This Sunday is a big one for Central. It is Stewardship Sunday. It is a very different Stewardship Sunday than in years past. If you haven’t already made your pledge, you can turn it by driving through the porte cochere between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM on Sunday. Even if you’ve already turned in your pledge, the Stewardship Committee invites you to come by the porte cochere anyway because… WE WILL HAVE FIRST SUNDAY DONUTS! We will celebrate our commitment to support God’s work through Central in this fun and delicious way. So come and join us for a donut!
This Sunday is also All Saints Day. To use words from the United Methodist Book of Worship, on All Saints Day we remember those we love but no longer see. This has been an especially hard year for our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones to earthly death. COVID-19 has taken from us many of the ways we give and receive care. It has made grief an even more difficult burden to bear. Regardless, All Saints Day comes around each year as an opportunity for us to celebrate the love we still share with our loved ones who are now with God. Despite the unusual times in which we live, we will celebrate All Saints Day in worship. We will still call the names of our brothers and sisters who have passed away since last All Saints Day. We will thank God for their lives and the love we still share. God’s love is so powerful that it transcends the separation between heaven and earth. Whether we are alive on earth or alive with God, God’s love binds us to one another. We are still connected. And that is something to celebrate!
One of the ways we celebrate our continuing connectedness to God and to one another is through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This Sunday, we will celebrate Communion under the porte cochere at 10:00 AM and 12:15 PM. By observing special precautions, we are able to safely celebrate Communion outdoors. The plan going forward is to resume celebrating Communion the first of each month in this way. This returns Communion to our worshiping life and adds a richness to our celebration of All Saints Day. Communion is our family meal. It is a sign that we are connected to God and connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ, both on earth and in heaven.
This is a big Sunday for Central. Whether you participate by worshiping in person, worshiping online, or driving through for donuts, I hope you’ll make Central a part of your Sunday.
Yours in Christ,
Thomas Smith