November 15th, 2024 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Many of the conversations I have been having in the last couple of weeks have been centered around hope. Some people are naming their hopes for the future, and some are looking for signs of hope in the difficulties they are experiencing.

If you were to press me as to what lies at the very center of my personal theological framework, I would likely use the word hope often in my response, because I believe hope lies at the heart of Christian faith – the hope that God is not done with the world; the hope that resurrection presents in the face of death, the hope of new creation and eternity in the presence of God.

What are the things that are fueling hope in you these days?

Even as I ask that question I understand that it might be a profoundly difficult one for some of you to answer. If that is the case, I’d like to invite you to make a point of attending church this coming Sunday because I believe hope will be very present there this weekend as our Youth Ministry leads all of our worship services. They will lead us in prayer, in song, they will present a skit to help us engage with the Scripture, and they will preach the sermon.

By their very presence among us, these young people embody hope for the future. Seeing them blossom in faith as part of our church family gives me great joy and encouragement, as it should for you too.  So let’s get out to church this weekend with hearts and minds that are open to the work of God’s Spirit that will take place through the leadership of our Youth.

I’ll see you there!

Pastor Charlie

November 8th, 2024 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Dear Friends,  

Do you recall a few weeks ago when Charlie encouraged us to return to home base, to Scripture that grounds us? He read the words of Lamentations 3:22-23, which read, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

And the day after the election, Bishop Berlin sent out a letter encouraging us to “reorient” in the face of an election season and results that left many disoriented.

We must reorient, remembering that we are first and foremost children of God. All of us are children of God, and thus we should treat each other as if we are encountering the image of God.

I am choosing to ground myself in these two directives- to return to home base and to reorient. One recognition of this election is that we all need to participate in healing work that pushes us to see each and every person as the Imago Dei, the image of God. In addition, we need to participate in spiritual practices that will yield spiritual fruit.

Remember, Paul writes that the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). In a moment in time when it feels like so many of these ways of being are missing in our society, let us be the light that shines in a darkened world.

As we continue to share Christ’s transformative love in the world, particularly with those on the margins, let us be the ones that live as an example by extending love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control to others.  

With grace and peace,  

Pastor Rachel

November 1st, 2024 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

25.

That’s the number of saints whose names we will read this weekend as we celebrate All Saints.

As I look through the list of names I begin to reflect on my relationships with them. Some I knew very well, and others I only got to know  about after their passing. All of them, in their own way, were a gift to the world, and all of them taught me something about God’s grace.  I am remarkably grateful for their lives and witness.

All Saints Sunday is always a very poignant occasion. Remembering those that have gone on to the “great cloud of witnesses” ahead of us can evoke feelings of sadness and grief as well as gratitude and joy. On this day we cannot help but be reminded of those who passed the story of God’s grace on to us in meaningful ways. We only get to know the story of Jesus Christ and God’s amazing grace because these people took the time to tell and model it to us. Perhaps this is a good time to pause in the reading of this note, and to remember and speak some of those names.

But All Saints is not only about being reminded of those who told the story of faith to us, it is also about being reinspired to tell it ourselves. Who might you be in a position to pass the light of God’s hope on to? As you think of that person/people, perhaps pauses again to pray that they, like you, will receive the gift of God’s great love.

All Saints is a poignant Sunday on which we remember with thanks and are inspired by the memories of those who have gone before us. I hope and trust that you will plan to join us for this significant moment in the church calendar.

See you there!

 Pastor Charlie