Hope and Trust

Derrick Hamre

Lead Pastor

On Wednesday night our community experienced the darkness of tragedy as a young women was murdered and a family connected with our church through Route 456 was plunged into grief so deep it defies description. On Thursday night light shone into the darkness with a ray of hope. It was the hope of comfort, the hope of a caring embrace and the hope of Christ. Emmanuel Church opened its doors to the community for a Candlelight Prayer Service. Hundreds poured into the church to weep, to mourn together and to experience a little of the power of God that we experience every Sunday. It was unlike anything I have ever been a part of! Young people who have never been in church gathered around our altar to light a candle, hold a friend, to receive or give a prayer. Many worked hard to facilitate the event. We began to awake to the need and made a decision to roll with the service at 3:30 pm. Four hours later we were experience why God has placed us on planet earth. It was light in the darkness, we were the salt of the earth. I was so proud of so many. Thank you….

Although I am unable to be here today, I want every Grad to know that I am thinking about them. Our hearts have been at the school all week. My prayers are with you today!

This week I received an invitation to my 25^th Anniversary of my own graduation from Rutland Senior Secondary in 1985. Wow – time passed quickly! On my graduation, I received a gift, one of those plaques that you wonder “what on earth am I going to do with this?” Well, I’ve been carrying it around for 25 years. It remains in my office, I look at it often and I’ve even memorized it. The plaque reads:

Trust in the Lord with all you heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.

Proverbs 3:5

That piece of scripture / advice has remained with me for 25 years and now I pass it on to this year’s graduation class. Trust. Make God number one. Lean on Him. He will guide you forward!