FROM OUR PASTOR
Sunday, August 22, 2021
“I rejoice with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
—Psalm 122:1
To have such a ravishingly beautiful sanctuary so strategically located in this enchanted forest is staggering and inviting. First as well as long-time attendees are inspired by the beauty and atmosphere of this chapel. It is a place of quiet reflection, joyful worship, majestic music––and one leaves the better and richer for it.
Preaching is treated with respect here by those of us who do it and those who share in it. Frankly, I must slave at sermons. You would think after forty-three years as an ordained clergy certain things would come more easily, like preaching. I do not find this so. I am haunted by the fear of sounding stale. The art is to re-present the thrill of the gospel imaginatively, sincerely, and accurately. It takes all I have to maintain this ideal. I am blessed by a keen and dedicated congregation who challenge us preachers with their attention, intellect, and encouragement. There is a great deal
for which to thank God!!
King Solomon likewise was uplifted and in awe as he approached the altar in the newly completed Temple. As he lifts his hands to pray, he proclaims “O God, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the skies above or in the earth below who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and relentlessly loves them…”
I invite you to walk through the doors of the chapel this day to once again encounter our majestic God who relentlessly loves YOU!!!
