Pastor Sara's Page

October 2019

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As I write this, I am filled with expectation.  Usually when I write or think about expectation it’s during the advent season.  By the time you read this, I will be in Israel.  It has been a dream of mine to go to the Holy Land for a long time.  But it is something I have longed for even more since I went into pastoral ministry.

Walking the shores of the Sea of Galilee, praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, experiencing the Wailing Wall, floating in the Dead Sea are all things I am looking forward to.  But I already know that my imagination will not equal the real experiences that I have yet to achieve.

One reason I know this is because of another experience that has recently occurred.  I became a grandmother on September 2nd.  Cannon Oliver Rowe was born at 12:13 a.m. that day weighing 6 lb. 6 oz. and measuring 20 ½ inches long.  Everyone kept telling me how wonderful it would be to be a part of that very special club.  But the truth is I had no idea how great it really would be.

We all have expectations about different areas of our life: marriage, parenthood, vocation/job, friendships, etc.  We, who are part of the Christianity, also have expectations about what it means to be a person of faith who walks with God.  And God definitely has expectations of us.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if those two things don’t match up.

I believe our expectations of heaven are the same way.  We know it is going to be awesome.  But the truth is we really have no clue.   Just as the song says “I Can Only Imagine.”  So we try to think of the absolute best on earth to correlate to what we think heaven might be like.

On the first Sunday of November it is traditional to celebrate “All Saints’ Sunday.”  We honor and remember those who have passed away in the last year.  But it is also a Sunday of hope and expectation as we look to a future where we are reunited with those we love but more importantly that we will be in the presence of Christ.

Eternal life in Jesus Christ will exceed all our earthly expectations.  What joy we have in store for us when we receive our heavenly reward!

Blessings,

Pastor Sara