This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ~ Jeremiah 31:33

This Sunday is Reformation Sunday and, though it is the end of October, the spirit of the day captures so well the spirit of the upcoming Sundays in November at First. During the last couple weeks of October, we began our stewardship series “Our Money Story.” We have been challenged to think deeply and faithfully about the personal stories, as well as the congregational stories, that inform what kind of community, what kind of ministry, and what kind of mission we’ve been called into at First.

Almost three years ago, our congregation took a big leap of faith. In December, it’ll be three years since the sale of the building. Do you remember the vision that was shared? The vision of becoming free of the debt and obligation of the church building? The vision of turning the focus of our ministry from maintaining this building outward to the neighborhood - to the neighbors outside our building and in the schools, to the neighborhood and even those in need in the streets.

This season, the hope has been that instead of a traditional stewardship project, we would be able to have a season of listening and discernment. That’s why we’ve been sending out music surveys and organizing listening projects. Next week we will be sending out Time and Talent surveys to ask how our membership wants to participate in our life together. Next week we’ll also send out a letter from the congregational president introducing our pledge cards. We’re asking a lot of questions these days because it feels like a conversation about our next big leap as church family is coming.

Each of the Sundays in November, we have something to do, as a community, and we’d like to have your help. November 6th is All Saints Sunday and we’d like your help in remembering loved ones who are already singing with the saints in light. November 13th, we’ll have computers at the welcome desk. So, if you have trouble filling out the Time and Talent forms online, we can do it after church. November 20th, in light of Thanksgiving, we’ll gather pledge cards during a special Offering. November 27th, we’ll begin the Season of Advent and our preparation for the babe in the manger anew.

The vision shared by the Prophet Jeremiah is a vision of God’s deep commitment of loving care for us, sometimes in spite of ourselves. It is a vision of the kind of relationship God desires with us and for us - A heart to heart relationship where our plans and actions are hand-in-glove with God’s promised future for us and for the whole world. That’s the kind of reformation we can all believe in.