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Have you ever felt the weight of a love so profoundly and so encompassing that it simply makes your heart ache with its sheer beauty? That is the love Christ offers us – a love that sees beyond our flaws, embraces our brokenness and fills us to overflowing. This is a love that surpasses our ability to even find the right words – no words are adequate. It is the love that is always with us, even as we remember with sadness those who no longer walk this earth by our sides.

Our stewardship theme this year is Walk In Love – We walk together in the strength of God’s love for us individually and as a community. We are collectively bound– strong, perhaps like a chain link fence, or even like one of the knit prayer shawls that comfort us in times of loss or illness. When we walk together, we have a tangible experience of God’s love. We feel safe and protected. God’s got us!

This Sunday, we celebrate All Saints Day – a day commemorating all the saints of the church, both known and unknown. When we pray the Apostles’ Creed, we say, “I believe in…the communion of saints.” The communion of saints is made up of men and women who have placed their hope in Jesus Christ and through Baptism, are his adopted children and united in Christ’s love. This is a day where we remember our departed brothers and sisters whom we believe are already with God. For some of us, it can be a day of sadness as we reminisce about those who no longer have a physical presence in our lives.

Yes, we are a communion of saints here at St. John’s – a community of faithful followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are knit together in Christ’s love and are stronger because of that love. Knowing that Christ loves us and never abandons us strengthens our trust. It frees us to be generous in our giving – because our God will never abandon us. We will always have enough – we will never be without because our Lord loves us and God will always make a way. In the words of Don Moen:

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

Our Stewardship campaign is coming to an end this Sunday. Please search your heart – how much could ever be enough when we have been loved and cared for by Christ? Trust that our Lord, who loves you beyond your imagination, will always make a way.

Thank you for returning your stewardship promise of support for St. John’s!!

In God’s abundance and love,
Deacon Claire