“We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might.” – Psalm 78:4 (NRSV)
As we find ourselves in this final stretch of 2025, we have some big festivities around the corner. Coming up, we will have Halloween and Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas and New Year’s. While each of the holidays invite “celebrations” in some form, they also encourage us to look at “rituals and narratives.” Rituals are the physical and symbolic acts that bring meaning to what is so important to us. Narratives, simply put, are stories that come from the rituals and reinforce what is so special about life. About all this, Miller Williams, an American poet, once said, “Ritual is important to us as human beings. It ties us to our traditions and stories.
In regards to the holidays, we have our rituals. Depending on the holiday, we gather together with family and friends, have a nice meal, then we focus on the traditions we hold sacred. Traditions might involve gift giving, singing, taking a walk in the neighborhood, or helping those in need. And of course, each of the rituals brings some lively stories. We each have stories from that family gathering from so many years ago that still brings some laughter and fun. We remember Grandma Sally or Uncle Joe doing something silly or amusing. We love to tell our stories!
Now this whole idea of ritual and narrative connects to the work we do in the church. During the stewardship season, we complete an “Estimate of Giving Card” for our financial giving in the New Year. Along the way we tell our faith stories and connections to the church (which we will do coming up). The encouragement is to grow as a giver. And, of course, Advent and Christmas move us to focus on rituals and narratives in our congregation. We have families lighting candles in worship and folks wrapping gifts for children from families in need. We also collect special offerings for groups and organizations who need assistance. Through it all, we tell the story of Jesus coming into the world as Lord and Savior to bring new life and new beginnings.
I look forward to the remainder of this year with each of you. God is good and God is present all the time.
Peace and blessings, Pastor Scott