VIENNA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | NOVEMBER 2022
THE MONTHLY MESSENGER
FROM HOPE'S HEART... Brothers & Sisters of VPC, In my early years of ministry I was an Associate Pastor of a large church where I could focus on a small portion of specific ministry – youth. I loved it and I especially loved the adults who would volunteer their time as chaperones and group leaders. I found it really easy in those days to express my gratitude for their service to Christ and the church. We’d have dinners in our home. I could write lengthy letters of love and appreciation. I’d even find wonderful handmade gifts of appreciation each Christmas that took painstaking hours to curate for each individual. But when I became a Lead Pastor, I quickly found that I could not keep up with the sheer volume of phenomenal volunteers and lay leaders in the church – and that was in a church less than 1/10 the size of VPC! Our home wasn’t big enough to host everyone. There weren’t enough hours in a day to write the kind of notes that I’d previously written. And there was no way that we could afford such personalized gifts for every member of the church. Over time I realized that instead of being grateful, I had simply become thankful and there is a difference. Gratitude involves taking action on the things that you give thanks for. Thankfulness is simply being mindful, or thinking about, those same things. I’m thankful when all the lights on my morning commute are green. I’ve caught myself thinking about that more than once lately. Still, I won’t be writing to VDOT to express my appreciation. When it comes to my faith, I find that I am more than thankful. I am profoundly grateful for the life that I get to lead because of what God has done for me in Jesus Christ. While I may start simply by thinking about what God has done, when I realize the full enormity of what He did, I find
that I can’t just think about it, I’m compelled to action. God has given me a life where shame and guilt are no longer something that I have to carry and replaced them with freedom and joy. From that place of gratitude, I get so excited to throw myself into the hands-on rush of giving to God by serving His people, sharing of my resources, and investing my time. I can still remember the thrill of getting my first real paycheck and being able to write a check (yes, people did that back then) to the church where I worshipped as a kid. I couldn’t believe that I actually got to do it and be a part of something that had been such a part of me! As you make your way through this newsletter and you see all of the ways that VPC is a “caring fellowship, bringing Christ into our diverse community through discipleship and service,” I hope that you will find yourself more than thankful, but grateful. And having been found grateful, I hope that you will be compelled to action as you express that gratitude. I don’t get to write notes the way I used to or pick out personalized gifts as often as I used to. But, when I do get those rare opportunities to send a card or pick out something really special for someone, I know it is because I am more than thankful for who they are in my life, I am truly grateful! This Thanksgiving, I’d like to invite each of you to not just think about what you are thankful for, but act on what you are grateful for! In the Grip of Grace, Pastor Hope hope.lee@viennapres.org