Gratitude
The theme for our next Community Sunday on November 27, 2016 is Gratitude. We will be remembering and celebrating our Big God together as a whole faith community. We will have a six minute time of Community Sharing. We want to specifically express Gratitude out loud together for Jesus and who He is for us as I AM.
I want to express my gratitude to Jesus for being The Way, The Truth and The Life. As many of you know, my father, Dr. Cesar Cabascango went home to Jesus on October 26, 2016 Dad was in his end of life process during the Preaching Guild’s series on the clear and powerful statements Jesus made about Himself in the book of John called the I AM Statements.
- I am the Bread of Life
- I am the Light of the world
- I am the Door
- I am the Good Shepherd
- I am the True Vine
- I am the Resurrection and the Life
- I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Mom, dad and I listened to the sermons together cuddled up on the couch in their living room. Dad enjoyed those times because he has always been a “cuddler” (like father like daughter) and also because he appreciated listening to teaching about Jesus. I was so grateful to hear that Jesus is THE Way, not a path or direction that we have to find and map out, but a person who is Himself the Way and in whose companionship we find our path in this world and the next.
I was comforted to hear Jesus as the Truth: the clarity of Him as truth was bigger than the truths about cancer, than the piles of medical choices and information mom, dad and I worked through together. His Presence as Truth was calming and clarified how we moved forward together as dad stepped closer to Heaven.
Jesus is the LIFE. Outside of Jesus there is no fullness of life on this side of Heaven or where Dad now lives his days. The presence of Jesus as the Life gave mom and I hope even as Dad passed through the valley of the shadow of death and far away from us.
I was comforted by Jesus and His Presence as the Way when so much of the daily path of dad’s dying was difficult, varied and confusing. I was guided by Jesus as the Truth when all of the unknown’s of dad’s dying became reality for mom and I. In the sadness of dad being gone, I feel Jesus, the Life, staying close to mom and I, helping us to recognize Him for who He is and let go of understanding anything else.
As part of the Community Sunday team, I want to invite everyone to give some intentional thought and prayer in advance to expressing gratitude to Jesus and specifically gratitude related to one of the I Am statements.
We know we do not have time to hear from everyone that morning but our hope is to hear as much Gratitude from as many members of our faith community as we can. Please be intentional and mindful of this in your preparation and come prepared to share in a word or a couple sentences, specific Gratitude from your life with God.
We are grateful to God for all of you and we look forward to experiencing Gratitude of our amazing God together as a faith community at our next Community Sunday!