Every once in a while, it’s a good thing to do a reality check, to become aware of the incredible blessings that we have.  It’s so easy for us to dwell on our problems and to overlook the grace of God in our lives.  I found the following simple “yes and no” test, proposed by The Lutheran Hour Radio Ministries for a quick diagnosis of our real condition, to be very revealing:

Answer yes or no:

1. I have food in the fridge.  Yes/No
2. I have more than one piece of clothing in my wardrobe.  Yes/No
3. My house has a roof.  Yes/No
Diagnosis: “Yes” to all:  You are wealthier than 75% of the people in the world.

4. I have savings in the bank.  Yes/No
5. I use a container or a purse to hold coins for change.  Yes/No
Diagnosis:  “Yes” to all:  You are among the 8% of the richest people in the world.

6. This morning I did not feel sick.  Yes/No
Diagnosis:  “Yes”:  You are more blessed than the 1 million people who will die this week due to illness.

7. I was never involved in a war.  Yes/No
8. I was never imprisoned.  Yes/No
9. I never experienced physical torture of any kind.  Yes/No
10. I never involuntarily starved.  Yes/No
Diagnosis: “No” to all: You are more blessed than 3 billion people.

12. My parents are still alive and living together.  Yes/No
Diagnosis:  “Yes”:  No matter where in the world you live, you can be considered an endangered species.

13. At this moment I am willing to look up to God with a grateful heart and thankful smile.
Diagnosis: “Yes”:  You are indeed blessed.  Many people can do this but they prefer not to.

14. I can share the abundance that God has given me.
Diagnosis: “Yes”: You are indeed blessed because you remember that what you have and are, are given to you by God as a trust.

I hope this simple instrument will serve to remind you of the abundant gifts God has given you, and stir you to giving and thanksgiving.

In Christ’s peace,
Pastor Ana

Dear friends,

In Sunday’s Gospel, we see how Jesus brings a child into the circle of his disciples. They are in a home, and he has just asked them what they had been discussing. They all fell silent because they had been arguing about who was the most important. As they all sit quietly looking at their feet, they could hear some children playing in the street. Probably street children. Kids no one takes seriously. Then, of all things, Jesus goes to the door, and invites one of them in. Putting the child in their midst, he says, “Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes not me, but him who sent me.”

Can we feel the shock waves? Jesus just turned the whole value system of the disciples upside down. He’s telling them to stop focusing on who’s more important in their eyes, and to consider who and what’s important in God’s eyes. He tells them that kids of no account are important to God as the bearers of his presence.

Let’s take a good look at the children around us today. Who are they? What children are missing from our view? God’s little ones should influence our values. Let’s look at them with the eyes of Jesus. Shouldn’t children – especially the most vulnerable ones - have a central place in the priorities we set, and the decisions we make?

In Christ,
Pastor Ana

Dear friends,

What is it that keeps many “old people” young and vital? If you were to ask my eighty-nine year old mother what her secret is, she would answer, “Involvement, and interest in people.” Mom keeps up her involvement in the church and in the Kenmore Food Bank, and she continues to call, visit, and bake for neighbors who are home bound. Of course, doing things for her family also ranks high on her list of interests and commitments.

When we look at people like my Mom, we see that they radiate the qualities of peace and contentment. These are people that James, the biblical writer would point to and say, “Wisdom from above is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace from those who cultivate peace.” (James 3:17-18). When you look at all the good that people like my Mom have done over the years, you would have to agree with James that they are harvesting what they have sown and cultivated.

When I stop to review my own life, I would have to agree again that, over time, I reap what I harvest. I am most at peace when I am regular in my prayer life; when I actively support others in their joys and sorrows, and when I develop my gifts or share my resources.

All of us have the best seed for our harvest of peace and contentment in the peace that we have as a gift of Christ. With God’s blessing we can cultivate it in ourselves and carry it to sow in the lives of others.

In Christ,
Pastor Ana