This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I read something this week that has stuck with me. It was a comment on the Christian calling. We, you and I, are called to work in the world as it is, representing and working towards the world as it should be. In other words, we proudly and dutifully work with our feeding ministries such as our Sharing Garden, Harvest Hope, St. Luke's, and the Backpack Program, while also trying to make a dent in the root causes of food insecurity. Work in the world as it is, while working towards a world where food insecurity is no longer a thing. This in itself is a daunting task, but it always has been. The prophet Isaiah wrote about a dream of peace during a time of violence. 

Last week and this week in our Sunday Gospels, Jesus tells us parables about living and working as his followers in a world where sin is very real and present. How do we live as wheat amongst the weeds? How do we know if we are wheat or weeds?

These questions, like the parables of the sower, point us to baptismal living. More specifically, living into the covenant of our baptism. The promises to follow Jesus, to seek forgiveness, to work for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being. Our call is to carry this covenant with us into the world and every interaction. As we move towards a new program year here at St. Martin's, as students and teachers prepare to return to school, and parents prepare to return to carpool lines, we are called to carry the baptismal covenant with us in all that we do. It's a high standard, but it is what the children of God are called to do.

Peace,

Mitch