Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brethren. (Thessalonians 5:27)
Subject: Re: Devotion for November 13
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:31:50 -0800
From: Bob McKee <pastor.mckee@gmail.com>
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Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:31:50 -0800
Message-ID: <AANLkTi=m_wZTX1KwbP8hXzF685_W7Yny8QeH4KU-X6oC@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Devotion for November 13
From: Bob McKee <pastor.mckee@gmail.com>
To: scvlp@googlegroups.com
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David,
Thanks for this very human letter that helps us connect with the living God=
.
Bob

On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 10:46 AM, David Bonde <pastorbonde@gmail.com> wrote=
:

> This devotion is written for the congregation as the lead to our
> annual report this year.  I thought it lost something when I tried to
> delete the references to our congregational life, so I am giving it to
> you as I gave it to the congregation.
>
> ---
>
> Some years ago I was sitting at a kitchen table visiting with a family
> at the death of their father.  It was the year after Anna had been
> killed, so we sat around that table, cradling coffee mugs, not as a
> religious leader with answers to give, but as fellow travelers on one
> of the painful roads of life.  There, at that table, one of the
> daughters unburdened her own story of her family out riding bicycles
> with their toddler in a bicycle seat on the back, helmets on, enjoying
> the warm summer day, when a car veered off the road, struck her, and
> killed her child.  There are no answers for such things, only the
> shared wounds of a broken world where the incomprehensible happens,
> and where death stalks us all.
>
> But there is more than shared wounds, we were sitting at that table as
> people who had heard a message that the grave was open, the crucified
> one risen.  The ache of grief is not our inheritance; God has promised
> grace and life for the world.
>
> Congregations are funny things.  As any collection of human beings, we
> are communities with all the usual human failings.  We can be petty.
> We gossip.  We get territorial over stuff.  We gripe.  We
> pontificate.  We are afraid.  We are jealous.  It=92s the nature of the
> human beast.  But we can also be kind and generous.  We weep for one
> another, pray for one another, visit one another, care for one
> another.  That, too, is the nature of the human creature.
>
> There is a lot of pressure for the church to be a meaningful social
> agency in the community: to have healthy programs for youth, for
> families, for seniors; to help the homeless, to feed the hungry, to
> contribute to those in need, to visit the sick; to have vibrant
> worship, inspiring preaching and good coffee.  But the truth is we are
> ultimately a community gathered around the kitchen table sharing the
> story of an empty tomb, a Holy Spirit, and the healing of the world
> that has already begun.
>
> There have been a lot of good things that have happened here in
> 2009-2010 =96 the first steps in implementing the new mission statement,
> the gifts for the playground, the preparations to build that
> playground, the preparations to be able to host a school, the initial
> work on a long range vision for our building and the brainstorming on
> our organizational structure.
>
> There has also been sadness: some who have died, some who have moved
> away, some who have been injured or ill.
>
> And there have been new people participating in the life of our
> community, participating in worship, attending activities,
> participating in Bible studies.
>
> I thank those who have contributed so much of their time and energy to
> our life together =96 I wish I could name them all.  And I also thank
> those whose work of witness, whose acts of kindness, whose prayers for
> others are hidden from view but are no less valuable to our life
> together.  But in the midst of all this, my job is above all to remind
> us that we are not just an organization with a people and a program,
> but a community with a story to tell: heaven has touched earth in
> Jesus and our healing has begun.
>
> Pastor Bonde
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "SCVLP" group.
> To post to this group, send email to scvlp@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> scvlp+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com <scvlp%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com>=
.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/scvlp?hl=3Den.
>
>

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David,<div>Thanks for this very human letter that helps us connect with the=
 living God.</div><div>Bob<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 12=
, 2010 at 10:46 AM, David Bonde <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:pas=
torbonde@gmail.com">pastorbonde@gmail.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1p=
x #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">This devotion is written for the congregati=
on as the lead to our<br>
annual report this year. =A0I thought it lost something when I tried to<br>
delete the references to our congregational life, so I am giving it to<br>
you as I gave it to the congregation.<br>
<br>
---<br>
<br>
Some years ago I was sitting at a kitchen table visiting with a family<br>
at the death of their father. =A0It was the year after Anna had been<br>
killed, so we sat around that table, cradling coffee mugs, not as a<br>
religious leader with answers to give, but as fellow travelers on one<br>
of the painful roads of life. =A0There, at that table, one of the<br>
daughters unburdened her own story of her family out riding bicycles<br>
with their toddler in a bicycle seat on the back, helmets on, enjoying<br>
the warm summer day, when a car veered off the road, struck her, and<br>
killed her child. =A0There are no answers for such things, only the<br>
shared wounds of a broken world where the incomprehensible happens,<br>
and where death stalks us all.<br>
<br>
But there is more than shared wounds, we were sitting at that table as<br>
people who had heard a message that the grave was open, the crucified<br>
one risen. =A0The ache of grief is not our inheritance; God has promised<br=
>
grace and life for the world.<br>
<br>
Congregations are funny things. =A0As any collection of human beings, we<br=
>
are communities with all the usual human failings. =A0We can be petty.<br>
We gossip. =A0We get territorial over stuff. =A0We gripe. =A0We<br>
pontificate. =A0We are afraid. =A0We are jealous. =A0It=92s the nature of t=
he<br>
human beast. =A0But we can also be kind and generous. =A0We weep for one<br=
>
another, pray for one another, visit one another, care for one<br>
another. =A0That, too, is the nature of the human creature.<br>
<br>
There is a lot of pressure for the church to be a meaningful social<br>
agency in the community: to have healthy programs for youth, for<br>
families, for seniors; to help the homeless, to feed the hungry, to<br>
contribute to those in need, to visit the sick; to have vibrant<br>
worship, inspiring preaching and good coffee. =A0But the truth is we are<br=
>
ultimately a community gathered around the kitchen table sharing the<br>
story of an empty tomb, a Holy Spirit, and the healing of the world<br>
that has already begun.<br>
<br>
There have been a lot of good things that have happened here in<br>
2009-2010 =96 the first steps in implementing the new mission statement,<br=
>
the gifts for the playground, the preparations to build that<br>
playground, the preparations to be able to host a school, the initial<br>
work on a long range vision for our building and the brainstorming on<br>
our organizational structure.<br>
<br>
There has also been sadness: some who have died, some who have moved<br>
away, some who have been injured or ill.<br>
<br>
And there have been new people participating in the life of our<br>
community, participating in worship, attending activities,<br>
participating in Bible studies.<br>
<br>
I thank those who have contributed so much of their time and energy to<br>
our life together =96 I wish I could name them all. =A0And I also thank<br>
those whose work of witness, whose acts of kindness, whose prayers for<br>
others are hidden from view but are no less valuable to our life<br>
together. =A0But in the midst of all this, my job is above all to remind<br=
>
us that we are not just an organization with a people and a program,<br>
but a community with a story to tell: heaven has touched earth in<br>
Jesus and our healing has begun.<br>
<br>
Pastor Bonde<br>
<font color=3D"#888888"><br>
--<br>
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roup/scvlp?hl=3Den" target=3D"_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/scvlp?=
hl=3Den</a>.<br>
<br>
</font></blockquote></div><br></div>

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