Stewardship Thought     
Sometimes it is very hard to “take heart” when life is tough. We feel very alone and sometimes don’t even recognize the Christ when he comes towards us. We find ourselves afraid of most things, tied to staying with the familiar or the present moment so that the wonder of God seems a frightening intrusion into our closed off world. Then sometimes we feel so excited by the presence of God that we feel as though we can attempt anything by ourselves and forget to hold tightly to the hand of God and the love of others for us as we venture into new things and new hopefulness. This also applies to the church as we survey our lives. We sometimes become so pre-occupied and low that we are shocked by miracles.

Prayer of Thanksgiving  
Praise be to you, O God,
for you challenge all the limitations of our minds
and break through our small certainties.
You ride on the waves in joy
and gather our life into your hand.
You fly through the clouds in freedom,
hovering over us with wings of comfort.
You stand clear of all our assumptions
and dance in creation to your own melodies.
Praise be to you, O God,
for you are all wonder and delight.
Amen.

Rev Ann Perrin