A letter from Gail Maidment, Lay Director for Women's Walk #34
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
(1 John 3 verse 1a)
This verse immediately came to mind as I was asked to be the next Lay Director for Walk 34 in November. It is an amazing verse that reminded me again of the privilege of being called into God’s family as His child.
Not only are we called to be His children but by His grace He also lavishes his love upon us! The word lavished evokes the idea of a love that is rich, elaborate and luxurious, given in profusion and a generous and extravagant way. This is God’s agape love to us, a free gift.
This is the spirit behind the Walk to Emmaus. Since my participation in Emmaus, I have experienced in countless ways God lavishing his love upon me through the Emmaus Community and that has deepened my love for God and touched my heart.
My desire during this team preparation time is that we again take time to ponder on how God has lavished his love upon us individually and as a community, allowing this amazing truth to transform us.
For me this is a continual challenge with a myriad of commitments of home, work and church, etc.
Recently, I was given a sketch from a colleague of the Prodigal Son. In the sketch she etches in the background This should be called the Running Father, as it was the father who waited every day for him to return and when he finally saw him a long way off, his father ran to him and hugged and kissed him.
This picture reinforces again to me that we need to allow the running father to come to us and lavish his love upon us. I am trying to learn to stop and be still and receive His love again and again.
Through this team preparation my hope is that we open our hearts wide to God’s abundant love to that we will be ready to minister to the pilgrims on this up and coming Walk and that their hearts and spirits will know God’s love lavished upon them and this will transform them in their faith journeys through the Walk.
I am so encouraged by all the team members who have said yes and for the community who will be praying and working behind the scenes. I am so thankful for the support and encouragement I have received so far.
Henri Nouwen, in Bread for the Journey speaks of a mosaic made of thousands of little stones. When you step back you can see the picture. One stone cannot tell the story by itself. “That is what our life in community is all about. Each of us is like a little stone, but together we reveal the face of God to the world.”
De Colores,
Gail Maidment
September 2006
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