From the Pastor’s Message:

It was just three months ago that we were enjoying the hot river days of Family Camp, and now I find myself stacking firewood, sealing up a drafty door, and preparing for the chills (and wets!) of winter. As the evenings grow darker and holiday decorations appear, we are reminded that another year is now drawing to a close.

There is a beautiful rhythm to these yearly cycles of life and death—the changing of the seasons, the ebb and flow of creation, and the endings that open into new beginnings. In the life of the church, we also find ourselves in a time of transition. November brings us to the end of our liturgical year in the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel readings this month invite us to contemplate the end times and the promise of Christ's return. Then, as Advent begins (Nov. 29), we open up the Gospel of Mark to once again prepare to welcome Christ into the world.

Through all these endings and beginnings, God remains with us. The God who brings life out of death is continually at work in our world and in our lives, making all things new. So let us move through this season with open hearts, trusting that the God who has been with us through every season past is already leading us into the seasons yet to come.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Taylor