Hello, Friends!
     On Sunday we gathered to remember all saints, all those who have gone before us, and made a difference in our lives, and in our world.
     Our sanctuary space came newly, vibrantly alive with beautiful colors, artful representations of life in the Spirit that endures, and gives joy.
Ribbons adorning the altar were inspired to dance by a fan’s movement, a powerful sensory connection to a timely, timeless truth: everything we are and do is informed, enlivened, and blessed  by the lives that precede our own. 
       Not all our memories are pleasant, and none of our human relationships can be called “perfect,” because humans are, well, so very human, after all.  But God is Love, and we are created from that Love’s essential energy, and there is no such thing as a wasted experience, or a life devoid of blessing.
    Those lives that teach us something about living, about loving, about being more awake, bless us to become ever more alive and capable of offering the same blessing.
    Some of you asked about the selection of poems John and I shared during worship.  Of the more than fifty I read in thinking about our All Saints observance, these eight emerged as representing some human essentials, worthy of remembrance (and of course there are countless others).
    Some spoke of the legacies of parents and teachers, others of known saints and unknown soldiers, and still others told of the everyday living legacies of ordinary people, in the simple things of life.   Toni’s poem reminds us of how our faith community is made richer and more fully human as memory weaves with present being and future tending, to make the beautiful, life-giving fabric of our life together. 
     You’ll find the texts of these poems posted on our website within the week.  I’d love to hear more from you about your own communion of holy human saints, and of how we can continue to grow in God’s sanctifying Grace.
    I look forward to growing with you this Sunday, and all our days to come.