Page 3 - Glory & Grace Issue 4: "Small Wonders" Nov 2021

FROM THE REVS
"You did that? Every Monday for four years?" That is the bewildered and blown-away question that escapes my lips as I listen to Carolyn's story of writing letters to a KOG college student. When she replies, "yes," I grab her hand and give it a prolonged squeeze.
In Barb's home, a pile of five or six devotionals and journals sit next to her recliner and we visit for almost three hours. On my way out, she takes me to the backyard where a pergola now rests in the same spot where, one year earlier, I had gathered with her family. On that holy ground we had entrusted Don, her husband, into God's care. Today Barb points to a sign that hangs from the pergola: "Onward We Go."
Starting back in the summer of 2020, I noticed Jim's red pickup was frequently in the parking lot. First he was picking weeds, then grabbing shears from his pickup, and later riding the mower for the three hours it takes to finish the job. "What are you up to?" I asked one day. Wiping sweat from his brow, smiling, Jim says, “If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be here. There's still more work to be done."
PAGE 3
These are just three small stories of faithfulness made known in the community of faith called King of Glory. Carolyn, Barb, Jim, and others share their stories in this issue to testify to God's faithfulness and to encourage you, especially in these difficult times. We extend our deepest gratitude to those who have vulnerably shared their stories with us.
Jesus lifts up small things, like yeast in bread or a mustard seed in the soil, to direct our attention to the places where the Kingdom of God is made known. Though we might consider a caring action or gesture to be a tiny or even insignificant thing, the stories Jesus tells suggest otherwise.
In this issue we celebrate some of the "small wonders" we see happening in the community of faith and we reflect on the "small wonder" it is that God would work through us at all. Though "celebrating" in this season of disruption and division may seem inappropriate, we offer these stories as a way to proclaim that the LORD continues to be at work, even in times of suffering. Pressing on with our siblings in Christ, we hold fast to God's promise that God will bring to completion that which God has begun.
What small moments in your life have had an impact that exceeds expectation? Who might you bless with a phone call, letter, or cup of coffee. Martin Luther writes in his explanation to the Lord's Prayer that God's Kingdom will indeed come without our prayer, but in this prayer we ask that it may also come in and among us. A small, but mighty wonder, indeed!
Pastor Jen
A small wonder:
blooms are discovered on the Quanbeck front porch.
Before heading to the trash can, new