Bishop Ward asks us to give thanks this month particularly for teachers, our Asian-American pastors and Asian-Pacific Ministries, and for mothers and other women who have nurtured and supported us throughout our life.
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
It’s the beautiful month of May. Birds sing, flowers bloom. All of nature beckons us to come out and to give thanks to God. During the month of May, I invite you to give thanks for and to give thanks to three groups of people.
First teachers. This is Teacher Appreciation Week. Take time to reach out and thank a teacher. The vocation of teaching is an honored and cherished one among us, and we are grateful to teachers who, in this season of pandemic, have done amazing work reconfiguring lesson plans to teach virtually and supporting students in wonderful ways. Teachers, we give thanks to God for you.
Second, May is Asian-Pacific Heritage Month and we give thanks to God for our pastors of Asian-American heritage. We give thanks for the ways in which you lead and guide, for the ways in which your life of prayer and your deeply spiritual leadership gives our entire connection. Asian-American clergy, we give thanks to God for you.
And third, as Mother’s Day approaches, we give thanks to God for the women in our lives who have nurtured us – mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers, aunts and sisters, cousins and friends, for nurturing women in our lives. We are deeply grateful and this month, in May, we give thanks to each of you who have had a nurturing role in our lives.
The beautiful month of May is a wonderful time to give thanks. Let us reach out in thanksgiving to one another in this holy, lovely, flowering season.
May Christ be with you as you extend thanks.