May 1, 2024
Eastertide blessings!
Last week I visited Rudy and Florence Kindel. We reconnected, took a walk, and shared Communion. While we prayed the Lord's Prayer, my eye caught the image lying on the table before us, the cover of the NY Times. It was a photo of a community in Gaza in ruins. The experience took my breath away and has stayed with me.
Thursday during our monthly meeting with clergy in Flemington. We spent a large portion of the meeting talking about what was happening in Israel. I am thankful to the open conversation and the resources and articles shared by Joseph Forman, rabbi at Or Chadash in Flemington.
We opened our hearts and supported one another in our struggle to understand what is happening in the world that we all love and that we are all saddened by what we see and hear.
Know this. God is present in the chaos. As we heard in the gospel yesterday, God abides in us and we abide in God. Stay rooted in the vine and trust that God is the vinemaster caring for us all.
Below is the image I saw as we prayed. I invite you to set time aside to cast your eyes on the image and to pray the Lord's Prayer. If you're so inclined, share your thoughts with me.
Blessings as you journey through Easter,
Pastor JJ
