April 2008---THE CUP OF LIFE

When the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons a special place in his Kingdom, Jesus responds, "Can you drink the cup the I am going to drink?" Can we drink the cup? That is the most challenging question we can ask ourselves.  The cup of life is full of sorrows and joys. Can we hold our cups and claim them as our own?  Can we lift our cups to offer blessings to each other, and can we drink our cups to the bottom as cups that bring us salvation?

By now Easter has come and gone, as we celebrated the resurrection and life of Jesus where we are reminded of life and of doubt, like doubting Thomas, we again believe.

The signs of spring are all around us.  The days are getting warmer, snow is melting, cows are calving, ewes are lambing, and Dave and I are going to be parents.  Just as we were finishing our Lenten pilgrimage and preparing for Easter, Dave and I received a phone call that would change our lives forever.  The call came on a busy Wednesday, March 12th, from LSS, indicating a little girl named "Hannah" has been born on March 11th, and we had been chosen as her adoptive parents. The next question was could we clear our schedules for Friday, March 14th and be in Omaha to meet the birth mother. The meeting went well, and on Saturday we met Hannah.  Hannah arrived ten weeks early, and is doing well.

Signs of new life are all around us; soon flowers will be blooming and farmers will be in the fields preparing for planting.  We should embrace these times our cup of life is overflowing with blessing.  Let us enjoy!

Peace, Pastor Sue