Psalm 23: My cup runneth over.
Remember those old words? That is not a description of an unfortunate encounter with a pop dispenser. Those words describe the abundance of our lives. In the last week, my cup, my minutes, my days have been filled with abundance, and I am grateful.
On Friday night a group of women presented a worship service here at West Des Moines United Methodist Church in response to sexual violence. The service was beautiful and sad and honest.
From Saturday through Tuesday I attended the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This is the time when Methodists from across the state gather to talk and pray and worship as a way of discerning where God might be leading us. A few months ago the world-wide United Methodist Church reaffirmed a 1972 UMC law that prohibited the ordination of LGBTQ persons and same-sex marriages. So this year at the Iowa Annual Conference, the big question was: Are LGBTQ persons fully welcome in the United Methodist Church? The clergy and laity at Annual Conference discussed, debated, prayed, and, in the end, voted to express their disapproval of the prohibitions. This does not end the prohibitions. There is still more discussion, debate, and prayer to do, but in short, the answer to the big question was yes, LGBTQ persons are welcome in the West Des Moines United Methodist Church.
And last week I helped officiate at a funeral. The person who had died was a husband, father, and a grandfather. He was also a firefighter and a person of faith. I stood with family and friends as they remembered and cried and thanked God for their loved one.
This may not sound like the sorts of things that make cups runneth over. But there is an abundance here. An abundance of connection. An abundance of opportunity to address pain. An abundance of opportunity to make a difference. An abundance of courage in the people I encountered. And hope? Hope runneth over too. Hope in the strength God gives us when we come together. Hope in the plans God has for us.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Those words also come from the 23rd Psalm. In all this, I feel goodness and mercy creating my path and the house of the Lord opening its doors to me.
May your cup runneth over.
Blessings,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org
On Sunday’s we worship in a traditional way at 8:30 and in a casual way at 11. You are invited!
This week at WDMUMC:
The Mission Trip Team leaves on Saturday for Cuba! Keep this group in your prayers as they celebrate our faith with the people of Cuba.
District Superintendent Heecheon Jeon will preach this Sunday at 8:30. Our district superintendent has been a great friend to our church. Come and hear what he has to say about “Hope Made Real.” At our 11 am service, our intern Priscilla Joel will lead "worship to go". Come and see what she has planned!
Faith & Grace Garden is looking for volunteers to help in the garden, green thumb optional. The garden is located near St Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Ashworth. Get your friends and small groups together and spend some time in the garden. Volunteer times are Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 – 7:30 PM and Tuesday and Thursdays 8:30 – 10:30 AM. Friday and Saturday by appointment. To sign up go to growthefood.org and look for their latest newsletter. From there you can go to the link to sign up. Enjoy the spring and summer weather and help out our community.
Annual Conference If you would like to know more about what happened at Annual Conference, check out https://ac2019.iaumc.org/
Saturday is World Juggling Day! So juggle something!
No comments:
Post a Comment