week Stewardship season focused on A Future with Hope.
Seasons of leadership transition and congregational change can often feel disorienting and anxiety-producing: the stability and security of what has been and what is now both have to be held a bit more loosely as we explore what’s next. But we are not the first nor last to wander this wilderness, and there’s deep reassurance, peace, and even HOPE to find in the Scripture stories of how God has faithfully guided other communities through seasons of significant change.
Over the next month, we’ll journey with the Israelites through their wilderness wanderings and hear the holy promises which see them through. God’s promises are at the core of the witness of Scripture, but often we live in the in-between, liminal space between the anticipation of what might be possible and the inheritance of God’s goodness. These ancient stories call us to live in trust of God’s goodness even when faced with uncertainty about what our future might look like, and they remind us that on the other side of God’s promise, there is always, always enough. More than enough.
We’ll also be invited to reflect on our individual stories of faith and generosity and on our collective mission as a congregation so that we might deepen and expand our stewardship practices in response to God’s gracious love.
It is good to be God’s people together, dear ones!
Gratitude and blessings abound,
Lindsey