Sunday Devotion

Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. Welcome to a place of peace, kindness and exploration of faith. As you reflect back on this past week, please stop a moment and think deeply and carefully. I’ve suggested before that at the end of each day we should stop and look back to see where your life moments were tied to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Whatever time of day it is for you right now, I challenge you to look back over the last 12-24 hours and find where the Holy Spirit nudged or guided you in a certain direction.  

So,  “What is God doing in your life these days?” Perhaps I should have led with that question.

Our congregation has been focusing these last few weeks on the Holy Spirit – how to be open to it and discern where our faith journey should lead us. In years past we’ve provided a building as a women’s hypothermia shelter. We’ve also offered English classes for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and when the pandemic closed the DC churches, we surprised ourselves by plunging right in and successfully moving our classes online.

These are great projects but I feel a persistent push to continue to ask what is ahead for us. This week I began scouring for potential service projects and I was drawn to Friendship Place and its program/support to end homelessness in DC. I took a few screenshots about their speakers who would come to churches to present their programs and help organizations explore what they could do.

Then, in the midst of my research, I received word that there was a person who was literally on our church steps and in need of shelter and food. I met with this person, listening to a bit of their history and passions, their desire to take what they experienced as a homeless person and raise consciousness that would better serve the homeless. I can’t ignore the timing and circumstances of this situation. It too closely intersects with my recent quest for a way ahead for our congregation and the detailed shelter information I had recently acquired. Now as I ask myself, “What is God doing in my life these days?”, I have an answer.

I don’t know where this recent experience will take me nor the congregation. Is it a nudge, or is it a significant step? I don’t know. I do know that I can’t ignore it. I do know that the presence of the Holy Spirit is undeniable here. I do know that no matter the outcome, our first steps are acts of love, kindness, and acceptance. The words of the Community of Christ’s Mission Prayer ring clear: "God, where will your spirit lead me today? Help me to be fully awake and ready to respond. Grant me courage to risk something new and become a blessing of your love and peace. Amen”

So what is God doing in your life these days?

​Author: Bonnie Barber