[amc] a note form the pastor
- From: "garland robertson" <pastor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Austin Mennonite Church" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 10:17:12 -0600
Members and Friends of Austin Mennonite Church
I will be away until May 19, first in Washington DC for the Center on
Conscience and War's rally and lobby day in conjunction with International
Conscientious Objectors Day. I am scheduled to visit the offices of
Senators Hutchison and Cornyn to encourage them toward reforming the system
presently in place for evaluating and processing CO applications. On
Tuesday evening I plan to go to Chicago to be a part of the CPT discernment
process which will discuss options for continuing CPT's presence in Iraq. I
plan to return Saturday evening for worship on Sunday.
Whenever we realize we cannot carry along on a journey everything that seems
to be important for us, it is necessary to discard certain items. This kind
of discernment is usually difficult for us. Things we have found to be
useful, things we have depended upon, things we have enjoyed, all these must
be reevaluated with regard for our new circumstance. How do we decide what
to carry and what to leave behind? Probably the way we envision the future
will have the most influence on how we proceed: what do we desire to
accomplish; what kind of experience do we want to create for our self? When
we are able to make this distinction, choosing what to take along becomes a
manageable task. Jesus is approaching the end of his sermon on the mountain
in Matthew 7:6-12. He has set before his disciples a distinctive pattern of
life. He has told them that this pattern of living will bring them
blessing. He has described a way for them to discover the fullness of being
human. Now he cautions each of them to value the things he has taught them.
They will soon recognize that not everything they once believed to be
important can be incorporated into this sacred lifestyle. They will need to
determine what to let go of and what to hold on to. Each of them must
decide, 'What do I want my life to be about?' These thoughts will compose
the sermon for next Sunday, 'The danger of casualness and inconsistency.'
May it go well with you. Sincerely,
Garland Robertson
...always hold firmly to the thought that each one of us can do something to
bring some portion of misery to an end
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