Dear Friends in Christ,
What are the holidays when the church makes a visible witness to the world? If you answer
Christmas or Easter, you are a hundred percent right. But this year, we have a bonus chance:
Halloween.
This Sunday, October 30, Grace Church hosts our Trunk or Treat Fall Fiesta-val from 4:00-5:30
p.m. We’ll have cars decked out sharing candy with all who come. And—there’s more. We’ll
also show people some of what Grace Church is all about. We will ask for donations to our
Food Pantry. We will have the grill fired up.
We will show our dedication to serving God by serving one another. We will show our
dedication to God by loving one another. (“Another” is broadly defined, by the way—not just
our parish, but our whole community.)
In the gospels, Jesus connects with people in the most ordinary of ways. He talks to people
when he’s walking around. He shares a meal. He makes sure the kids around him are OK.
We come to know God’s love primarily in our worship at Grace—and, indeed, our liturgies
(especially Christmas and Easter) are some of the most profound statements we can make
about the glory of God’s love.
But liturgy is not the only worship we do. There can be something holy about bringing people
to our threshold, reaching out to them in the same tangible, quotidian ways that Jesus did.
So come on Sunday. Wear a costume or give out candy or bring a can of beans. Do all three.
But most of all, do it because this is a chance to say something about who God is, which means
it’s also a chance to say something about who we are.
The true name of the holiday? It is of course All Hallows Eve—hallowed, meaning holy. Come
be holy in a way that can be seen and shared.
Yours in Christ,
Anne+