Beloved of God,

Gratitude and thanksgiving are hallmarks of this month of November.  On All Saints Sunday we lift up the lives of all the faithful people of God who have gone before us, who have sown seeds of faith in our lives, lighting the way toward a future in which hope reigns.  Hope reigns for us and all creation because God reigns, and where God reigns there is always hope—hope both for this life and for the next, thanks to Christ’s triumph over sin and death.  Six Peace and former St. James members will be remembered on November 4th: Lyla, Elmer, K, Gena, Elma, & Grace.  Each of their stories have interacted in different ways with our own and are now enfolded into God’s story like strands of thread in a tapestry God has been creating from the beginning of time.

Celebrating the lives of those who have gone before naturally raises questions for us about the legacy of faith we leave to those who come after us. During the coming months, you’ll be hearing about one such legacy that comes to us through St. Paul’s interaction with the church in Macedonia.  Acts 16 records that as Paul and his companions went about their work of planting churches, one night Paul had a vision: there stood a man from Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” As soon as Paul had the vision the group set out to “cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.” (Acts 16:9-10) Later, in his second letter to the Christians of Corinth, Paul writes about what he experienced with the Macedonia people.

“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”

The church communities in Macedonia, Paul goes on to say, “voluntarily gave according to their means, even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints” in Jerusalem who were suffering from a famine. (2 Cor. 8:3-4)  How did the people of Macedonia become motivated to give to their sisters and brothers in Jerusalem?  “They gave themselves first to the Lord,” then they also gave themselves “by the will of God, to us.” (2 Cor. 8:5)  These were acts of commitment and spiritual maturity that began with their baptism and flowing from their foundational relationship with the Christ Jesus.  When people give themselves to the Lord, the Lord makes things happen—and did it happen!  Their “overflowing joy and extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity,” writes Paul.  Practicing generosity in the face of tough times is not easy.  Not for the Macedonians.  Not for us.  But it is possible—even surprisingly so—when we follow their ancient example by first giving ourselves, our lives, fully to the Lord.

In coming months the Stewardship Team will be lifting the Macedonian Challenge before us, inviting us to reflect on what we can learn and adopt for our own practices, individually, as households, and as a congregation.[1] Stay tuned!

This month we’ll be given several opportunities for generous giving to ministry needs beyond our doors. We’ve all seen images of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy this past week.  From the Caribbean to the North Atlantic Coast, millions of lives have been affected by this “super storm.”  Our ELCA is known nationwide as a leader in disaster response.  It’s one of things we, as church, do together when we participate in synodical and churchwide sponsored ministries.  You’ll find a LINK on our website homepage that provides more information about how you might respond.

In addition, our THANKSGIVING OFFERING this year will help in two directions: (1) subsidizing our Agape Fund, which serves those in desperate need of help, and (2) participating in the White Center Food Bank’s new “Team Henrietta” and “Milk Banks” programs.

This All Saints Sunday we’ll hear these words from Revelation 21:

“See, the home of God is among mortals.  God will dwell with them as their God; they will be God’s peoples, and God himself will be with them; God will wipe every tear from their eyes.  Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-4)

We live in the hope that this vision of renewal for the future of creation includes renewal for us even now today.  We participate in that renewal whenever we gather around the Font and Table.  It’s what we do; it’s who we are.

With you on the way,

Pastor Erik

[1]For an example of a modern day Macedonian tale, follow this LINK (http://www.lutheransnw.org/content.cfm?id=213&content_id=8) to the story of Kent Lutheran Church and the transformation they have undergone through connecting with Sudanese refugees in their community and half a world away.