From Pastor Kristin

This past week, I had lunch with a bunch of pastors at a buffet-style restaurant. As we returned to our table with plates full of steaming, scrumptious smelling food, some of us bowed our heads, prayed quitely to ourselves, and then started eating. While others came back to the table, and then put their hands in their lap to politely wait for everyone to return to the table so that we could all say grace together before we ate.

It didn’t take long for us to realize this difference of expectations, and we froze. We looked around at each other. At our plates. Held forks midway to our open mouths. And sat with our hands frozen in our laps, waiting to pray. Uh-ohh. What do we do now, we all wondered aloud?

Thankfully, a wise pastor among us found a creative way to bring us together. “Because grace is always a surprise,” he said, “in our family, we just start eating when we sit down to eat. But at some point during the meal, someone will say a prayer for our food. Cause you never know when grace is coming. It’s always a surprise.”

During the month of May, we will have many opportunities to celebrate God’s grace active, and even unexpected in our lives. While these celebrations are planned, and not really a surprise, I am hopeful that they will still bring unexpected and surprising grace into your life.

On Sunday, May 13th, we’ll celebrate all the women who are like mother’s to us. Then on May 20th, Anthony and Ben Palamara will be washed in God’s living waters of baptism. A physical sign of God’s grace splashing over them – that will forever change their lives. Finally, the ultimate celebration of the unexpected ways of God will take place on Pentecost Sunday, May 27th. This is the day when the Holy Spirit rushed in, unexpectedly filling the disciples with the Holy Spirit. And everyone thought they were drunk. Yes, indeed, God’s ways are always a surprise!

In addition to these planned celebrations, we will contine to share in worship how we have seen and experienced God – and our lives have been changed because of it.

So, be on the lookout this month. Beware! Because God is on the loose – with grace that is always unexpected.

.....Pastor Kristin