Hope UMC, A welcoming church for ALL people, is alive and active in our community. The family at Hope believes that all are created in God’s image, and we affirm the sacred worth of all people. We are committed to be an inclusive community of faith, with “open hearts, open minds, and open doors”. We welcome all to full participation in the life of our church. We accept, and celebrate, the gifts of diversity; diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, faith history, economic status, marital status, physical and mental ability, and education. Guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, our mission is to know, experience and share God’s love as shown to us in Jesus Christ. We invite ALL people to join us on the faith journey.
From the first bite to the last, it was an enjoyable turkey feast. The food was delicious. The family, gathered elbow to elbow around the table, took turns commenting on the activities of their lives. The children had their own important matters to discuss at their table. Memories were shared. Humorous stories were traded of childhood days. Parents were teased. Grandparents snickered as their stories were told one more time. Everyone celebrated the history that backed the love felt among the table guests.
Unspoken, but definitely felt, was the thankfulness that the year had been gracious to the family. Those loved ones who had died were remembered for the many years they, too, had sat at the table. Somehow, a grandfather’s pipe smoke lingered in nostrils from the many years he had signaled the end of the meal with the striking of a match. In their absence, their presence was felt. And, the family was thankful for the memories and the love which knew no end.
No one mentioned the hard times of the previous year. For a few hours, the struggles faced and the suffering endured seemed of little consequence. The day was set aside to celebrate blessings. Someone should have talked about those painful episodes. The earliest feasts came from the hardships. Sometimes its healthy to say, “I could never sit here today without the help I got in the tough times.” Survival is a cause for thanksgiving, too.
In the living room, far from the empty plates, set the greatest cause for thanksgiving. Its pages, fragile from years of reading, rest silent. The story it contains, from the forming of the world to its climatic end, reveals a love that touches the soul. It tells of a baby born, a man and his friends, a cross, and an empty tomb. A glance around the table offers a feeling of satisfaction far beyond the fullness of a stomach. For in the faces, one sees that God has been working miracles and will continue to bring new life. Now that is a cause for thanksgiving!
We had a beautiful service this morning on All Saints Sunday! The flowers that everyone brought to remember their saints were so lovely and made the service very moving. On the altar we remembered our church members who passed away over the past year… Glenna Rodd, Caron Rose, Addie Herlihy, Marie Trombly, Sandra Stirling and Gloria Gervais. They will be dearly missed. “For all the saints who from their labors rest,who Thee by faith before the world confessed;Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.Alleluia, Alleluia!”
