Good morning!
This Sunday we will celebrate All Saints Sunday. We will remember the saints in our lives and thank God for them.
So I suppose the first question is: who is a saint? “Saint” implies austere, perfect people who always do the right thing. People who are eventually immortalized in marble statues or have cities named after them like St. Louis or St. Paul.
In the Methodist church, anyone can be a saint. The only requirement is loving God. And loving God inevitably leads to trying to live as God would want us to, loving others and doing what God would want.
The saints in my life are not perfect people. Their halos are bent and dented and hang at funny angles because the saints I know have stumbled and tumbled a bit. They will never be cast in marble, because they are on the move, doing what needs doing, their arms reaching out to others. Their faces are wrinkled from a lifetime of smiling and encouraging others.
And they would find it hilarious that anyone would think of them as a saint.
They will never have a city named after them because their sainthood is local and day by day. They simply live with grace and extend it to others. Everyday saints who bless my life every day.
I hope to be one too.
I just arrived at my desk this morning and a saint greeted me as I entered the building. It is 7:23 and I have already been welcomed into the day by someone who shares a deep sense of goodness.
So Sunday we will celebrate our saints living and dead. They form our lives, a rich gift that only a loving God could have thought to give us.
And I am inviting you to come to the celebration. I hope you will come to worship on Sunday and thank God for the people God has given you.
Every blessing,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Ave
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org.
We worship at 8:30 and 11 on Sunday and you are invited! We also Livestream our 8:30 service on Facebook!
This Week at WDMUMC:
No Midweek Refuel this week! Tonight is Beggars Night in West Des Moines, so our midweek classes are canceled (unless your music director has indicated otherwise.) Enjoy the goblins and princesses that appear at your door.
Launching a New Women’s Covenant Group! A covenant group is a small group of people who meet once a week for an hour to check in with one another and challenge one another to grow in faith. Here at WDMUMC we have a number of covenant groups, some of who have been meeting for over a decade. A new group is forming. Interested in meeting people and growing your faith? Contact Pastor Cindy.
Financial Commitments for 2020! We are making our financial commitments for 2020 and if you are planning to make a commitment but haven’t done it yet—send in that pledge card! We are making plans for 2020 and those plans depend on your faithful giving. If you need a pledge card, call the church office at 515-279-0826. And if you have made a pledge, thank you! You make ministry happen!
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