“We have gifts that differ according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:6
April 27, 2023
Dear People of St. David’s,
I pray that you and yours are well and that you are finding time to enjoy these magnificent spring days. It is so beautiful!
We are approaching our Annual Meeting next Sunday and I hope that you will make a special effort to worship with us on May 7, and stay for the meeting. It’s so important to remember all the ways that God has blessed us as individuals and as a community. It takes all of us and all our gifts to be St. David’s Church; sometimes I think we forget that.
I was talking with one of our long-time parishioners last week during a hospital visit and we got to reminiscing about all the different ways she has been involved here over the years: serving as a Sunday School teacher, overseeing part of the Fair, coming to Bible study, and all the moments of grace and joy she has experienced in worship. She is a person who has shared her gifts thankfully and generously but was feeling a little low now that her physical capacities have become somewhat limited. She felt she was letting the community down, and after reminding her of all the ways she has made an impact, we started talking about gifts; how the use of our gifts changes over time. I reminded her that St. David’s still needs her gifts to be St. David’s Church. We talked about how in her limitations she might start praying for individuals and for the ministries of the church every morning. She lit up and said she would, because that’s the gift she is able to give at this point in her life. I told her that that would be a beautiful gift to share.
Over the course of our lives, we have been given gifts from God to share with one another and to build up our community. All of us have been given gifts, and it takes all our gifts to be God’s church at St. David’s. Many of us are sharing our gifts generously in thanksgiving for all that God has given us. Many of us are just now finding ways to share our gifts in thanksgiving to God. Some of us have forgotten that our gifts matter and have a new opportunity to step up and make a difference according to the grace we’ve been given. To use St. Paul’s words, “All of our gifts matter.”
As I reflect on the past few years and the effects the pandemic had on St. David’s and on all our lives, I would like to invite you to remember that your gifts matter. Your physical and spiritual presence matter for the energy and encouragement we bring one another. Finding a way to use your gifts to build up our community matter because we are a body and the body functions best when all its members are working. Your financial giving matters as a sign of your thanks for all that God has given you. It helps us support the ministries, staff, and buildings that allow us to be St. David’s. Your prayers matter for your life in God, and as an invitation for God to make a difference at St. David’s and for the lives of every person.
Thank you for using the gifts God has given you and for the grace that comes when we share our gifts. Be open to increasing the sharing of your gifts. Always remember that you and your gifts matter as the tangible reality of God’s grace.
Grace and Peace,
The Rev. W. Frank Allen
Rector