January 24, 2024 Weekly Update
Happy Wednesday Church!
Last Sunday we talked about what it means to repent. As Jesus began his ministry, he took up the message of John the Baptist, inviting folks to repent, believe the good news of the Gospel, and follow as disciples. I shared that repenting isn’t always turning away from sin or bad behavior. Repenting involves moving toward Jesus and reorienting our lives, priorities, and values in light of Jesus’ good news. In Mark’s gospel, the first disciples do just that! They turn and reorient everything to follow the messiah.
I recently saw a good news story about turning and reorienting. New parents were taking their five-month-old daughter on a long flight for the first time. They were nervous! On the flight, baby girl Romey became fascinated with another passenger across the aisle who was crocheting. Meegan – the crocheter – noticed the baby’s fascination. She also noticed that her yarn matched the baby girl’s outfit perfectly!
So, with just an hour of the flight left, Meegan reoriented and decided to make a little beanie for the baby. She finished it just in time and gave it to the parents when they landed. Baby’s mom said she had, “Never seen someone work so fast in my life. I had no idea it was for us. What a cool way to just do something nice for a stranger,’ and in turn, light up everyone else’s day.” Mom’s social media video capturing the event has been viewed by almost eight million people! Read the story here to see the video: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/woman-crochets-a-little-hat-for-baby-on-the-next-aisle-to-mark-her-first-ever-flight/
Reorienting and turning toward Jesus always involves noticing and blessing our neighbors. One of the core teachings of Jesus is a reminder that the way we love our neighbors is a reflection of our love for God.
Grace & peace,
Pastor Jared