Beloved Friends- Question: What do a memorial service, a conversation with a struggling mom who’s grown daughter just came out to her, a mid-week Eucharist, follow up from a vestry meeting, a staff huddle, some liturgy preparations, a conversation with new friends who are also Toledo Street vendors and planning for a Saturday workshop have in common?
Answer: Today!
As I sit down to write this week my “cup runneth over” with evidence of God’s love and grace at every turn here in the life of Trinity Episcopal Church! While there are always days in each of our lives when we can find ourselves wondering why we are here and what difference do we really make, and I have had my share, today was not one of those days. Today I was reminded in ways big and small this community of faith is engaged and moving forward together.
Sunday we will celebrate the Feast Day of All Saints, a universal Christian Feast that honors and remembers all Christian saints, known and unknown. During the past few weeks we have been collecting names of those we love and who are no longer with us. These beautiful names will be chanted in the liturgy as we come forward to receive the bread and wine uniting us all- present and in spirit.
We will also be baptizing Jack Oliver Neuman into our faith community offering the sacrament of baptism. The Episcopal church encourages, whenever possible to offer baptism on one of 4 special days on our church calendar including the Easter Vigil, Pentecost, All Saints Day and the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (the Sunday after Epiphany). Each time we offer this sacrament we also use it as an invitation to renew our own baptismal promises creating a day of renewed commitment as well as celebrating the promises we make to Jack.
And then to top it all off we will also be welcoming 6 new members “home” to Trinity as they make their pledge to stand in and among us as companions along the way. Please hold all of them in your prayers as they continue their journeys: Becky Koskinen, Kelly Termin, Nan Sirianni, Sue Szenderski, Amy (Sully) Sullivant and Sheryl Ziegler.
So come home this Sunday for a wonderful celebration of new life, new promises, new opportunities to serve and be served. I began this day at the memorial service for a dear member’s father- a time reminding all of us of how precious life is and we must not waste a single moment. As was said today, by this kind man and faithful son- “Don’t let anything go left unsaid”- so true, so true.
May you never forget that you are loved.
Lisa