Thursday, April 30, 2009

May Newsletter

Dear Friends,
‘K’ is missing. One moment k was there, and then the next moment k was gone. One moment k was active and alive and part of the big picture, and the next moment k was nowhere to be seen. K was suddenly AWOL. Gone... Vanished. K left without a trace.
Now k was only one of 26 others, and one would think that the other 25 would carry on just fine – which they have. Yet something is missing. It isn’t the same without k around. Though just one of 26, k’s importance cannot be diminished. The other 25 just aren’t the same without k.
Lest you think I’ve totally lost my mind, let me explain. The other day as I was working on my computer here at church, I suddenly realized that the letter k on my keyboard was no longer functioning. I don’t know why it stopped working (I hope it wasn’t something I wrote,) but it just stopped working without so much as giving me a two-week notice. You might be wondering how I am able to produce k now. Well, it’s because I have a laptop computer and I am using the k on that keyboard whereas I normally use a special keyboard for all my typing. It is challenging for me to use laptop keys, so I have been fortunate to have another keyboard to use – up until now. Imagine reading this letter without ‘k’s, for that is what would be happening if not for my laptop’s keyboard. And as I’ve mentioned, every time I want to use a word with a k in it I have to reach up and use my laptop keyboard. I only hope I don’t forget to do that. My fear is that I will type a word that is meant to have a k in it, but because the word doesn’t need a k to spell out correctly you will read a different word than the one I intended.
So what’s the point of all this? Each one of us is very important to our church. Each one of us has gifts, talents and abilities to help our church carry out our vision, mission and ministry. Every single one of us has something to offer the church which gives it its unique personality, charm, and grace. Without the use of all our gifts, talents, and abilities, we just are not the same.
K cannot say to the other 25 characters that it has no need of them. Nor can the other 25 characters say to k that they don’t need k. They need each other. The apostle Paul made a similar point in 1 Corinthians 12 in talking about body parts as symbols for the Christian community and the gifts they had to share. “The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you”.” Paul reminds us that all of us are vitally important to the Church. We are all needed. We are all valuable. We each have a part to play. We each have a ministry to share. We each have a blessing to give and to experience – in our worship, our learning, our ministering.
I hope k will come back. I don’t know why k left or where k went. I just look forward to k’s return. K is very badly needed and wanted…. So are you. Than you for sharing in worship, learning and ministry.

Peace,
Pastor Jim

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