Dear Talmadge Hill Family,
This coming Sunday, October 26, is Reformation Sunday, a Protestant Christian observance commemorating the 16th-century Reformation, specifically the posting of Martin Luther's 95 Theses on October 31, 1517. It is typically celebrated on the last Sunday of October. It not only serves as a reminder of the historical events that led to the Protestant Reformation, but also invites us to contemplate anew what it means to be part of a faith that is reforming and always as reforming.
By contemplating the Reformation on Sunday, I am not making any assumptions about the beliefs at Talmadge Hill. I am asking how a historical event that changed Christianity calls us to reflection. As a 'critically-minded,' independent community, what does Reformation Sunday mean for us? We don't just celebrate a historical event; we are a people committed to the courageous present-day work of expressing ourselves. Our sermon this Sunday is "Be Still and Know: The Grief That Reforms Us," inspired by Psalm 46, a central Scripture of the Reformation. We often rush to the "be still" part of that psalm, but it begins with a world in chaos: with the earth giving way and mountains shaking.
For us, that 'earthquake' is often the disorienting, personal side of our ongoing search for identity. This courageous search for self is a creative and sometimes unsettling journey. So, how do we honor both the grief we readily recognize and the grief that masks itself—the losses that hide beneath the surface when our most familiar beliefs begin to shift? When grief remains unacknowledged, it often expresses itself in unexpected and sometimes unhealthy ways. How do we become intentional about naming and expressing what we've lost, bringing it into the light where healing can happen? How do we find the stillness of God, not despite this, but in the very midst of it? Join us as we explore how this vulnerable, reforming work is at the heart of our life together.
This same spirit of active, responsive faith is also guiding our Missions work. As we head into the holiday season, we are called to be a tangible presence of God's love for our neighbors. You'll see details below in "The Happenings" about our plans to provide food, warmth, and joy—from our November Breakfast Run and holiday food card collections to the Halloween Candy Drive and our traditional Angel Tree. These are simple, powerful ways we can live out our mission and respond to the world's needs.
Please join us this Sunday as we reflect on this time of transition—both at Talmadge Hill and in our own lives. Whether in worship, in service, or in the quiet wrestling with questions that matter, may we discover God's presence in the midst of our shared journey.
As we continue this work of discernment and spiritual formation, I invite you to join us in our ongoing practices:
Contemplative Prayer in Community meets weekly on Wednesdays from 5-6 pm via Zoom.
Bible Study meets weekly on Thursdays from 9:30-11:00 am, both in person and on Zoom.
These practices ground us, connect us, and open us to God's leading as we navigate this threshold time together.
Mooi loop,
Dries