Greetings Green Trails Family!
8/20/2020
In Exodus 13, the Presence of God appeared to the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God went ahead of the people, leading them. They didn’t move until the Presence, the glory of God moved. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a guide like that? To not be bogged down by the multitude of decisions that we have to make? To not get all tangled and twisted up in our thinking process, but to purely follow Jesus, being led by Him and coached by Him. Don’t go that way, go this way. Don’t turn there, turn here. Don’t apply there, apply here. Don’t marry that one, marry…you get my point, right?
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:34, NRSV
The interesting thing about Exodus 40 is that the cloud (the glory of God) filled the tabernacle. According to 1 Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are the temple, the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. So, what would it mean for us to be filled with the Spirit of the Living God? How would it change the ways in which we operate in the world today if God’s Presence was always within us, guiding us? When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we reflect God’s glory in our own lives. As you are filled with the glory OF God, you’ll ooze out glory TO God! From glory to glory!
This Sunday we will give glory to God in the beautiful Prayer Garden of Green Trails Church! Worship time is at 9:00 am (to beat the heat!) and we are asking that you register in advance so that we can be properly prepared. Please make your reservations here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f4da4ad2ca0f94-9amoutdoor Seating is limited to 30 in order to keep everyone safely distanced, and please remember to BYOM&C (Bring Your Own Mask & Chair). We’ll spread our lawn chairs out, 6’ apart, keep our masks on for the service, and give the glory to God. The worship time will be shortened to 30-40 minutes, and the building itself will not be available for entry, except in the case of an emergency. And if we should have more than thirty people to sign up, we will have a 10:00 service to accomodate. We will still stream the worship service online, so please do not feel obligated to come, especially if you are in the high-risk categories.
New worship opportunity – Worship by Phone! For another opportunity to join us while we can't join together in person, please use our phone worship. It will live stream at the same time as our worship. For August 23, it will be 9 a.m. Should you miss it, the Worship will be archived and you can access after the event, just like with our videos online. To access dial: (562) 314 - 1212. You should be able to access the August 16 Worship as well.
Church, join us in celebrating Rita Goddard as she takes the next step on her journey! We will have a car parade in Rita’s honor on Sunday, August 30, at 3:00pm. Feel free to decorate your cars, make signs, bring cards, whatever you would like to do. This will be your opportunity to bless Rita as she has blessed Green Trails for the past five years!
I want to thank you for the many ways that you, the people of God, continue to support the mission of God here at Green Trails. We had a huge haul for this week’s Porch Drop! We received a letter from Bishop Farr thanking Green Trails for her faithful support of the Mozambique Initiative and global mission efforts. And many of you continue to give to the church in the midst of economic upheaval. Please know that every gift, no matter the size, is so appreciated! Green Trails – your love is showing! And all I can say is: Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!
Blessings,
Pastor Linda