Dear CCOV Family,
It was so great to see so many of you in Hayden Hall last Sunday and hear about your feelings, practices, and experiences with meditation (getting quiet before God). A special thank you to those who have kept Sunday mornings going this summer. Making coffee, setting out food, offering prayer, fellowship, and leading and coordinating programs obviously have been a wonderful service to the church, as our community continues to grow and bonds get strengthened.

Earlier this month Clint and I had a refreshing time in the Canadian Rockies basking in the majesty of nature. Of course, when we got back to the hotel each evening and logged into Wi-Fi, we watched in horror the events unfolding in Charlottesville and in Spain. Inevitably, political and religious leaders weigh in with statements in the aftermath of horrific events, and as you know, some can be inspiring and others can be divisive and inciting. The pastor in the church where I was ordained once told me, “Organizations tend to reflect the characteristics of their leaders.” This can apply to churches, companies, and even countries. He told me this to heighten my awareness of what it meant to be a leader, but he also wanted me to understand the dynamics in human interactions: Gracious, thoughtful speech and actions can create a beautiful, unifying culture, but bombastic, divisive speech and actions can create chaos.

We all are leaders in our own spheres of influence and as such can make a difference no matter what is going on around us. You know what one of the best things about being UCC is? We are not hierarchical—we are all leaders in our own circles. We look to Jesus as our only head, and it is his example that inspires a way for us to be in this world. He modeled servant leadership in his life and death—his thoughts, even on the cross, were not on himself but always on others. We can always practice servant leadership even when awful events, beyond our control, are going down.

In difficult times, some people turn to prayer, others march, and some may just scratch their heads, because it often seems that these days, one tragedy begets another. No matter what, we can also continue to practice the message of Micah 6:8, which says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Perhaps in our Christian meditations this week, we can focus on Micah 6:8. I look forward to being back in regular worship with you all on Sunday, September 10th at 10 AM!
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Sandi