Dear Friends,
My wife and I returned home from Europe recently. We had an
amazing cruise vacation around the Mediterranean. We saw ports, towns, and
cities in Italy, Croatia, Monaco, France, and Spain. It was a wonderful trip,
filled with many happy memories and beautiful experiences. We know that jetlag
will kick in soon, but we are grateful to have taken the opportunity to go and
see different places, eat some new foods, and speak in different languages
including a little Croatian!
In most of the ports on the Mediterranean Sea, there is usually
a formidable fortress overlooking the harbor. This reminds us that throughout
history, the Mediterranean has seen many conflicts. A lot of the ports also have
narrow winding streets which were used to hide the inhabitants from invaders,
as well as entrapping pirates and other conquerors from pillaging their towns.
These days, those fierce-looking castles still experience many foreign invaders,
usually carrying cellphones to take photos of the stern stone walls. Instead of
being impenetrable powerhouses, the fortresses are now largely welcome centers
and magnificent museums where tour groups and their guides gather to marvel at
the structures and hear about their history.
At one time, large churches were also formidable buildings
which were meant to make people feel small and vulnerable, sinful and unworthy.
These fortresses of faith often presented a stern type of Christianity which
sadly is still experienced in some congregations today. Thankfully, places like
our own church, have become wonderful welcome centers and sanctuaries of refuge
for the marginalized and victimized, as all as for the lonely and lost, where
everyone is accepted as a child of God’s grace and truly loved by Christ.
May God’s grace be with you and all your loved ones.
Pastor John
