No one has asked Tony to help! Neither did he have any reason to do anything to the property that is not connected to his building, but every time we tried to clean that corner a little, he added his effort to do more. Isn’t that how we as humans are supposed to live? I don’t even know if he is a Christian, but his care for his surroundings, and safety of people around him, is impressive.
Christ calls us to care for this earth and the humans that inhabit this earth, so I invite us to continue to hold Rev. Jane Eesley, a pastor from our Conference who recently moved to Israel, working as a Methodist Liaison in Jerusalem, in your prayers. She invites us to ‘pray for ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza’ so today I invite you to join the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and call Congress for CEASEFIRE NOW for over 2 million Palestinian people who are trapped in Gaza and are living through genocide, as Israel bombs, starves, and displaces them. You can use this link and follow the instructions on that page to be connected to your elected officials and ask them to support the “CEASEFIRE NOW” resolution. And again, remember that innocent people suffer the most in such wars, so please let us not get into debates about who is right, and support ‘ceasefire now.’
I also want to remind us that this Sunday will be the 5th Sunday of the month and this year we have been using the 5th Sunday to experience worship in a different format, so come prepared this Sunday to experience Taizé- a simple, meditative form of worship, calling us to dwell deeply on Christ's presence around and within us. Taizé worship is named for the ecumenical Christian community formed in Taizé, France, during World War II and exists even today- with participants from all Christian denominations, including Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions. Taizé is often practiced in the evening, with lots of candles to create a prayerful environment, and uses short repetitive songs, like "Jesus, Remember Me", prayerful silence, and short readings to guide the focus of prayer. I pray the experience will be uplifting for you also.
That’s it for now friends! I truly feel blessed to be a part of this community that is always willing to step up and offer support and aide wherever it is needed. Let us continue to be agents of hope, and pray for peace as we also bring care and help where needed.
