God's Presence

God's Presence pause Take a deep breath right now. Notice one thing you see, one thing you hear, one thing your body is touching. You are here in this place. God is here with you, too. listen The Lord said, “I’ll make all my goodness pass in front of you, and I’ll proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord.’ I will be kind to whomever I wish to be kind, and I will have compassion to whomever I wish to be compassionate. But,” the Lord said, “you can’t see my face because no one can see me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place near me where you will stand beside the rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I’ll set you in a gap in the rock, and I’ll cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. Then I’ll take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face won’t be visible.” Exodus 33:19-23 think I think it is interesting that Moses and God had such a close relationship, yet Moses is not able to see the face of God — if he tried, he wouldn’t live! Whoa! Instead, God hid Moses in a gap in a rock and walked past, only revealing God’s back to him. Like Moses, we may not be able to see the literal face of God, but we can definitely see God in other ways. I see God when teenagers stand up for justice (teenagers are the BEST at that). I see God when my friend Joe helps at his local food bank. I see God when my little son asks if his baby sister is ok and gives her a hug. I see God when citizens come together and work to advocate for equality for all human beings. Where do you “see” God? Erin Spengeman Hutchison pray God, help me to look for you and see you today. Amen. go As you go, remember that God is with you and with those who do justice. Dare to be with God, too.

CROP Walk: you can still donate! The 2020 Pittsburgh East CROP Hunger Walk took place virtually this past Sunday, but donations are still being accepted to help the hungry in our area. So far, our team has raised $360 online (likely more with checks sent into the office). Judy & Mariah Mysels, Rhonda & Jon Apessos are registered to "walk" this year. Help FPCE's team by donating on the Pittsburgh East CROP Hunger Walk page here!

Carr Memorial We're grateful to all who were able to attend and participate in the celebration of life for our faithful brother, Tim Carr, last week. At the family's request, the service was recorded, and at the request of several members, we have posted it online. The link is unlisted on the church's YouTube channel so that it is more private for the family and also not the first video showing up on our channel's playlist. You can access it by clicking the video below or this link directly: https://youtu.be/6Lqtqssr7Xo