My Dear Sisters and Brothers at Christ Church,
My heart has been full this week. With the rain, darker afternoons, and now this lovely, crisp air, I've been walking a lot with my dog. I fasten a wool scarf around my neck and a leash around Bear's. We wander our community side-by-side. I pretend it's late autumn in New England as I stroll among what passes for turning colors in our magnificent California. My heart has been full for a few reasons.
From the comfort of my laptop I've been watching financial pledges for 2023 roll in, slowly piling up quantifiable expressions of commitment to this dear church. It's humbling and a little intimidating to see so many people support our church. In parallel, I've been watching preparations for our giant Thanksgiving dinner. All kinds of people have signed up with donations of food and money and time. It feels like the perfect B-side to our Faith Full Giving campaign.
I focus on these positive things to distract myself from electoral anxiety. Meanwhile, I've been talking with our Social Justice Ministry to learn how we can do more to help out our homeless siblings. This has been frustrating. We've got the will and the resources, but coordinating with the City and other non-profits feels way harder than it should be. But somehow this cooler, darker weather also softens my heart to grief. Over the past few weeks I've met with a number of people who are grieving and read a good book on grief (good grief?) by my friend Liz. As we raise money for the church and work on homelessness and hunger, I'm increasingly aware of just how fragile and blessed so many of us are. The sturdy cliche "There, but for the grace of God, go I," fits.
Take care of yourself through these dark nights. Take care of the people you love. Share what you can with everybody else. And may God bless you.
-Stephen
