The Journey
The Newsletter of Good Samaritan Church and All Saints in the Mountains
The Spring Message from Father Bill
June and Spring are here at last, representing the season of blessings and regrowth to the Gunnison River Valley. It is with great delight and expectations that I look forward to the expected changes; although, the wind has been blowing so strongly today, I think I saw a small heifer past the window. With June comes the beginning of the return of our friends who have been away through the winter and an opportunity to see new friends, who will be visiting us both at Good Samaritan and at All Saints in the Mountains.
I was reminded by an article in the Cathedral newsletter that this is a time when we are enjoined to remember Matthew 25:35 -- "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." All of us will have the opportunity to meet and find "strangers" who have journeyed to this part of the world for many reasons. Some will be coming here for recreation, vacations, marriages, family reunions, and some might even be coming because they are tired and hurt by the pressures of life and are seeking relief.
I hope that all of us might, through prayer and commitment to being the "body of Christ," find that part of our ministry this summer is to be prepared to welcome everyone who God gives us. The lesson from Matthew makes clear to us that when we welcome a stranger, we are welcoming Christ into our midst. If we can see ourselves as ministers of hospitality, we might just become so much more. I believe that we can help make it possible for others to find healing, acceptance, friendship, direction for their lives, and succor from the defeats, failures, and losses that have been a part of their lives back home. (After reading that last sentence, I am almost overwhelmed by the thought!) It is not so much that we will be the ones doing all of these things, as it is that in welcoming others, we can create a place where others might be more open to God's work in their lives.
We can offer friendship, companionship, a smile, a conversation, an invitation to church, perhaps a social occasion. We offer all of these because what we have been given here is such a blessing for us, and could be shared and become a blessing for others as well.
It has become clear through the Resort Ministry meetings that I have been attending with MJ from All Saints in the Mountains that there are very important ministries to be done because we live here. It is almost like there is an obligation to serve others because we have been blessed with so much. The wonderful part of embracing a ministry of hospitality is that we are then blessed by those whom we serve.
Faithfully, in Christ,
Father Bill