Hannah yearned for purpose in a world in which women’s worth was only childbirth and nurturing children.
Like Hannah, we live in a world which defines our worth by standards not all of us can meet.
Like Hannah, we hurt when the world defines us. We grieve when our desires to fit in and to meet earthly expectations are thwarted.
We cry out! We beg! We plead!
But God defines us by love. God listens and feels with us. Sometimes things change.
And sometimes they do not.
Always God loves us and calls us to use our gifts for good. Let us pray,
Holy One, as we enter into worship, hear our wants and deepest yearnings. Encourage us to focus on loving our neighbors, on doing justice, on being present with you and with one another. Open our clenched hearts and fists that we can share our whole selves with a fragmented world. Amen.
Tim is a runner, a hiker, a devoted husband, a father of two adult children, and their spouses, and a grandfather of four perfect children. A former early childhood educator, Tim is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He has served as pastor of both Disciples and United Church of Christ congregations. As we enter what we hope is the final phase of the pandemic, Tim is beginning a journey of rediscovering himself and discerning next steps. He writes from his home in Albany, Oregon and wherever the Spirit lures him.
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