From the Pastor's Desk
November 2025
November is a month to remember and honor the saints of the past as well as a time to envision the future that God holds for this church. In worship on November 3 we will remember the saints who have faithfully served this beloved church and who have passed in the last year. You will also have the opportunity to honor the saints in your life as well. We will have a tree by the baptismal font on which you may place a leaf or many leaves honoring the saints in your life. We will pray for those who have entered the company of the saints in light, whether their passing was recent or many years ago. We trust the spirits of our loved ones surround us as we continue in the work that has been entrusted to us to be good stewards of this beloved church.
The prophet Joel famously proclaimed in Scripture: "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." (Joel 2:28) In our culture, the ability to see visions is not always thought of as favorable, but in God's realm the ability to see visions is the heart of discernment. Discernment is a process where together we listen for the still small voice of God calling us forward. As God reveals God's vision, we faithfully respond. There are times when the vision is clear and we formulate a plan to move forward to bring that vision to life. There are other times when we must wait patiently and prayerfully for this clarity to arrive.
The church is continually engaged in the work of discernment. Who are we and how is God calling us to minister to God's people in this time and place? What gifts has God entrusted to us for this work? What must we do, personally and collectively, to bring God's vision to life? Even as we acknowledge that the church may not be what it has been, I hear the words of Pastor John Robinson who proclaim centuries ago to the Pilgrims as they set sail from the Netherlands, "There is yet more truth and light to break forth from God's Holy Word." In other words, "God is Still Speaking!!"
What word or message is God calling us to embody? I believe God continues to call us to be as we have been and to do as we have done. We are a community of the faithful loving one another, loving our neighbor and loving ourselves as we have been loved by God. That never changes. God continues to call us to protect the vulnerable and offer sustenance to those who are hungry, comfort to those who mourn and liberations to those who are imprisoned. It is our work to discern what in this world traps the beloved, what keeps us from creating the beloved community? Those impediments may be physical, emotional or spiritual. Jesus came to destroy the forces that separate us from each other and from God.
What gift do you bring to this sacred work? Our stewardship theme this year reminds us that we are dreaming God's dream together and no gift is too small nor any vision too big. God's spirit is expansive enough to fill us with whatever we need to met this moment. I invite you to prayerfully consider what gifts you have to share with this beloved community. How might you engage your faith in new ways this Year? Where is God calling you to be even more generous than you have already been? What are you holding onto that has become an impediment to your discipleship? Take time in prayer to discern how God is calling you to stretch and grow, to dream new dreams and see new visions.
We will gather in worship on November 23 to receive a message from our Area Conference Minister, Rev. Carol Steinbrecher and bless the pledge commitments we make for the coming year. This is a moment to celebrate and look forward to the ways we will stretch our spirits and grow our faith. I hope you will prayerfully consider what gift you have to share.
We are the church, together. God has prepared us to meet this moment with love, humility and courage. May it be so!
Peace
Rev. Lynne
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