When Will Stafford shared his idea for the Stewardship theme this year, I knew immediately that he had put his finger on the pulse of our community. “Joyous Together” embodies how I feel every time I get to see you. Every Sunday I see new faces I have missed for months and seeing you all light up when you encounter each other is the love of God manifest. We have weathered a worldwide event and to finally be on this side of it not only points to what we missed, but also how essential this community is. I believe coming together is essential for our wellbeing as well as fulfilling our need to hear the assurance of God’s love.

All the packages arrived today, thus we are ready for Trunk or Treat. As I shared at the announcements this past Sunday, our daughter insisted that our trunk will be “fairy” themed this year. Our son was creative enough to quickly come up with the idea for his costume – he will be the Marvel character “Groot.” That said, I did not get to decide for myself what my costume will be. While I will don my traditional pumpkin shirt, there is an extra part of the costume that you will have to come on the 31st to see.

Fifteen years ago today, I walked into a church in Mississippi. The church was full of family and friends, and as I stood at the front, I anxiously anticipated Sarah’s entry and journey down the aisle. These fifteen years of marriage have been full of joy and wonderful experiences as well as support through many challenges. Wonderfully, we have also shared the experience of guiding two little ones through the early years of their lives. Finally, it has been a blessing to live most of our marriage at Holy Spirit as we have served here eight and a half years.

One month from today, we will celebrate All Saints Sunday. In this highly important liturgical feast, we acknowledge that in God and through our baptism we are proclaimed as members of the eternal body and life of the Church and God’s Kingdom. We remember those who have come before us and proclaim that the fulness of life in which they now participate is at the heart of our hope as well. In the same service we will both baptize a little one and pronounce at the altar all the names of those we have lost in recent times. Since we were unable to gather last year, we will remember those whom we have lost over the last two years. If you have family members or friends you would like remembered, please let us know.

As I stood behind the altar this past Sunday morning, I heard a loud noise from outside. Having heard a similar booming sound in my neighborhood not long ago, I prepared for the power to go out. Instead, weirdly, the various lights in the church, and later I would learn all over the campus, began flickering and flashing in a non-synchronistic fashion. Part of our electrical system had failed. Our service recording system was debilitated (which is a shame because Sarah’s sermon was poignantly insightful). The school had to start late on Monday morning after CenterPoint worked through the night and our electricians fervently hustled to get the A/C back up and running. It was a whole thing.

Happy Fall, y’all! The temperature is finally in the 80’s, the church is feeling fuller every Sunday, the animals will be blessed, Sunday school for all ages is happening, and so much more is in store. I heard recently that some folks that are already planning their trunk for Trunk or Treat! Further, the Endowment Board has been discussing some ways to make it possible to enjoy some new gatherings as a community at this time. Starting at the beginning of November, we will have our 3:00 service on the field every Sunday afternoon and we plan to bring back the processions in morning church services. Early in the pandemic, everything felt like one step forward and two steps back, the ratio has shifted and we are moving ahead.

When I was younger and had fewer evening commitments (read: before becoming a rector and before nightly bedtime with kiddos), I was a fan of the early seasons of the reality television show “Big Brother.” This show was a tamer version of the over-the-top “Survivor” show, and for the college Sociology minor in me, a purer social experiment. Big Brother begins each season with 16 total strangers locked in a house with plethora cameras where they compete, make alliances, and hope to be the last one standing for a cash prize.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas courtesy of www.Caravaggio.org

Images can say a great deal.  They can inspire or be heartbreaking.  Images can move us to prayer and action.  Images can humble us and bring perspective.  If you’ve looked at any news outlet, you’ve probably seen images of the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.  So many of these images look almost identical to what I witnessed firsthand along the coast of Mississippi where Katrina made landfall.  Since then, there have been improvements such as the levee system of New Orleans that held firm through Ida.  But as with any catastrophe, there was no way to predict what would go wrong under such intense conditions – the failure of the electrical systems being one example.  We in Houston are no strangers to the unexpected outcomes of disasters.  The opening of the levee gates after Harvey had passed that flooded Buffalo Bayou affected our area quite profoundly and many of us very personally.