We have a new cat in our house.  Well, he's new to us.  He will be 12 in September.  We are his fourth family. He's friendly, he's beautiful, he still has a bit of kitten-impishness in him.  But he spent the first three days hiding under the bed.  We almost never saw him, and when we did he was slinking along the edges of whatever room or hallway he was in.  Eventually he would sit just outside of whatever room we were in, and once a day he would let one of us pick him up.  He prefers Bruce.  And Shadow, the current cat resident?  He was not happy. He's still not completely happy.  Bo, new kitty, sometimes sits in places Shadow feels are his places.  When I put out food Shadow runs in, pushes Bo out of the way, and eats some of it.  Just to prove he can.  To make sure Bo knows who the Alpha Cat is.  It's been quite a dance for the just over a week he's been here.
It got me to thinking about new people coming to church.  It takes amazing courage to just walk through those doors for the first time.  They don't know where to go, they don't know who might be friendly, they don't know where to sit that won't offend the person who usually sits there.  They probably don't want to get too involved too quickly as they scope out the lay of the land.  When they do finally begin to get involved someone always seems to be upset because they're stepping on toes or doing things differently from the way they've always been done. And the people who've been there often make sure they know that they will never be one of us.  It's quite a challenge to give new people time to feel comfortable and space to assimilate.  To not move too far too fast nor to leave them out in the field feeling like no one wants them there.  How do we do this?


Loving God, there are so many people in the world who need to know of your love.  Sometimes they come to us, sometimes we go to where they are.  But our attitude in helping them to become a part of the church can make all the difference.  Allow us to help them find the places where they can shine, where they can utilize the talents and abilities you have given them.  Let us open our hearts and minds, and even be willing to move over so the new folks can find their place.  Let us be instruments of your love.......Amen

Leaves, leaves, leaves!  Everywhere I look there are leaves.  I know, it's summer, so there should be leaves on the trees, but they seem to be particularly thick this year.  Usually I can sit in my kitchen and watch the city fireworks through the leaves on our tree, and over the tree across the street.  This year it was impossible to see the fireworks.  Now, part of this is that the neighbor's tree continues to grow, but most of it is because both of our trees were over-full with leaves.  To the West I can't see the house next door.  The trees to the south of town are full of leaves.  The leaves all over town are larger and fuller than usual, and the trees have more of them.  Why? I have no idea, but I know what it will mean in a few more months: lots of multi-colored ground cover!


We are out of touch with the flow of nature.  Our ancestors knew it.  They had to, their lives depended on it.  Our lives no longer depend on it.  We have heat.  We have air conditioning.  We have indoor plumbing, and water as soon as we turn on the faucet.  Our ancestors would know what it means that there are more leaves this year. They would watch for the thickness of the tomato skins, the length of the cucumbers, the sweetness of the melons, the fact that there seem to be fewer birds this year.  Jesus said that we would know what was happening by the signs, but it seems we no longer know the signs.  What has taken their place in our spiritual lives?




Open our eyes that we may see.  Open our ears that we may hear.  Open our hearts that we may feel.  Open us, O God, to the leading and guiding of your Spirit in our lives.  Open us to the needs of your people around us. Open us to the new, the challenging, the untried.  Open us to seeing and hearing and feeling you living and moving within and around us.  And give us grace to stop and observe your world.....Amen