This week's author is Charlie Kuchenbrod, Associate Conference Minister for Endowment Ministries for the Connecticut Conference, UCC. Charlie shares in the oversight of the Silver Lake ministry. The 2009 brochure is available at http://www.silverlakect.org and registration opens January 16th.
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
I drove out to Silver Lake the day after the recent winter storm. I experienced quite a variety of weather, from bright sun to a short, intense snow squall. In places, the trees were sheathed in ice, while in other places the trees were bare. Some places seemed to have a fair amount of snow; other places hardly any. It was a wonder of diversity.
I saw a lot of downed trees in one stretch. Not just tree limbs, entire trees brought to the ground. That's life, I thought: Years, perhaps decades, of righteous and upright living suddenly ended.
Where's the justice in that? God does not intervene to reward the good and punish the wicked. Yet God is present. God's love is unconditional. God yearns for the best outcomes. The downed trees are still a part of the forest. Having vacated space for new growth, they will also provide shelter and food for many other living things. God has a plan. God provides.
I arrived at Silver Lake, a place loved by many, and a place I like to think of as God's backyard. We try to play by God's rules at Silver Lake. Not that we don't all try at other places and other times, but Silver Lake is a place set aside as a sanctuary.
My kids love summer camp at Silver Lake. I know that there are other kids that are indifferent, at best, which saddens me and makes me wonder how we have failed them.
Most kids, though, do not love, hate, or have any opinion about summer camp at Silver Lake. They have never been there and that seems like a shame to me. There is room for them in God's backyard. There are other places to learn about God and to practice playing by God's rules, but this is our place, for our children and all children. God provides.
Dear God, our hearts are filled with wonder of the glory of your creation. Forgive us when injustice causes us to doubt your presence. Replace our doubts with assurance of your unconditional love and give us hope that your plans for creation will be fulfilled by our living. Bless the Silver Lake ministry as a place to learn about your love and practicing how to live as we were taught by Jesus Christ. Amen.
Please remember our Conference Minister, the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree, as she continues treatment for breast cancer. You can follow her progress and leave messages for her at this site:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/davidacrabtree
Please also remember:
Alden Tyrol, retired Director of Silver Lake, who is recovering from pneumonia at home;
Cecile Gilson, Assistant to the Conference Minister, on the death of her brother-in-law on December 29;
the people of Gaza and of Israel, that war may swiftly depart from them;
members of the Conference staff who are ill or recovering from broken bones;
Peg Zappulla, wife of the Rev. Jon T. Zappulla, interim pastor of Bunker Hill Congregational Church, UCC, of Waterbury, who is seriously ill with cancer;
the Rev. M. J. Hinchliff, pastor of First Church of Christ, Congregational, UCC of East Haddam, who is being treated for breast cancer;
the Rev. Barbara Libby, interim pastor in this conference, who is also being treated for breast cancer;
those suffering due to the ongoing financial woes of the nation, be they struggling to meet an unaffordable mortgage, confronting the loss of a job, or working to find just resolutions to the crisis; and
those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck, particularly in Gaza, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, India, Pakistan, and the Sudan.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to your Regional Minister or to webmaster@ctucc.org.
Guilford
First Cong'l Ch of Guilford, Inc.
P The Rev. Kendrick L. Norris
AP The Rev. Susan J. Murtha
CE Ms. Daphne Stitt
IAP Ms. Lisa Horst
Guilford
North Guilford Cong'l Ch UCC Inc
P The Rev. John C. Van Epps
CE Ms. Cathy Messier
Haddam Neck
Haddam Neck Cong'l Church
PT The Rev. James A. Simpson
MM Mr. Robert Cohen
Haddam
First Cong'l Ch of Haddam
IN The Rev. Robin J. Blundon
CE Ms. Nancy Soneson
Hadlyme
Hadlyme Cong'l Church of UCC
PT The Rev. Ann L. Crites
The Spirit Calendar: January 12, 2009 by Mr. Charlie Kuchenbrod, Associate Conference Minister for Endowment Ministries
