Hello everyone! November begins with All Saints Day and
ends on November 30, when Advent begins. As we near the end of
this month, the focus of our lessons anticipates Christ’s second
coming. It is fitting, then, that the readings will tell of the final
resurrection and the end time. In the turmoil of hope, fear, and
disbelief that these predictions provoke in us, Hebrews sounds a
note of confident trust. Christ makes a way for us where there is no
way, and we walk it confidently, our hearts and bodies washed in
baptismal water, trusting the one who has promised forgiveness.
The more we see the last day approaching, the more important it is
to meet together to provoke one another to love.
Let us give thanks to God for the promise of new life! Blessings
everyone!
Greetings to all! Our scripture readings for this Sunday explore
the stories of two different poor widows. The first was an Old
Testament story of Zarephath who ministered to Elijah; and the
second story is about an unnamed widow who made her seemingly
insignificant offering as she entered the temple in Jesus'
day. Despite the fact that she gave but a tiny amount, Jesus
praised her gift, and so this story is known as "the widow's
mite." Widows are visible everywhere in these readings. Jesus
denounces those scribes who pray impressive prayers but devour
widows’ houses. He commends the poor widow who in his view
gave far more than the major donors. Jesus doesn’t see her simply
as an object of compassion or charity. She, like the widow of
Zarephath who shares her last bit of food with Elijah, does
something of great importance. But these stories are actually more
than just stewardship stories, they are also a call to justice. We
will explore both of these lessons this Sunday. May God bless you
all!
This week we will celebrate All Saints Sunday. It was a day
originally set aside to honor the early Christian martyrs whose
names had been lost to history. Today this festival has evolved to
honor the names of our loved ones that we remember.
Of all three years of the lectionary cycle, this year’s All Saints
readings have the most tears. Isaiah and Revelation look forward
to the day when God will wipe away all tears; in John’s gospel,
Jesus weeps along with Mary and all the gathered mourners before
he demonstrates his power over death. On All Saints Day we
celebrate the victory won for all the faithful dead, but we grieve for
our beloved dead as well, knowing that God honors our tears. We
bring our grief to the table and find there a foretaste of Isaiah’s
feast to come. Blessings to everyone!