Rev. Zachary Mabe is in his 18^th year as the Pastor of the Terryville Congregational Church.

Scripture: John 10:9-10 (NSRV)

"I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
 

Reflection: How is Your Soul?

How is your soul?  We often ask ourselves or others, "How is your (physical) health?" "How is your job?"  "How is your family?"  "How are your career aspirations going?" "How is your bank account?" or "How are your finances?"  We often work on building up these areas of our lives as well, especially working toward padding those bank accounts and making ourselves as financially secure as we possibly can – both individually and as churches. But what about our souls?  Perhaps we ought to focus more on our souls. What can you do – starting right now – to draw closer to God? What might you do to strengthen your faith?  What might you do for your neighbor, even a stranger?  What can you do to nurture the well-being of your soul?   Open your Bible. Attend worship services regularly. Cling closely (and stay accountable) to trusted people of faith.  Reach out to people in need, and let go of judgments you make about people who are different from you. Sing praise to God. Practice forgiveness. Be generous. And pray. Pray and pray again. Embrace God's hope and light.  Let go of the fear of not having enough. Start living a life where love is your focus.   Look around you. Be a light for someone who desperately needs it.  We don't have to travel overseas or even out of state to find someone who needs hope.  My experience has been that so very often there are people who need us who are within our daily path – and we've overlooked them as we travel on our way to something that we think is more important. It's time for us all to stop making life about me, myself, and I.  Listen for God's voice of guidance in your life; be open to it, look for it, and be ready when God calls you.   Remember this: a padded bank account might bring some earthly conveniences, but God is the only source of abundant and eternal life.

PRAYER

Dear God, thank you. Your blessings are abundant. I want to work on my soul. I want you to help me to work on my soul. And be with those whose souls are hurting, lost, forgotten, neglected. With your warm embrace, draw us all close to you.  Amen.

New Prayer Requests:

We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org.

Prayers of Intercession:

• For the people of Ukraine whose lives continue to be shattered by war.
• For those grieving or suffering due to the ~12,700 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the year, including recent mass shootings and the  shooting of one person who happened to knock at the wrong door.
• For  the trans and non-binary people who are under attack nationwide.
• For the friends and family of The Rev. Dr. Samuel W. Young who passed away on April 13, 2023.  He served churches in Torrington and Bridgewater, CT, and in Oxford, MA, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Silver Lake Conference Center and the historic CT Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving:

• For upcoming Pride events.
• For organizations that are great places to work.

This Week in History:

April 27, 1994 (29 years ago): South Africa holds first multiracial elections and an overwhelming majority chose anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela to head a new coalition government. [History] 

“Study the past if you would define the future.”
— Confucius

the Rev. Zachary Mabe Mabe

pastor of Terryville Congregational Church