Dear Friends,
I have now learned that there is nothing like an installation service to fill a room up with love. That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting this past Sunday. Certainly, I anticipated that my wonderful Atlanta colleagues would remind us of the responsibilities of our shared ministry. I knew I would hear wise counsel about not expecting too much of myself, and the importance of forgiving one another when we make mistakes. I sensed that I would enjoy sharing this moment of joy with all of you.
But all that love . . . we could have blown the roof of the Sanctuary off! It seems that with all the projects, programs, and planning meetings that can and do take place at Northwest, it’s sometimes easy for love to get lost in the shuffle. Unlike doing business “out there,” when doing business “in here,” we are invited to ground our words and deeds in courage, kindness and forgiveness – some of love’s most recognizable manifestations.
Victor Frankel wrote, “No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By the spiritual act of love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, that which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities.”
Your love was showing on Sunday. And, so was all of our wonderful potential. So, let’s not wait any longer to build the community and world we dream about. We have all we need to begin.
Yours,
Terry