Dear Cathedral Family and Friends,
As I write to you mid-week, uncertainty continues to surround this week’s national elections, and the anxieties of 2020 seem nowhere near an end. Some things, however, remain certain good news: God does not change; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow” (Hebrews 13:8); our mission as followers of Jesus remains the same. We will continue to live as a community caring for each other, “seeking and serving Christ in all persons,” and striving “for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.” These are the baptismal promises we each live, every day.
Part of the cost of discipleship, as Jesus taught, is letting go of our attachments to the things of this world—our politics, our desire for status, the allure of power, the comforts of wealth—anything other than God that we cling to for protection. Only by keeping our focus on Jesus can we truly remain faithful as his followers. This consistent, devoted turning to Jesus is captured in the song “Give Me Jesus,” sung in our Wednesday service this week by Mollie Adams. “You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.”
In the weeks following All Saints’ Day, the year closes toward Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, which comprise the incarnational cycle of our shared life, with its themes of light, birth, and new life. These next few weeks will repeat the call of our lessons for this Sunday: keep awake, be prepared, stay vigilant. We must be absolutely devoted to God and focused on following Jesus in order to walk into the light of new life.
May you know God’s peace,
Beverly+