Thursday in the First Week of Lent

Lenten Devotional 2019
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart!" says Psalm 138. My whole heart. My entire self, which includes the part of me who wants to determine my own version of justice for others, who gets super judgy, who thinks I am better than “the other.” That part of myself keeps me at a distance from other people and from my God. I can be my own worst stumbling block.

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I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart! — Psalm 138:1

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y whole heart. My entire self, which includes the part of me who wants to determine my own version of justice for others, who gets super judgy, who thinks I am better than “the other.” That part of myself keeps me at a distance from other people and from my God. I can be my own worst stumbling block. The enemy I fear most is not another person or some evil force out to get me in the world. Most of the time, my worst enemy is the demon I wrestle in my own heart.

The good news is that my whole heart is also infused with God’s steadfast love. God is with us when we wrestle with ourselves. God loves us through the midst of trouble. And God reaches out to us with light when we grapple in the darkness. Give thanks to God whose love for us enables us to praise God in return…with our whole hearts!

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Newsletter

Parish News: December 21

This week, the rector reflects on Advent’s invitation to hope when circumstances feel bleak or overwhelming. Drawing on Isaiah’s story of King Ahaz and Matthew’s account of Joseph, she explores the tension between realism and trust—between protecting ourselves from disappointment and daring to imagine what God might do. These texts challenge us to notice where cynicism or caution keeps us from hope, and to consider the risks of faithful dreaming. Advent asks whether we can trust that God is truly with us, even in the messiness and brokenness of our world.

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