Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! As you may know, our church sent two missionary groups to help with relief efforts after hurricanes. One group went to New Bern, North Carolina, where there is still damage from Hurricane Florence (2018) and Hurricane Matthew (2016). The other group went to Fort Myers, Florida, where there is damage from Hurricane Ian (2022). This morning I saw that Dan Harrison (one of our leaders of the trip to North Carolina) posted on our church’s Facebook page. You can see his post by clicking here. I encourage you to like and comment on his post. Here is the text of what he wrote:
“We sent two teams out today for mission, one to Ms. Barbara and one to Mr. Eddie. Work at Barbara's house included painting and a difficult electrical installation. Craig Kunkle, Calypso, and Sally led this effort. At Mr. Eddie's house we pulled out subfloor which was badly damaged by water. Tomorrow we will finish the removal and start in on installing a new floor. Steve, Nick, Adam and Dan worked on this project. Janette Henderson and Carol Anne cleaned up at New Hope village, visited with Ms. Mary and prepared an amazing dinner for us.
On reflection we saw God today in Mr. Eddie's kind demeanor, Ms. Mary's reflection on her life of loss and yet deep gratitude and love of prayer, and Sally’s and Calypso’s ministry to Ms. Barbara.”
I’m struck by what Dan wrote when he said “we saw God today.” It reminds me of how the apostle Paul frequently refers to the church as “the body of Christ.” And how the apostle John says, “Those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them” (1 John 4:16). And how Jesus said that when we serve those in need, it is as though we are serving Christ himself (Matthew 25:34-40). God is truly present in and through us when we act and live like Christ. I think Dan is right to have seen God at work in their interactions with the people they are meeting in North Carolina.
On final reflection, I am reminded of the words of the 16th-century Spanish nun and mystic Teresa of Ávila. She once wrote: “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body.” I am encouraged by the work of our missionaries to follow their example and “be Christ” to someone today. How about you?
Make sure to like and follow our Facebook page to see more updates!
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron