July 31/Aug1 was a weekend of taking time to give thanks, remember, reflect, and look forward. On Saturday I attended a worship service at my family’s congregation Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort Worth to remember those who had died in the last year+ for whom a church funeral was not possible. It was a powerful time to remember, honor those who had died, and hear again the proclamation of the gospel. A reminder a fundamental mark of the church is to care for the dead and accompany we who mourn.
Sunday I was honored to preach at Redeemer, Greenville for the Rev. Deborah Leone’s last Sunday before retirement. She has served this congregation got 10.5 years so there were significant emotions as we honored their ministry together. Having been at Redeemer just a few years ago for their 50th Anniversary I reminded them of the blessing of sharing ministry for a season together, but that the work of the church and those ordained to serve the church extends beyond any one person. We give thanks for Rev. Leone and pray for God’s blessing on her retirement.
The Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to cause rising cases in our communities. While deaths thankfully are not rising at the same rate, hospitalizations are up and ICUs are reaching capacity. Please make good decisions about masking, distancing, and protecting the vulnerable in our midst. We also pray for our partners in Sierra Leone who are seeing this rise as well without many of the services we take for granted. #NTNL #INMISSIONTOGETHER