March 24, 2019, “Change Your Hearts and Lives”, Rev. Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson

Luke 13:1-9, Isaiah 55: 1-3, 6-9

It seems appropriate this morning, with my mother here, to tell you one of her stories. This particular story comes out of her book, “The Learning Spirit” -- the book is on the table in the narthex with some other books on spirituality and Christian practice. My mom is an amazing story-teller, so I’ve done very little to change the story. Come with me now, to rural South Africa where my parents serve as ministers.

The rains have finally stopped, and the South African sun shines brilliantly. Uprooted trees lie across our road. Leaves torn from their stems litter the ground. What an irony that in the midst of this destruction we have a service of thanksgiving.

I greet the people at the church door -- Mrs Shandu who lost her bedroom in the flood, Mrs Ngema who lost her kitchen, Mr. Mkwanazi who lost everything but the clothes and the blanket he wears today. Twenty-five of us gather to give thanks to God that the torrential rains have passed and that everyone in our community is safe. We gather to receive emergency relief money that has come from the church to supplement the insufficient government relief funds.

March 17, 2019, “Let Me Hear”, Rev. Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson​​​​​​​

Psalm 85: 8-13

Pray with me. Holy God, give us the listening ear. The eye that is willing to see. Open our hearts to your Spirit and your message of peace. And now, may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all of our hearts be acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Let me tell you a story about a writer, Charles Swindoll, who found himself overwhelmed with too many commitments in too few days. Perhaps you know the feeling -- you can’t help but be tense. There is not enough time in the day to get everything done. And with a family, Swindoll was married and had children, it is all too easy to snap at the people you love the best, to rush through meals, to feel irritated by each unexpected interruption.

March 10, 2019, “Open the Eyes of My Heart”, Rev. Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson

Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 6:19-2

A couple of years ago, the deacons at a church I served decided to read Marie Kondo’s best-selling book: “The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up.” It is a small tidy book with tidy ideas about tidying up. I enjoyed our time reading the book and yes, I followed Marie Kondo’s advice and cleared out some of my things, though I must confess I did not follow her method to a T and kept some items that do not give me joy, which is the criteria she gives for keeping things -- they must give you joy. I must also confess that I still use her method of folding clothing. Instead of folding clothes flat, you fold them into a little rectangle that will stand up in your drawers so that you can see all of your t-shirts or pajamas or pants all at once.