Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
and do no evil to their friends,
nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
and do not take a bribe against the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be moved.
This morning in staff meeting we read this psalm and then went back and prayed each line for ourselves: Lord, I long to abide in your tent... Lord, may I dwell on your holy hill.....
Perhaps right now you could take a moment and pray each sentence for yourself - ask God to help you walk blamelessly and do what is right, that you should not slander or take a bribe. Take a few minutes to engage personally with each phrase and delight in the truth that God will help us to be people who 'shall never be moved'. And then perhaps visualise lifting the Lord's tent flap and entering in. You may also want to head on to Psalm 27 v5 and breathe deeply into the fact that the Lord's tent is offered to us as a place of refuge and safety from the hurly-burly of life. What might it mean to you to take some time in the Lord's tent - to quietly let your anxieties seep away as you allow him to be with you?
Sarah was in her tent in Gen 18:1-15, when she encountered the Lord. Perhaps you will find yourself smiling like Sarah as you recognise the goodness of the Lord (not that she got it at that point... but eventually she understood! Sometimes it takes a while for us to learn to hear) - so the first step may be to allow yourself to exhale - and be present and to allow the Lord to speak.
ORDINATION
What a delightful Sunday this past one was! If you missed David’s ordination you can watch the whole service on YouTube. So grateful that we can be witnesses to the work God is doing in the lives of each member of our community: and how lovely to see David’s call to a life of clergy service be confirmed. As always it was delightful having +John and Meg with us - we are holding tight to these moments even as we know +John’s retirement is now on the horizon. Next up - Amy will be ordained to the priesthood on Dec 26, 2021 … and Quauhtli is also in the pipeline!
BAPTISMS We will be offering an opportunity for baptism on Jan 9, 2022 (the first Sunday after Epiphany) and then on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022. If you are interested either for yourself or for a baby or child please fill in this form as we will have pre-baptism classes for children, adults and parents!
THANKSGIVING
Got a space? Fill a space? Will you be in Arlington for Thanksgiving? Would you like to be thankful with other members of our community? Fill out this form and we’ll try to make a match!
MOVING
Yes! We are moving - save the date - new year, new worship space! We will be moving to Randolph Elementary School for Sunday worship from Jan 2. You can read about this missional move here - and get involved by letting us know you’d like to help! We will be offering a couple of days in Nov/Dec when we can pack up the Chapel, Atrium, Nursery and offices and we would LOVE your help! Look out for opportunities! Also - know anything about buying vans? Email me :) Seriously - email me now. Today.
MEN
This Thursday, Oct 21 @8pm - join with other Incarnation men for the first 'Third Thursday': you can find the zoom link here. AND you can also join with power hour on Friday morning at 7am. GO MEN!
Nov 7: All Saints and Child Safety Training
If someone you love has died this last year please send a photograph and their name to Amy, so we can add them to our list to remember publicly on Nov 7 in the service. On the 7th we also have a child safety training after the service (we'll give you lunch!!) - sign up today.
So grateful for you all. Let's go for a walk or have a coffee! And see you at 10am for church this Sunday - under the canopy :)
With love,
Your pastor,
Liz