This week occasioned my favorite day of the year. It's not on the church calendar, it occurs unpredictably, but when this day comes, you can be sure the streets of Dallas will be flooded with joy. This week we had the first day of the year with cool weather, and it was magical. Corduroy was worn and pumpkin spice lattes were consumed, calories be damned.

I say sweater-weather isn't in the church calendar, which is true, but that's not to say the church hasn't thought deeply about the yearly birth of autumn. Before they became halloween-alternatives, "harvest celebrations" marked a time in which Christians gave thanks to the Creator for the incoming gifts of creation--vegetables, grain, etc.

In his beautiful book on agrarianism, How the Soil Might Save us, Ragan Sutterfield says it well:

"There is a dance of effort and grace to the work of farming. We must be prepared to receive the grace of growth and flourishing when it comes, but that grace cannot be made. it is a gift that we must receive."

Historically, the dawn of autumn each year invited the church to respond to God's generosity. Over the next couple of weeks, we, as a church, will accept the invitation offered to us by the cool weather and the new harvest. We often call these Sundays "Stewardship Sundays." We talk about money in these sermons, to be sure, but money is only a part of stewardship. Living as faithful stewards begins with understanding that all that we have--from our food, our families, and our money--are gifts.

Recognizing all of life as gift invites us to be gift-givers. Having experienced generosity, we are to let that generously flow through us in our stewardship of God's good creation. I hope you and your family are well. If there's anything I or another member of the clergy can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. See you Sunday!

If there are no available parking spots in our lot, please use the parking lot across Cadiz. Our primary parking area experiences its highest occupancy between the transition from our 9:30 to 11 am service.