Four sermons, worship music X three, two walks

 I'm not attending Sunday School right now, except when I teach the high school class. I love our class and the people in it, but honestly, the covid pandemic has made me uncomfortable in a very full room, even when we are all masked. The high school class is never a full room, and is also all masked, so it feels good.

Anyway, I often listen to church online, and this morning I started early with listening to just the sermons from the last two weeks. I had heard them already, but knew they had lessons I wanted to hear again, so I did that during Sunday School. 

Then I went to be in person at church today. Not sure why I wanted to be in person at church, but we are spaced out well and it feels more comfortable. 

And then there was a take-away from the sermon that I needed to hear again. The sermon was from Philippians, and mentioned the words, "work out your own salvation". In the sermon, Pastor Laura said this was not about creating your own salvation, but about living out the salvation you have already received, embodying it in your daily life. Such a good way of thinking this through! So this afternoon I listened again. And also listened to all the music again, twice!

We took a walk after church because there are so many beautiful trees near our church.

Sugar maple?

I'm not sure why I'm so ready to hear sermons right now. There is something worthy about taking the time to wrestle with the truth and then tell what you learned. That is what I believe a sermon is...someone's effort to gain wisdom and then to share what they learned through stories as well as reasoning. That wrestling is what I do when I write devotionals. 

I'm reading Wholehearted Faith, the last book by Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu. 

In it we learn that Rachel had the message, "Tell the truth" posted on the bulletin board near the place she did her writing. She worked hard at that, fought for it, and wouldn't settle for less. It is what I expect and what I receive from those whose sermons I listen to more than once. It is what I hope to do when I write, as well.

We took another walk this afternoon before supper and again absorbed the autumn beauty. This was on the North Newton bike path.

There are lots of delightful additions to the foliage.

And finally, this evening, we listened to wisdom and truth from Valerie Kaur, Sister Simone Campbell, and Van Jones about how to listen well to those who hold opposing views. (and I got a little re-knitting in.)