Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One man looked very sad and discouraged, almost in tears. His friend asked him “What has the world done to you, dear friend?” The sad fellow answered: “Well, three weeks ago, a rich uncle died. To my surprise, he included me in his will. That week his lawyer sent me a check for $40,000.” “That’s terrific,”I the friend replied, “that’s a lot of money.” “Yes, but then two weeks ago, I received another check for $100,000.”, the sad faced man responded. “Wow, that is incredible,” said the friend. “You really have been blessed!” The sad fellow continued: “You don’t understand, just last week I received a third check, for $250,000.” The friend was getting confused: “You are right, I don’t understand. Why are you so unhappy? Why are you so sad?” Almost in tears, the sad fellow reported: “I haven’t gotten anything this week!”
Sometimes we are so blest, that we begin to think we are entitled to all the good things that come our way. Perhaps that is our human nature. If you give a small child a gift, he will treasure it. But if you give him two gifts, he might wonder why he didn’t get a third. We often don’t realize that the things we have are privileges, not rights. They are blessings from God. None of us deserve the thing we have. We take for granted the blessings that are ours…and we always want more.
During this Stewardship Month, at St. James, I am trying to keep myself reminded of just how blest I am to be here. And St. James is a blest church, there are so many good things that happen here, so many kind people, such gifted members who help create meaningful worship, good ministry, and provide such a beautiful space for this worship and ministry to happen.
Please consider carefully how St. James has been a blessing to you. Let your pledge to St. James reflect how thankful you are. If you have not, please return your pledge card to the church office before the end of the month, so we can begin work on our 2027 Budget.
Thank you!
Bob +
ALPHA: HOLY SPIRIT RETREAT AFTERNOON! This Sunday, November 15th, all are invited to the Alpha Holy Spirit Retreat afternoon at the home of Kenneth and Mary Lyman Boone. We will begin at 12:30pm (lunch will not be provided). We will watch 4 videos: “Who Is the Holy Spirit?” “What Does the Holy Spirit Do?” “How Can I Receive the Holy Spirit?” and “How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life?” We will also have a time of prayer. Lemonade, tea and cookies will be served. We will finish by 3:30pm.
VESTRY WILL MEET THIS SUNDAY, Nov. 15th, at 9:00am.
