A friend of mine died earlier this year unexpectedly. We had collaborated on a project during the intensity of the summer of 2020, which helped us to bond quickly. The last time I spoke to him was when he called me out of the blue, just before Christmas. Just before we hung up he said his last words to me, "You know that we're family, now!"

In recent weeks at St. John's we have had a steady number of weddings, baptisms, confirmations and memorials. All of them sacred life events. In these gatherings, and at the memorials in particular, I have been touched to see how those in the St. John's community have risen above mere friendship status. At times, people here have come to be family to one another.

This is a holy thing. God is most definitely involved. Here is what we are called to be as a church—the Body of Christ incarnate, all of us members of one another.

As the days get darker and colder and the holidays approach, now is a perfect time to reach out to one another, knowing that this can be both a joyous time as well as a hard time for many. If we open ourselves to the possibility, God's grace has the power to flow through us all, and to even elevate us to the role of family.

God's peace,

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Sunday, we have services at 7:45 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. in the church.

If you can't join us in person, you can watch our 11 a.m. service as it livestreams on our Worship Page or on our Facebook page. It will be posted later in the day to our YouTube Channel.

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