| A Midweek Message for 10/28/2020 Happy Halloween everyone at St. Paul! As you prepare to celebrate a spooky night don’t forget the day that follows: All Saints Day. This Sunday will fall on November 1, which is All Saints Day. This is the day that we are encouraged to remember loved ones who were lost over the past year or beyond.A Few Quick Announcements: ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL Class will begin meeting on November 1st, 9:00 – 9:45 AM, in the upstairs Multi Purpose Room. Church safety guidelines will be followed so Mask and Social Distancing will be required. Come Join Us! All Are Welcome!! FAITH MISSION We will be collecting NEW only socks and underwear for children, men and women at Faith Mission and/or Choices. It MUST BE NEW items only. We will also accept CLEAN, gently used coats (not sweaters or sweatshirts). There will be a collection box at the top of the stairs in the narthex. An excerpt from Psalm 43: “Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your sanctuary; that I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness; and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God.” |
 Happy Halloween! This week as we prepare for one of my daughter’s favorite events of the year, let us not forget the day that follows: All Saint’s Day. As Lutherans, we believe all who have died in Christ are saints in the eyes of God, and so on All Saints Day we remember all those who have passed away and not just those deemed as Saints by the Catholic Church. A tradition in Mexico for All Saints day is to create an altar to commemorate those who have died and give thanks for their lives. This year, Trinity Seminary and SOLA (Students of Latino Affinity) at Capital University have created an altar together. On the altar they are placing over 226 handmade tissue paper flowers to adorn the altar. Each flower represents 1,000 people who have died in the United States this year from the coronavirus. Along with the flowers, the students will also be adding pictures of people of color who have unjustly died this year. Death is not an easy topic for us in Western Culture and traditions like creating altars in Mexico remind us that in remembrance we can as Psalm 45 says, “go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness; and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God.” So even in our grieving we can find ways to remember with joy and gladness. As the students at Capital and Trinity made flowers for the altar they had to peel open each tissue paper petal. As they opened their flowers they were asked to take a moment to pray for someone who has passed. So just like the flowers, with each Halloween candy you unwrap this year, take a moment to say a prayer for someone who has passed, and as you grieve that loss remember that through Christ you can also unwrap a sweet memory of that loved one. in the Peace of Jesus Christ, Rev Aaron Baughman M Div Interim Pastor |