​Tree of Life

Sometimes when hatred and violence fill our world, we find ourselves struggling to see the light of love.  Like so many others, my heart was broken when I heard the news of the violence carried out on the worshippers at Tree of Life Synagogue in suburban Pittsburgh.  Tragically, a hate-filled individual gunned down innocent worshippers at the synagogue.  We join in prayer with others from across the country and around the world for the families who have lost loved ones.  We as Americans have long prided ourselves in freedom of worship regardless of the person’s religion, so this act cuts to the very core of who we are as Americans.  But it goes even deeper.  It hurts those of us who cherish faith.  I could not help but reflect on the name of the synagogue, Tree of Life, and its roots from the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis, where wrong choices brought a removal from the peaceful garden and the presence of God.  In a very real sense, such a hateful act of violence re-enacts God’s heartbreak and our alienation from God and each other.  Let us pray not only for the families of those who lost loved ones at the Tree of Life Synagogue, but also pray that our country would seek a new era of understanding and peacefulness. 
 
(verse of the week)
 “Blessed are the peacemakers,
                   for they will be called children of God” (Matt. 5:9 NIV).
 
(prayer of the week)
Lord, grant us minds that seek to understand, hearts that seek to care, and hands that seek to build up rather than tear down, through your power and to your glory, Amen.

​Blessings--Pastor TJ
 
(quote of the week)
Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved through understanding – Albert Einstein