Join us as we come together to honor and celebrate the incredible journey of our Rector and his lovely family. While change can be challenging, it also brings new opportunities and possibilities. Let's gather to express our gratitude, share memories, and send them off with our love and prayers.

Date: Sunday, August 25th

Location: Sanctuary

Time: 9:30a

Hello Friends -

We are coming to the end of a season of the liturgical calendar known, semi-sarcastically, as “bread season.” Last Sunday we read the feeding of the 5,000 from the Gospel of John, and now for four Sundays in August we here Jesus’ reflections on the bread of life. Over and over again.

For preachers, it can feel monotonous. I’m not saying I planned my summer vacation around this… but I’m not not saying that.

However, since I am departing Memorial the last Sunday of “Bread Season” - and because I will miss you all, I thought I would leave you with a series of reflections on Bread For… I mean Faith Formation.

There are four basic steps to breadmaking just as there are four steps to growing our Faith with Jesus.

Mix

Rest

Stretch and Fold

Bake

Today we are focusing on the final step: Bake

Baking, on the surface, should be the easiest step, right? You just preheat the oven, put your dough in, and wait.

But I might suggest that baking actually takes quite a bit of trust.

You have to trust that all the work you put in during the previous steps was done correctly! Don’t mess with the dough before you put it in the oven, don’t try and compensate by messing with the temperature or with your timing, you just have to let it go.

And (crucially) (and I often forget this) remember to take out the bread! Though one surprising thing you learn baking bread is that it is actually a lot harder to over cook bread than you might think. You are much more likely to take the dough out to early and end up with uncooked dough in the middle of your bread.

Trust. The. Process.

When it comes to faith, similar rules apply. When we go out into the world to share about our faith we frequently find ourselves second-guessing our preparation. I don’t know enough, I’m not religious enough, I’m not “good” enough. And so we will sell ourselves short, not engage with our neighbors, hide our faith, turn the oven off too soon.

As we grow closer in our relationship to God and to each other from time to time those relationships are put to the test and the temperature goes up! When that happens don’t undercook the bread!

Trust that you have the strength, structure, and complexity of flavor and character to handle those challenges and come through ever better on the other side.

Those challenges may come in the form of a curious neighbor asking about church, a stranger struggling with poverty or addiction, a family member who is pushing your buttons, or just the regular challenges of living as a person of faith in an increasingly secular world.

However, they appear to you - don’t undercook the bread!

Most importantly? Don’t judge your results based on other people’s instagram-able bread (or faith) accounts but just on your previous results.

Are you closer to God today than yesterday? Did you handle the challenge put before you better than last time? Is this loaf a little better than your last one?

If so, you’re doing great, and next time? Just an opportunity to make it a little better.