Alka's Angle

If you were at church last Sunday, you know we had a special church conference to approve our budget for 2020. I am grateful to all who were able to stay and invest in the conversation and deliberations. After some very meaningful and honest conversation, we approved the budget!

We create many rituals in our lives. Rituals connect us with our own past and with the memories of our loved ones. Rituals connect us with one another -- not just with family of origin but also with the family of humanity. I know for some a specific scent may trigger a memory, while for others it could be a specific hymn/song/carol!

For those who were at church on Monday, November 11th for our Annual Church Conference, I am grateful to you. For those who were not able to make it, the reports are here on the website. You could also ask Alexia and she can email you a copy.

At church this past Sunday we talked about the story of the healing of Naaman. Instead of coming out to meet him when Naaman approaches Prophet Elisha’s home, he sent a messenger to Naaman instructing him to dip in the river Jordan seven times to be healed. Naaman gets upset with this treatment. He expected the prophet to come out and greet him for he was a person of power. Naaman would have missed the opportunity to be healed, if his attendants had not intervened and suggested he dip in the river as instructed by the prophet.

How often do we find ourselves in similar situations? In our limited view, biased approach or simple oversight even, we sometimes get caught in situations and thus miss the blessings that could be ours. 

Some of you may be aware of the vandalism experienced by the Wicker Park Lutheran Church recently (thank you Nick for bringing the story to our attention). The pride flags that were hung from their building were torn once and defaced the second time. The pastor of the church, Rev. Glombicki however is “determined not to let hate win. "That's what our faith teaches us," he said. "That it's not just about hate and what others do, it's about continuing to respond in love."