Dear St. John’s Family, 

Each Sunday in worship, after the announcements, the priest invites the congregation to reflect upon the abundance in their lives as they prepare to give to the financial offering. There are several excellent Bible verses a priest could choose; but I always use the same verse from Ephesians, quoted above. My reasons for doing so range from simple (only one verse to memorize!) to a recognition that our whole life is rooted in the Love of God, the greatest example of which is Christ’s own offering of his very self. When we begin with Love, each step in our life reflects that Love into the world.

“Walk in love…” also recognizes that generosity is a journey, a practice that we learn and nurture within our hearts. Human beings are almost hardwired against generosity: often it seems that it isn’t in our nature to give away what we have worked hard to acquire or to donate our precious time without compensation. It takes something as radical as Love to inspire us to share our wealth, works, and wisdom with others. This is a journey we make together, a Walk in Love; and this will guide our stewardship theme this year.

As we have lived with the Gospel of St. Mark this year we have been brought into a world turned radically upside down. The laws and customs that had been in place for centuries were challenged, power and dominion have been questioned, and a culture hemmed in from all sides by oppression and subjection desperately seeks a way forward. As it turns out, it is not clever politics or force that cause change in society, but the simplest concept of Love. Jesus causes a revolution of thought and heart by daring to reach out to the outcast and teach others to do the same. He walks in love with the marginalized, with the poor, with the sick, and brings us along with him on his journey.

The most miraculous gift of Love is that it was there within us all along, all we had to do was find it, tap into it, and begin growing it. And look what happened? We learned to share, to give, to volunteer, to accompany others, to feed, to pray, to visit, to strive for change. This year as our Stewardship Campaign kicks off, we will be intentionally raising up stories of how we Walk in Love with each other in our congregation. I invite you to share your stories of inspiration and connection with our shared ministry in this place and with each other. I invite you to Walk in Love.

You may make your pledge electronically right now by clicking here. Alternatively, our pledge form can be printed here and sent/brought to church. You can also fill out an updated ‘Time & Talent’ form here! Please try to have your pledges back to us by Sunday, November 19 so we can appropriately plan for the next fiscal year.

Peach and blessings,

Rev. Jill LaRoche Wikel, Rector