Early this week, Sandra Whittle brought in a large photo that was given to her father and that has hung first in her parents’ home and then in her home ever since. It is a shot of Vancouver and the North Shore from 1964. Be sure to take a closer look in the welcome space on Sunday. Get close. Zoom in. See if you can figure out where Highlands United is in the picture. In Sandra’s words, it “marks a moment in time for when Highlands began. How far we and our city have come.”
Today is Halloween, and in the traditional Christian calendar, it is followed by All Saints Day and then All Souls Day. This is a time of year when in many cultures, the veil between the living and the dead is believed to be thin and whose who have gone before us are felt more closely that usual. And this season, along with the Thriving Faith focus on the incredible legacy of life and faith that we have been given, I have been thinking about the generations that have risen and fallen, the changes they have made, the marks they have left, and the legacy they have handed us.
On Sunday we will celebrate All Saints, a day dedicated to the unsung saints of our tradition. We will gather around the table for communion. And although just like everything else, the way we celebrate communion has changed over the years, the core practices, values, and culture embodied in the Jesus meal by the saints of old are the same, a timeless golden thread deep divine goodness.
Come on Sunday and celebrate the saints that have shaped you. Come share the meal they handed us. Zoom in and marvel at all that has changed and all that remains the same.
Blessings, Will.