Attitudes of Gratitude - # 4 - November 4th, 2012

Cornelia United Methodist Church - Cornelia, GA

“Safely Through Another Week”

Safely through another week God has brought us on our way;

Let us now a blessing seek, waiting in Thy courts today ;

Day of all the week the best, emblem of eternal rest.

Mercies multiplied each hour through the week our praise demand;

Guarded by almighty power, fed and guided by His hand;

Though ungrateful we have been, only made returns of sin.

While we pray for pardoning grace, through the dear Redeemer’s Name,

Show Thy reconciled face, shine away our sin and shame;

From our worldly cares set free, may we rest each night with Thee.

Here we come Thy Name to praise, let us feel Thy presence near,

May Thy glory meet our eyes, while we in Thy house appear:

Here afford us, Lord, a taste of our everlasting feast.

May Thy Gospel’s joyful sound conquer sinners, comfort saints;

May the fruits of grace abound, bring relief for all complaints;

Thus may all our Sabbaths prove till we join the church above!

In some MOST special ways, I am thankful today that God has brought me 

"Safely Through Another Week", and I am bold enough to pray or the same
"safe passage" in the coming week, as I face the intervention of the medical community in the form of a heart catheterization this coming Thursday and all of the evaluation that is likely to ensue from that.  

When I was a young girl, attending Druid Hills United Methodist Church in Atlanta, GA.,  we frequently sang this hymn, and I find it springing to mind frequently and especially when I've had a stressful week.  Druid Hills, in so many ways, was my "church home", and even though I seldom return,  it has continued throughout 35 years of ministry and moving to "feel" like home.  

In so many ways I have felt like a "nomad" and a "wayfaring stranger" even while living in the beautiful parsonages across ten appointments in the North Georgia Conference.  I have been acutely conscious that I was nothing more than a guest in their midst, and in only one or two places did I ever feel "at home" and even then, I knew it was "temporary".   Druid Hills remained a "constant" in my life because Terry and I married there in 1975, and our first home as married people was there in a tiny one-bedroom apartment above their gymnasium!!  It was actually VERY tiny, but it was "home" and we were happy there \while he was in Atlanta finishing an internship in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Wesley Woods. 

I think I love this hymn for a number of reasons. For one thing, it speaks to the "condition" I often find myself in - - - that of needing the hand of God to guide me "Safely Through Another Week" . . . sometimes it turned into "Safely Through Another Appointment" when moving day came. For another thing, the text of the hymn reminds me to give "thanks" and to turn to God for guidance and for strength and courage when things aren't going as planned! For another thing, I am reminded of where I am supposed to be on Sunday morning and how much I love being there and participating in the music I love so much!!

I'm not big on change, and I'm certainly not a fan of "change for the sake of
change"!  I am much more a creature of "If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it"!!  Nevertheless,  God has just brought Terry and me and our family "safely through another year" - one full of changes, and I am so very grateful. 

One of the BEST changes we've had centers around his retirement from the

active ministry and our purchase of our very first home.  You might wonder
why my "thanks" picture today is not one of our new house, and that's easy to explain!   Along with our move to Cornelia, GA,  we have "come home" to a church of our own, and for the first time in over forty years, my heart is at home and I have a  *home* church in the Cornelia United Methodist Church.  

I am reminded that from the most stressful changes can come the greatest blessings.  Day by day God proves to me the truth of Romans 8:28 . . .

"All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes . . . "    

I wonder if it is ok to paraphrase that to read "All things work together to bring

us "safely through another week" when we love the Lord, are called according to His purposes, and will to follow with gratitude and thanksgiving where He would have us go."