Each month we gather around many tables together. We gather for committee meetings; we gather at Coffee Hour; we gather in God’s Garden. In large and small groups we meet and talk, working for the life of the church. At these gatherings we not only share our “business” concerns but also our personal lives. No matter how or when we gather here at Payson Park Church, it is always as members of a community of faith, striving, as we proclaim, to “walk in the ways of Jesus.” It’s with this ultimate purpose in mind we can admit there is one table around which we gather that is more important than all the rest: it’s the table set before us as we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. What a blessing it is to gather this way! Through Communion we celebrate our unity with God and one another, as well as with other Christians around the world. In prayer and contemplation we are joined with the One who calls us into new community, offering us a chance to recommit ourselves to “the living body of Christ.” What a privilege! It’s with this sense of gratitude that we can move through 2011 together. With our new slate of Officers, committee chairs, and committee members approved at the Annual Meeting, we will gather around many tables in the months ahead. May our thoughts and words always be inspired by the table set by Jesus: the table of abiding love and communion with God. Amen. January 2011 As the days of Christmas lead into the season of Epiphany, we shift our attention from the baby lying in the manger to the early events of Jesus’ life. From the baptismal scene in the Jordan River, to the first miraculous act at the wedding in Cana, such stories illustrate the ways Jesus reveals God’s healing and reconciling nature. Whether teaching in a synagogue or reaching out to those in need on the streets, we see that God’s grace is for all people no matter what one’s age or ethnicity, culture or creed. As God’s beloved child, Jesus leads us to recognize that we, too, are cherished and loved as God’s unique and blessed creation. Of course there’s a hitch. While the invitation comes continuously through the Spirit’s presence, we must prayerfully respond to such grace. What will we do? Can we receive this unconditional acceptance and inspiration? Might we allow it to change our lives? It’s never too late. That’s what we learn at the manger right on to scene at the empty tomb. New life and love are continuously offered as the Christian message shows us that no one can stop the power of peace that’s offered by God. As we begin a new year together here – indeed, a new decade – it is my prayer that each and all of us may say “yes!” to such exuberant life. Just as Mary and Joseph gathered with the shepherds and Wise Men, so we, too, have the opportunity to build new community here at Payson Park Church and beyond. May we all be opened this year to new life and greater love by God’s inspiring and sustaining power! Prayerfully from The Reverend Lael Atkinson