November 21, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone -- and for your reading and viewing pleasure this Thanksgiving weekend:
This editorial has appeared in the Wall Street Journal every year since 1961
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November 15, 2018
This Sunday -- the Celebration of Giving Sunday -- is one of my favorite events of the entire church year. As far as the energy it brings, it's right up there with the kickoff/Ministry Fair Sunday, Christmas, and Easter.
Here are some of the reasons I love this Sunday so much:
-It's a combined service, but unlike our summertime combined services, this one is right in the middle of the program year.
-That means that right in the middle of the busy-ness and activity which happens at (and between) our different services most Sundays, we pause on this, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, to come together as one congregation, one church.
-We come together as one church for one purpose: to pause and remember that "Thanksgiving" is about "giving thanks."
So instead of our normal Sunday, on this Sunday we give thanks to God in worship in a special Thanksgiving liturgy.
And instead of our normal programming and coffee hours, on this Sunday we have a big potluck brunch following church, continuing to give thanks to God for sustaining our lives through the grain of the earth and the fruit of of the vine.
Also on this Sunday we wrap up our Annual Giving Campaign, asking everyone who has not yet turned a pledge card to do so now through this link, or through your account on Realm, or by bringing your card back to church this Sunday, as a way of turning our gratitude into generosity, giving back to God in thanksgiving a portion of what God has given us.
See you Sunday -- at 10:00!
John
November 9, 2018
It's become something of a cliché to say "the country is divided," or "people and politics is more polarized than ever."
While those statements may be true, there are other, less headline-grabbing truths.
And those are the truths that Rich Harwood (the facilitator of an interfaith clergy group I belong to) reminds us of:
-People are in search of ways to come together.
-People are tired of the current state of affairs, no matter who they voted for in 2016 or in Tuesday's midterms.
-People know the challenges we face today will not be erased by this or any other future election.
-People feel disconnected, pushed out, and impotent, but this does NOT mean they are apathetic about politics or public life.
-In fact, more people than ever are looking for ways to make their communities and this nation better.
-Above all, people are asking this question: "what will it take to build a more hopeful society, and what kind of leadership do we need to move us forward?"
Here's the thing: along with public libraries, local schools, and local governments, the church -- local faith communities -- may well provide the most promising results in the years to come.
It is in those places that we bring people together and demonstrate that we can transcend our differences.
Hope-filled change does not end there. But it sure starts there.
As your Junior Warden Maury Wray says in her ministry minute, "The Falls Church gives me hope because as fearful as I may be about the direction of our country and our world, I know that this community is about love. Not just love, but understanding, compassion, inclusion, tolerance, open arms, generosity, respect for difference, kindness, forgiveness, gratitude, justice, and humility. These values, the lessons of the Gospels, the leadership of the church, and the supportive congregation (and more!) give me comfort and hope knowing that I am part of a community that consciously works for a better world."
See you Sunday,
John
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