¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ¹⁸ The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone”

From the time our son was little he enjoyed building things with Lego. He started out building walls to keep his little Lego men inside. He told imaginative stories of good guys and bad guys, of kings and aliens, of great big cities. He would play on the floor for hours, and as he got older his buildings and stories be-came more elaborate. He insisted that each peg on each block of Lego be filled, connected to something else.

In many ways, as adults we live Lego lives. We build houses and walls to keep those we love in and those of whom we are afraid, out. We build offices and places to work where earning a living becomes the center of our lives. We build vacation homes, motor homes, boats and condos where we go to get away from it all. We build churches where people can come to serve God, so that when we’re not consumed with our homes and businesses and vacations, so that when we have time, we’ll have some place to go to worship God.

Our lives have become Lego-like; always adding more pieces to make the structure suit us better. If there is ever an empty Lego peg, we connect one more thing, never allowing it to remain empty. Our Lego-lives are as full as they can possibly be.

The problem with our structured Lego lives is that we leave very little or no room for God to add to anything. We have taken over the job of creator, master designer, and engineer. We are so busy filling up each Lego peg that we have no room left for what God may want us to do. 

Think of your life as an eight peg piece of Lego. Each peg represents an area of your life: family, spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, work, personal finance, school, friends, internet, home maintenance, home repair, hobbies, vacations, volunteering, church, God. You can probably add to this list.

As the church heads into a new year, which of these pegs are you willing to free up so that you have more time for God? What are you time are you willing to free up so God can build something new in you life through this church? Congregation say they want to grow, they want to reach out to people, to serve Christ; how-ever, churches are made up of people with plugged up Lego pegs. How can we expect God to grow our churches if we leave no room for God to actually build the church through us? How can our Lego lives be freed up for God in 2012? 

While giving thanks to God for another year of life, pray about what God might be asking you to give up so you will have more room for God and the church. Then, come tell me about it. Come share your imaginative stories of what God can build in this church, with your time and help.

 Yours in faith, hope and love.

Pastor Sue

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith . . . so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Some days it can feel as if our feet are fixed in granite, as if no mat-ter how hard we try, they can not be moved. Have you ever felt that way? No matter what you do to move forward you seem stuck in one place. You wonder if anything you do makes a difference or will matter after you are gone. I’ve certainly felt that way and wondered those things.

I recently had the privilege of seeing the newly dedicated monument in Washington D.C., honoring the person and work of the Rev. Dr. Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. At the entrance two huge stones are parted and a single wedge is pushed forward; the missing piece of what was once a single granite boulder. Facing the horizon, on the front of the single stone is the carved likeness of Dr. King. On one side of the boulder is inscribed words suggested by Dr. King himself when describing how he would like to be remembered, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” On the other side these words are inscribed: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

Strolling around this giant monument, I paused at this “stone of hope”, watching as a young man posed for a picture with a young boy of 6 or 7 sitting atop his shoulders. The words “out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope” appeared just behind them, as if whispering in the child’s ear. This scene instantly became a frozen moment in time, a metaphor of what All Saints Day means to me.

Because of the work of Dr. King and those who stood or marched or prayed along side him, our world is a better place. Because of Continued on Page 2 (Pastor’s Corner, continued) . Dr. King and all those in our lives who have borne witness to God’s love and justice, and the grace and peace of Jesus Christ, the vision of this father, standing at this mountain of a man with his young son perched atop his shoulders, filled me with thanksgiving for those who have gone before us, as well as hope for those who will come after. We too, stand on the shoulders of the saints before us, as we continue the work they began in Christ Jesus. to sustain and nourish you.

On November 6 we will recognize All Saints Day in worship by reading the names of our family and friends who died in the past calendar year. For us they have become members of the great cloud of witnesses that surround us each day, reminding us that what we do and say, and how we live our lives does make a difference in this world. God is calling us to continue taking faith-ful steps toward the future. The work of the saints and the strength and encouragement of God calls us to keep moving our feet forward, even when they feel fixed in granite. Even in those events and experiences of life that cause us to feel stuck, we are not. We were created by the God who formed the rock from nothing; we are called by God who is the Rock and our Redeemer, and we are being sent to walk by faith. May the hope of Jesus Christ and the blessings of God through the saints continue to sustain and nourish you.

Yours in faith, hope and love.

Pastor Sue