• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Edwards Church

United Church of Christ | Saxonville, Massachusetts

  • About
    • Staff
    • Open and Affirming
    • FAQ
    • Accessibility
    • History
    • Rentals
  • Worship
  • Faith Formation
  • Mission
  • Music
  • Serving
    • Ministry of Congregational Life
    • Ministry of Outreach and Justice
    • Ministry of Spiritual Life
    • Ministry of Administration
  • Sermons
  • Rentals
  • Giving

Miraculous Giving

November 1, 2019 by Rev. Debbie Clark

Dear friends,

A few weeks ago, in worship, Karen Nell told our young people the story of Jesus changing water into wine. One girl asked, “Was it magic?”

“No,” Karen Nell replied. “It’s not magic. It’s a miracle—God working through Jesus with the power of love.”

And then she turned their attention from the biblical story to the wagonload of diapers in the back of the sanctuary. As the kids brought the diapers up front to dedicate them for A Place to Turn, Karen Nell named the overflowing wagon as a miracle: “This is a miracle of God working through us with the power of love.” I love that definition of miracle.

This fall, our Stewardship Team is Paul Blow, Peggy Harrison, and Norma Hart. As we talked at our first meeting about what our church means to us and why we give, some words kept emerging: miracle, commitment, hope. We selected our theme, Committing to Hope: The Miracle of Giving.

The theme reflects our sense of awe at the generosity of our congregation. There is so much in our world that tears people apart, so much that can prompt us to withdraw in fear, so much that can lead to despair. For me, it feels like a miracle every time we gather on Sunday morning to sing and pray and speak words of hope. It feels like a miracle that we each give of our time, talent and treasure and trust one another to do the same. It is certainly a miracle that this relatively small church can offer so much to enrich the wider community. It is God working through us with the power of love.

Our theme also acknowledges the hard work that is involved in this miracle of giving. We tend to think of hope as a feeling, but it is so much more. It is a choice–a choice to look for signs of hope when they may be hidden beneath layers of despair. It is a choice to act in hope even when we don’t feel hopeful. It is a choice to become hope for one another, to be a community that holds hope for those who cannot find it.

Hope is a choice. It is also a practice. The more we practice looking for hope, the better we become at finding it. The more we practice acting in hope, the more natural it will feel. When we commit to that practice, our lives are enriched and we become part of the miracle of giving.

During the month of November, we will reflect on this theme, Committing to Hope: The Miracle of Giving, in a variety of ways. On Nov. 3, our Stewardship Team will lead a conversation and offer a slide show at our Congregational Meeting. On November 10 and 17, our worship services will center on our theme, with testimonies from Matt Walker and Clair Ball. You will receive a mailing with inspiration, information, and a pledge card. We invite you to mail or bring the pledge card in time for our Dedication Sunday, on November 24.

We hope you will be part of the Miracle of Giving which is our church.

Peace,

Debbie

Filed Under: Pastor, Spiritual Reflections from our Community, Steeple Tagged With: Steeple November 2019

Primary Sidebar

Easter Season

Come Join Us!

Set your GPS for 39 Edwards Street, Framingham. We have plenty of parking!

We’d love to welcome you for worship Sundays at 10 am in our sanctuary (39 Edwards Street, Framingham) or on livestream. We’d also love to talk with you about weekday programs, our congregation, and your hopes (email Rev. Clark at pastor@edwardschurch.org or call 508-877-2050).

To sign up for events or to help out, click here.

Support Edwards Church

To donate to Edwards Church by Paypal, please use the link below. Please indicate in the notes field how you would like the donation directed:

Open and Affirming

Lenten Devotional

Upcoming Events

Please sign up, for our weekly email to get the latest events.

Open Spirit

Photo Galleries

Pentecost 2018
Pentecost 2018
Painting Improv 2018
Painting Improv 2018
Easter 2018
Easter 2018
Palm Sunday 2018
Palm Sunday 2018

Footer

About

  • Staff
  • Accessibility
  • FAQ
  • History

Boards

  • Ministry of Spiritual Life
  • Ministry of Outreach and Justice
  • Ministry of Administration
  • Ministry of Congregational Life

Committees

  • Our Teams

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in