Called to Our Duties

September 19, 2023

Beloved:

          “Pweeze, Netnet!  Pweeze!” begs the most adorable two-year-old grandgirl in the world, having no concept of why the neighborhood pool could possibly be closed, especially now when she just got up the courage to jump in by herself.  I’ve mostly distracted her with the Radio Flyer toddler tricycle I found on Facebook Marketplace this weekend.  The two brothers who owned it first showed me all its features, like pint-sized used car salesmen.  It has a bell, two drink holders and a trunk for her treasures, pinecones, acorns and such. 
          I don’t want to miss a moment of her and yet the day calls us both to our respective duties:  her to Tuesday morning nursery school and me to this weekly email.  She has people to see, and so do I.  She has things to learn, and so do I.  We live neither unto ourselves nor exclusively to each other, as much as we would enjoy triking around the neighborhood and watching Bluey all day long.  As would everyone who loves her, a list of people longer than your arm.  But to the one they are also called to serve others in this world; some feed, some teach, some doctor and nurse — a list of duties longer than your other arm. 
          None of us lives unto ourselves, not even unto the others we love most.  We also live unto our communities, for our own livelihood and for their well-being.  People we like and people we don’t.  People we trust and people we don’t.  People we know and people we will never meet.  As people of faith, we have no identity apart from the larger community in which we live and which God has called us to love.* 
          The weather outside is practically perfect in every way.  I hope you can get outside and speak kindly to a neighbor, maybe be a blessing to a stranger. 


~ peace & prayers, 
pastor annette

* “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” ~ Mark 12:30-31