Beloved of God,

Yesterday was Homecoming Sunday, and honestly it felt like exactly what church is supposed to feel like. The sanctuary was buzzing with joy, music (seriously, yay Choir!), and that unmistakable St. Mary’s vibe of welcome.

In my sermon on Luke 14:25-33, I talked about the difference between a crowd and a community. Crowds are easy. Crowds are loud and impressive, but they scatter as soon as something else grabs their attention. A community? That takes work. That takes showing up for each other in prayer, in worship, in service, and in love. And what we have here at St. Mary’s is not just a crowd – it is absolutely a community.

And speaking of community, can we just pause and give thanks for the saints who fed us yesterday? At 8 a.m., Karen and Glen Anderson put out a beautiful spread, and at 10 a.m., Maggie Lubov and Barbara Conner led a crew that included Marian Ferguson, Arlene Antonicelli and Sharon Murphy, Jean Larivee, Bev Parke, Annda Flynn, Cathy Harris, Lynn Guardino, Susanne Bennett, Laurel Galvin, Robin Greene, RuthAnne Allen, and Liz Ferretti. You turned coffee hour into a feast, and that’s no small thing. Food and fellowship are how we practice the Gospel, one baked good at a time.

What a blessing it was to debut our new welcome video with you. My hope is that, through your voices, it captures something of who we are – our vitality, our prayerfulness, and our commitment to welcome and hospitality. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look.

Finally, this Thursday St. Mary’s will hold a service to remember September 11th. It will be a time for grief, for gratitude, and for hope. A time to remember the lives lost, and to recommit ourselves to being people of peace in a world that desperately needs it.

With gratitude for all of you,