Dear friends,
This fall, our worship centers around the theme, “Living the Kin-dom.” We began with the first words Jesus spoke in his ministry: “The kingdom [realm, kin-dom] of God has come near.” In a time when the kingdom of Caesar seemed all powerful, Jesus’ words were dramatic and dangerous. He called the people to look deeper than the power of Caesar to see something else at work: God’s love transforming lives and communities. Then he called them to be part of that kin-dom. Jesus’ ministry was all about living that kin-dom – healing, feeding the hungry, lifting those who had been ostracized, creating community, breaking down barriers.
Jesus’ words are as powerful today as they were in his time. He calls us to look deeper than the distress around us to see and participate in God’s love breaking in. In our worship services, we are exploring what it means for us to live the Kin-dom of God into fulfillment in our time.
Many gospel stories are about food. Food is central to the kin-dom of God Jesus proclaims. The kin-dom breaks in when food is shared, when the hungry have enough to eat, when strangers or even enemies gather around a table.
So, it is fitting that the month of October at Edwards Church is all about food. We begin with World Communion Sunday, on October 5. This special day, which began amidst the distress and violence of World War II, highlights a yearning to heal our divisions. We celebrate with a communion table filled with breads from many cultures, remembering that we share this meal with Christians all around the world.
Later that same day, in our sanctuary, we will host a benefit concert to support A Place to Turn food pantry. The need is great: the numbers of families who come to A Place to Turn has risen dramatically in recent years. We hope this concert, which is co-sponsored by eleven different spiritual communities, will help! The concert is called “I Am My Neighbor’s Keeper,” and is based on music composed by bassist Avery Sharpe to highlight our need for one another. The music is presented by a double-quartet of musicians. It will be inspiring, uplifting, and a joyous way to care for our neighbors.
For the remaining weeks in October, we are challenging ourselves to collect 1,000 boxes of pasta for A Place to Turn food pantry. Twelve area faith communities have each agreed to take a month to rise to this challenge; October is our turn. I can’t imagine what the front of our sanctuary will look like on the final Sunday, or how many cars it will require to take all that pasta over to A Place to Turn. I can imagine that it will be a powerful opportunity for our young people to experience the multiplication of pasta as we work together to make this happen.
Sharing in communion. Hosting a concert. Collecting pasta. All these are ways we live the Kin-dom of God into fruition. Here’s what you can do to be part of it:
- Bring your favorite international bread to share for World Communion Sunday on the 5th.
- Come to the concert and bring a friend (or two or three or ten).
- Start buying up boxes of pasta every time you go to the store.
May we live the Kin-dom through our meals, our generosity, and our creativity.
Peace, Debbie