June 14, 2020
Over the past week, as the Hines family has been settling into Woodbridge and I’ve been getting to know Immanuel, I’ve found myself praying words from Psalm 16. Here’s the first stanza that came to my mind:
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
We really like our house, we enjoy our neighborhood, we’re finding encouraging opportunities in Woodbridge, and we love Immanuel. I keep thanking God for bringing us to a place of such goodness and genuine potential for life.
Here’s the next line that I’m reciting:
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
That’s you! You are saints, you are excellent ones, and already I’m delighting in you. Each encounter I’ve had – my first filming last Thursday, time with our
Senior Warden Rich on his deck as my girls swam in his pool, the wonderful
virtual fellowship on Sunday, parishioners bringing meals, meeting with staff as a team and one-on-one, various phone calls – I’ve experienced and enjoyed the unique character of the people of Immanuel.
The final words of Psalm 16 sing with joyful clarity for me right now, and I invite you to join in this song:
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
This is true for us, Immanuel Family, even in the midst of these turbulent times. The LORD – Yahweh – is making known to us what the path of flourishing is for our community. And the source of our joy is not in our circumstances, but in our God who is with us.
Your Pastor in Christ,
Travis+