I was born on July 26th, so I am a child of the summertime and could soak up rays for many more months to come, so I am sad to see the dog days of summer to slip on past us. Despite my love for sunshine, however, I am really excited about what Fall has to offer this year. I will graciously hand over warm evening strolls around downtown La Grange and the glow of summer for the crisp fall breezes and orange-yellow leaves crunching under our feet. Why (beyond the obvious fact that I have absolutely no power over the weather)? Because as our children and youth go back to school, we all begin to fall into our non-summer routines. A sense of normal returns. And hopefully your routine includes coming to worship, or teaching Sunday School, or singing in the Choir, or volunteering at our Saturday Meals Program, or signing up to enjoy Dinners for Eight, or joining an Adult Education class.
In an episode of the Simpsons entitled "Missionary: Impossible," Homer Simpson, after helping some island natives build a chapel, says, "Well, I might not know much about God, but I have to say, we built a pretty nice cage for him". I pray that our well laid (and, in my humble opinion, quite exciting) plans for this fall are not like Homer Simpson's cage for God, but are like an open invitation to each of us to listen for God's voice -- for God is still speaking here in our community, and in our lives. I pray that our time in the Sanctuary and Chapel doesn't cause us to believe that we've housed God, but helps us to see that we are housed in God's kingdom. I pray that our time together allows us to be curious about God, the world, and the way we live our lives. I pray that we find what we are looking for at First Congregational Church, that we are surprised by our holy encounters, and that we might let God's light shine in and among us this year.
Your sister in Christ.
Rev. Katie Snipes Lancaster