Whenever I see the words SKY… my heart fills up with emotions.
This past summer my daughter insisted that she wanted to have a birthday party at Sky Zone, this morning I drank Starbucks Bright Sky Blend, in church we read scriptures about the sky and we sing hymns with the word sky… And each time that word appears my heart fills up with all kinds of emotions.
S.K.Y. were the initials for my late husband, Steve, and he imprinted this on my wedding band, “With love, SKY” and on his wedding band I imprinted this: “With love, GYY”. And he and I had many laughter as he would look at me when I did something silly and say, “Gee, why, why?? And you get the sky!” For 10 years I certainly got SKY but today again, it is time for me to answer wisely now.
No matter what our past was like, the time is now to answer and to be wise about our answers. Whether you lost a loved one in the past, or you are wondering if you are going to loose your whole village, or whether you lost your marriage, or your job, or even your faith… you are given another opportunity now.
For the last five weeks we went through the book of James to figure out how to live a wise life, knowing that we are in the world but not of it. Starting October 14, 2018 we are going through our lectionary, surveying the life of Job, crying out with the psalmist, turning to the gospel of Mark, and landing in Hebrews for our Harvest Sunday on November 11, 2018 to answer wisely now.
Ivo Choe and Chi Johnny are leading our stewardship team. We will ask you to prayerfully consider pledging so that we can continue to dream big for our children’s biblical education, to have enough parking spaces to accommodate all our visitors, to have enough to fix our roof, our walls, the swale… and to expand our building as we expand our faith in Christ.
It is within the walls of Hope Presbyterian that we will remember our baptism, our weddings, and our resurrection. It is within the walls of Hope Presbyterian that we will give thanks for our family and friends. And it is from within the walls of Hope Presbyterian that we will launch compassion for the world, as we care for the imprisoned, the poor, the hungry, the refugees, the elderly, and even our own friends and family who find themselves in the middle of political turmoil. So pray, pledge, and be prepared to give.
Answer Wisely Now; not after you receive a pay raise or a better job. Answer Wisely Now; not after you think you are good enough but because you want to begin and continue the good life with Jesus. Answer Wisely Now because now is your opportunity to redeem the past and live into the future of a good Hope Presbyterian Church that answers the commission of Christ to spread the gospel to the ends of world.