Dear Grace Church Family,
Life is full of unpredictable moments. Part of living is dealing with the ebbs and flows of circumstances. As many of you know, I was scheduled to get my port removed a couple of weeks ago. It should have been a quick procedure. I was to get the port removed, spend the night in Tampa, and head back to Merritt Island the next morning. Yet, I woke up in the middle of the night with a blinding pain in my head and my eye. It was like no pain I had ever felt before. Instead of returning home to Merritt Island, I would battle shingles around my eye for two weeks. This was not my plan.
Though it wasn’t my plan, I am grateful I could check in to Moffitt urgent care, where I could receive the best care available to me. I am grateful for modern medicine that was able to target the pain in my eye and bring relief. I am grateful for good friends in Tampa visiting me. I’m grateful for the prayers of the people of Grace UMC as well. I am grateful for Patti and Carlton taking such good care of Gracie. It was not my plan to be away for as long as I was or to have to deal with the level of pain I did. Yet, I can see all of the ways people of God have been with me and in doing so, they have given witness to God not just to me, but to those who are all around me in my world.
Thanksgiving is the season when we are challenged to lean into the practice of being grateful. I am aware that for some, gathering with family is challenging. Maybe you have family that like to talk about politics, that challenge your religious views, that are genuinely a challenge to be around. If this is the case, trust you are not alone. So many, report this to be true. In the midst of it all, may you find moments of “thanksgiving” and things to be “grateful” for. Our God is so good, our God is able to do far more than we can imagine.
The scripture for this week’s sermon is Ephesians 3:20-21, the NRSV version. It’s a scripture with power and great hope. When we rely on God’s power and not our own, God shows up in ways we could never imagine. I hope this is a scripture that you will memorize. I look forward to witnessing the power of these words unleashed in our lives! I am grateful for all of you, I am grateful that Advent is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to witness the beauty of it with all of you! I hope you have ordered your copy of our 2024 Advent Devotional, Christmas Letters, by Rev. Magrey DeVega. He is a great theologian and a wonderful storyteller. Let us prepare our hearts and minds for the messages to come!
As always, I am grateful to be…
With you on the journey,
Pastor Michelle