markleumc

  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Dear Markle UMC Family, As we have been continuing in our series The Images of Faith and looking at our stained glass around our beautiful church building, God has been showing me something deeper than just beautiful colors and great artistry. He has been showing me the deeper truths of living a life with Him. Each image points towards living a life of hope, faith, and love. It gets me thinking about how other things in life point towards deeper meanings. If we take a moment we realize we are surrounded by them like brand logos, emojis and gifs on our phones, and other symbols. But have you ever realized that each one of us is an image pointing towards something greater? In the very first book of the Bible

  My wife and I recently planted a little redbud tree in our yard. We’ve wanted one for a while, so we decided that we were going to buy one and plant it just on the edge of a little woods that we have on our property. Unfortunately, when I bought the little tree, I didn’t realize that the main trunk of it was pretty much dead. Like, dead as a doornail dead. We talked about just returning it to the store and getting our money back to buy a different one, but it wasn’t that expensive so we decided instead to just plant it and see what happened. A day or so later, these little green shoots came up around the base of the dry, dead trunk and within a week they were six inches or so tall. The wait for a big, beautiful redbud tree might be a little longer, but, in the end, I’m glad we decided to keep it. I’m reminded of a passage from Isaiah 42 as I think about this little tree (and, if I’m being honest, a lot of the little baby trees we’ve been coaxing along at our house). It’s one of many