Happy Halloween! I thought you would enjoy this picture of my cat Zeke. He is the stereotypical black "Halloween" cat. As you can tell, he is none to thrilled with the pumpkin that has taken up residence on his perch!

As Maggie explained yesterday during the Children's Time, we can have fun on Halloween, but it doesn't have to be a spooky holiday. Halloween can be an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on before us. In Latin culture many people observe La Dia de Muerta ~ the Day of the Dead ~ by visiting the graves of loved ones.

November 1st is the Christian observance of All Saint's Day. On All Saint's Day we light candles for church members and loved ones who have passed away in the past year. (We will observe All Saint's on Sunday, November 6th.) On All Saint's Day we recall the great cloud of witnesses who surround us. Our United Methodist Book of Worship offers this prayer for All Saint's Day:

We bless your Holy Name, O God,
for all your servants who, having finished their course,
now rest from their labors.
Give us grace to follow the example
of their steadfastness and faithfulness,
to your honor and glory;
through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

If you are dressing up or Trick-or-Treating this year be safe and have fun!

Thursday evening I was on Church St. in Burlington for the annual Speak Out to bring awareness to Domestic Violence. The statistics on Domestic Violence are scary:

~ One in four women will be a victim of Domestic Violence in her lifetime
~ Three out of four Americans know some one who is or who has been a victim of Domestic Violence
~ More than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partner every day in America

Having been a victim of violence myself, it is one of my personal missions to speak out against violence of all kinds. As long as violence exists in our society, we are all impacted by it. Thursday's Speak Out began with a candlelight vigil followed by a silent march down Church St. and College St. The Speak Out resumed when we gathered indoors to share music and stories.

It was a powerful and moving evening. Many shared how their church or their belief in God helped them through the most difficult times of their life. Everyone affirmed the importance of family and friends in helping them get to safety and find healing.

The more we, as a society, speak out against violence the less acceptable it will become. No one should fear for their safety or their life, especially at the hands of someone who is supposed to love them. What can you do? What can we do to speak out against violence in our world?

Last Saturday five of us attended the Bishop's Day on the Vermont District. During our afternoon time with Bishop Weaver he led us in Bible study on Acts 2:14, 40-47 using "The Message" version of the Scripture. He gave us two questions to consider in small groups after reading the passage. What did they do? Why did they do it?

We could get very specific about the "what." The sold all their possessions. They ate together. They worshiped. More generally I would say that they lived generously. They didn't hold on to things for security. They found their security in community. They saw that their common good was linked to their individual good and vice versa. The loved each other and the world extravagantly. Even in the early days of the Christian Church this was a radical way to live. The Scripture tells us that those outside their community liked what they saw and many joined them everyday.

But why? Why live like this? Because they believed! They were challenged and inspired by the teachings of Jesus. They had received the Holy Spirit. And they had the support of their community in living this radical, new way.

When those outside look at our community what do they see? Do they see people willing to take a risk to live a new way of life because of our belief in Christ? Do they see us living generous lives loving each other and reaching out to the world? Do they see a community willing to support each other in this radical way of life? I hope so!

It is true that we are different than those early Christian described in Acts 2. We live in a different culture and face different challenges. It is also true that we are the same as those early Christians described in Acts 2. We have experienced what it is to know and be known by Christ. How are we called to live generously in our context in our day?

Moses. What an amazing guy! Moses has been the focus of our worship for the past three weeks. We joined him in the wilderness to receive the Ten Commandments. We witnessed the Israelites disobedience when, in Moses absence, they worshiped the Golden Calf. And we got a sneak-peek into one of the most intimate moments between God and Moses as Moses petitioned God not to leave the people of Israel despite his anger with them. This week we reach the end of the wilderness journey as God brings the people of Israel into the Promised Land.

But one person would not be going with them. Moses ~ the one commissioned by God to lead the people ~ would not enter the Promised Land. In fact, Moses died just as he glimpsed the promise from the top of Mt. Pisgah and Moses was buried by God in an unknown place.

At first glance this may seen unfair. Why wasn't Moses ~ who worked so hard ~ permitted to step on to the very land his people were promised? But then again, we were never promised that life would be fair, right? We were promised that God would be with us.

In our lives we will experience unfulfilled dreams. We will work toward goals that we will not see come to fruition. We will do things for the right reasons only to have others see them to completion. We do not always get to experience the fruits of our labor. And that's okay. It's okay because, if we do something to the glory of God whatever part we contribute will be blessed. Perhaps someone else will benefit from our hard work, and what a wonderful blessing that would be!

God didn't leave Moses. At 120 years old, Moses had fulfilled his call and he is known today for his faithfulness. Even in the moment of his death, Moses was not alone. Was his death fair by our human standards? Perhaps not. Was his life a blessing to his generation and to every generation since? Absolutely!