A Time of Remembrance

The first quarter has ended in some schools, and all the schedules– church, school, work– seem to be speeding up toward the end of the calendar year and the quiet of winter. Even the leaves of trees move through their colors and cycles at a quickened pace.

Despite our speeded up schedules, November is the time to remember to be thankful. We take a moment to celebrate the abundance around us. This time of celebration can help us to enter winter’s chill with a feeling of warmth and fullness.

We come to church and see people we know, people we care about. We meet newcomers, greet old-timers, we are acknowledged by our co-religionists in return. We feast together on Sunday mornings and discuss our dreams on a weekday evening. We gather to meet and plan and do good works.

Part of celebrating abundance comes through sharing it. We remember children and women and men at risk because of poverty, abuse, and neglect. We are reminded that though there is food to feed the world, that’s not the way it gets distributed.

At Eliot, some of us will drive, cook, launder, and host the homeless right in our church through the Room At The Inn program. We will collect for the St Louis Area Food Bank and for our Partner Church this month in order to live out our values and in order to celebrate our abundance through generosity.

This month, let us set aside some special time to be thankful for the community we have, to appreciate the abundance of love and support we feel at church. Perhaps you could tell someone you're really glad they are here at Eliot. Let us remember to extend this feeling of abundance to the new people and visitors who come to be part of us.

The end of November brings the beginning of our annual Madrigal– a renaissance dinner theater with fabulous singing and food and the efforts of dozens and dozens of volunteers working in an enormous variety of capacities. Hint: if you're looking to make a friend or two or five, volunteering to work on the Madrigal is a sure fire bet.

May your November be a time of appreciation.