The Glories of Fall

I love the fall.  It is a beautiful time of the year.  I love the crispness of the air, the cool of the early mornings and evenings and the brilliant sunshine that brightens the noon days.

I love the cozy feel of the warmth coming from an oven that is baking potatoes, carrots and squash fresh from the garden.

I love the smells, unique to fall, and the slight haze that hangs in the air that comes from burning leaves.  Oh -- the leaves, are they not the most spectacular thing about this season?  There are times when the colors seem to reach out and take our breath away.

In our faith, we can be like the fall trees.  We start out as little saplings, in need of care and support.  God makes us God’s own in our baptism and continues to care for us through our parents and loved ones.

As we grow we are nurtured and fed with God’s word and sacraments and hopefully we become tall and strong, a shade for others and a protection from the storms.

As we grow older in our faith, it hopefully deepens into a thing of greater beauty, a witnessing that perhaps can take away the breath of those who will listen.  And as our faith matures and opens in its color, a color which has the ability to touch the lives of others in meaningful ways.

As you enjoy the beauty of this fall, remember that God has blessed you in Jesus Christ to bring the beauty of his love to all people.  May your faith be of such depth and beauty that you leave others breathless in their awareness of the blessing God is extending them through you.

 God’s peace,

 Pastor Mark