Make a Wish!

This past week in our worship service I asked the children to make a wish for our church’s birthday before blowing out birthday candles (not 125 candles - that can wait until June!). I also invited the adults to close their eyes and make a wish. Since it is tradition not to share one’s birthday wish, I didn’t ask anyone to do so.

So, all week I’ve been curious what people’s wishes were! I’ve also been thinking about what the hopes and wishes were of our ancestors in the faith who founded this congregation 125+ years ago (our Sunday School started three years before the congregation was officially founded).

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul encourages the Romans to live together in unity and service, remembering that God, from God’s grace, has gifted each one of them for the purpose of service. Paul concludes this section on spiritual gifts with a wishlist of his own - a wish list for how the church might live together. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all (Romans 12:14-18). 

In many ways, this wish list still applies today. As people of faith who walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we still are called to walk in harmony and empathy with one another and to live out love in a world that so often deals out hate. These two callings can look so many different ways - just like the spiritual gifts Paul writes about can manifest themselves in a vibrant rainbow of ways. To live in love can mean advocating for housing access or it can mean listening to a friend who is struggling.

As we head into 2025 and our 125th anniversary as a congregation, what are our wishes for this church, for our faith, and for this world? Perhaps they are wishes for freedom. Perhaps they are wishes for joy. Whatever they are, light a candle and lift your wish like a prayer. We don’t know what this year will bring, but we can absolutely trust that God hears us.

Blessings,

Pastor Amy