“For All the Saints” is a magnificent theme for 2015. Saints are all Christian believers, from all times and places. They form an impressive procession and include those who served Christ and died, those who claim the way of Christ in our days, and those yet unborn. Recently, Rosi White urged that we remember the saints who have blessed our church through the years. Rosi lifted-up Sally Benedict, Marion Shirkey and Bob White who joined that glorious procession during 2014. Our lives are richer through their faithfulness.
Now as we enter 2015 we celebrate the here and now. We rejoice with men, women and children, saints who are still in action, and a congregation with whom God isn’t yet finished. 307 years and still counting, we affirm. Bearing in mind the saints as we enter the new year, this is a good time to consider where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. A good time to reflect on who we are and whose we are. By God’s amazing grace we are called into a beloved community, and, by the faithful response of the saints who have gone before, we find ourselves standing on a strong foundation of ministry and mission, exploring the question, “What’s next?”
Yes, just as the Spirit was at work in and through the lives of the saints we celebrate, so God remains in our midst molding and shaping our lives leading to that for which we yearn each time we pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And so while we rejoice in the past that shapes who we are, we recommit ourselves to be open to fresh winds of Holy Spirit. Further, we pledge ourselves to creative, faithful and courageous work appropriate for all the saints.
Happy New Year with all the saints,
Bob
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