Words have a way of empowering and providing guidance. Our Town contacted local religious leaders asking them what words of inspiration, guidance or hope would they share as we begin 2016.
Hope
“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” (Psalms 42:5 – New Living Translation)
“Hope is knowing someone believes in you and will never quit on you. It is the anchor to life, the word that keeps us going in all seasons. In a world where economic uncertainty and violence dominates the atmosphere, we can have confident assurance that God knows the future and is in control.
“Without hope, we are doomed to an existence of dark pessimism. It has been said a pessimist can hardly wait for the future so he can look back with regret. Our hope is to believe in God and His Word.
“We can smile through our tears, rejoice in our suffering, knowing our end is not the end of the story, and have hope to press on, end well and finish strong.
“Hope is our defense against the destructive thoughts that attack us. When we have hope, we have expectancy even when things are otherwise hopeless. As a Christian, instead of thinking with tunnel vision, selectively focusing on negative things and tuning out the positive aspects of a situation, we turn our expectation to Jesus who is able to turn a situation around. Hope lifts our spirit to see that a new day is ready to break.”
Pastor Rob Barnes,
Silver Creek Fellowship
Love
“The founder of Methodism, John Wesley once said, ‘Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences.’
“My hope for 2016 is we may all find our way to understanding the important truth that living each day with love is the only way to transform the world.”
Pastor Teresa Salyer
Silverton United Methodist Church
Choice
“Every day I get to choose (in fact, I have to choose) how I will live. Will I live in hope or fear? Will I live generously or selfishly? Will I be graceful or judgmental to the folks that I encounter? Believing the promises that I am beloved, forgiven, called, blessed and sent produces a very particular, joyful and grateful way of being in the world.”
Pastor Leah Stolte-Doerfler
Silverton Immanuel Lutheran Church
Small and big
“My hope for 2016 is that we will be ‘small and big:’ a small community with a big heart and big dreams and big open minds. Small enough to feel relaxed and familiar and big enough to welcome new and different people, ideas and holy visitations.”
Pastor Steve Knox
Silverton First Christian Church
Unity
“The big hope for St. Paul Parish is building a new Narthex on our Church. We are in the midst of fundraising for the project. My hope is that we reach our goal and can begin building and finish before the end of the year. Our parish prayer during this time is that this project may also be a source of unity for our parish and fill us with pride.”
Fr. William Hammelman, OSB
St. Paul Catholic Church
Mercy
Pope Francis wrote a letter to Catholics about December to November 2016 being a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Find the letter at: https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html
“Our world is often afflicted by poverty, hunger, homelessness, inequality, division and even war. I pray and ask that these two points of Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy guide our steps in 2016: that we make Mercy not an object but rather more an action, a unique way of interacting in relationship with our God and with our brothers and sisters near and far. ‘Mercy-ing’ is the word for 2016.”
Fr. Philip Waibel, OSB, Pastor
St. Mary Catholic Church
