October, 2026

HELLO FALL

Tuesday, September 22, at 8:05 pm Fall finally arrived. The sun crossed the celestial equator, an event known as the autumnal equinox, beginning a season of shorter days and longer nights in preparation for winter. I knew it was coming, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, no matter how many times I wished to hold on to those summer days.

Not that I dislike Fall. The days are still warm, the nights comfortable, the leaves present their royal plumage, and the air has a crispness that it never has in summer.

Fall is a season of change. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his novel, The Great Gatsby, that “life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall.” The church certainly begins to start all over again in Fall. Our normal routines start back, the liturgical calendar begins to tighten up, Advent will soon be here, and then Christmas. Fall is a time to renew all over again our commitment to the one we have pledged to follow, the Christ who has called us to serve as His Disciples.

Yoko Ono, often remembered in connection with the Beatles’ breakup, once reflected on autumn this way: “Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence.” Good advice. As the leaves begin to turn and fall, as the temperatures lower and we reach for warmer clothing, remember that we and nature share in giving respect to the Holy One who made us. It is time to be reverent. It is time to come together as God’s family. It is time to start life all over again.

Peace ~ Pastor Richard
October, 2026