Have you written your letter yet?

Have you written your letter yet? I am planning on doing that today. By week’s end, I’ll be sure to have done it. I’m writing one to Bethany, one to Addie and even one to our Samuel who is on the way. The intention behind this “Week of Letter Writing” is to bring us closer to God and one another. During these 40 Days of Love, your letter could be to anyone. Maybe it will be a letter seeking or granting forgiveness. You know, forgiving and being forgiven is not solely dependent on someone else’s actions. Forgiveness is the work of God in us. It is the grace of God changing us and moving us to seek and grant forgiveness regardless of whether or not it is reciprocated from the other person.
Our confirmation youth are writing letters to God in addition to other letters they may write. Maybe you could write one to God. I am having a great time with our confirmation youth. Please lift them up in prayer during this intentional faith growing time – Madison Griffin, Riley Shaw, Sana Moran and Dylan Hampton. They are all youth who are regular worshippers with us and active in our youth ministry. They are a thinking group, asking questions and exploring.
This weekend is a very special weekend for them. I am taking them to Houston to experience multiple worship services in the Methodist tradition. The Methodist Church is a diverse church. We are rural and urban, every color, young and old, wealthy, middle class and poor. When you walk into a given United Methodist church, you could find almost any type of worship style approach. We do not all worship the same way but we worship the same God. We all practice Open Table Communion and we all believe in the power of God’s grace, along with several other United Methodist emphases.
Our plan is to experience three very different worship experiences. One is in the Woodlands, TX. It will be a service led by a worship leader playing the guitar, with a short spoken message and a drama to illustrate the Gospel story. It will be in a warehouse space with people drinking coffee during worship. The second experience will be in Houston. It will be a very traditional service with organ, choir and lots of liturgy in a gothic cathedral sanctuary. The final service will be with pastors and a congregation which is almost entirely African-American and well over half of the congregation will be homeless people. It will be a very charismatic experience. The point is, all of these people are worshipping the same God, revealed in Jesus Christ, caught up in the Holy Spirit.
I look forward to sharing this experience with them and hearing them reflect on it. This Sunday, you’ll be moved by testimonies from several people who are writing letters like you.