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September 30, 2025
Dear Saint Stephen’s Family,
A year ago, I was walking with pilgrims from Saint Stephen’s, following in the footsteps of faithful Christians for over 1,000 years. It was an incredible experience, and I probably couldn’t have completed the trip if I hadn’t practiced. Most things in life, especially if we want to do them well, require practice. Following Jesus is no different.
This fall, I read Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as He Did by John Mark Comer. Comer has changed the way I hear the call stories in the Gospels. I have always struggled to understand how the disciples could leave everything behind to follow Jesus. Comer invites us to see that call as an opportunity to become apprentices of a great rabbi—to walk alongside Jesus, learn from him, and share his way of life. “Come and follow me” was an invitation to a life they might never have imagined possible.
That invitation is ours, too. We learn the way of Jesus by practicing it: praying, serving, forgiving, and giving. Just as I couldn’t have left home and walked over 75 miles without preparing, we need practices that help us grow into the life Jesus offers. Through them, God works to transform us.
I love the language our Stewardship Committee has adopted for this year’s campaign: “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). We hear these words at the offertory as the gifts of bread and wine come forward, and as we offer ourselves, our gifts, and our lives to God. They remind us that love is something we do. It is a practice, a way of being in the world.
Generosity is part of that practice. We learn to give by giving, and we grow in trust as we share what we have received. At Saint Stephen’s, our gifts sustain a community where we worship, learn, care for one another, and serve our neighbors. Together, we help people discover that they are loved by God and have companions for the journey.
As you consider your pledge for the coming year, I invite you to pray about the next step in your practice of generosity. Perhaps that means making a pledge for the first time, increasing your gift, or renewing your commitment during a difficult season. Whatever your circumstances, your participation matters. Please complete a pledge card or use our online pledge form here, and join us in offering our commitments to God on Consecration Sunday, October 25.
I am beyond hopeful about the path ahead for Saint Stephen’s. There is love to share, work to do, and much that God has yet to teach us. Thank you for the many ways you offer yourselves, your gifts, and your lives to this community.
Let us keep practicing. Let us walk (or roll) in love.
Faithfully,
The Rev. John B. Burruss
Rector
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