More Than Enough: Grateful

"Seeking out the small things for which I could give thanks changed my field of spiritual and emotional vision. I learned not to focus on what was lacking…." -- Diana Butler Bass Grateful

Thanksgiving Day is usually a time when we all take a few minutes to focus on the blessings we have in life, to pause and give thanks for the life and love we are so richly blessed with. But these moments are fleeting; better is a daily practice of gratitude, of regularly naming your reasons for being grateful, from the small gift of that first sip of coffee in the morning to the larger gift of relationship with those we love. In fact, studies show that people who have a daily gratitude practice (like journaling) report a 25% increase in sleep quality and 10% increase in overall well-being.

In her beautiful book Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks Diana Butler Bass writes, "Being thankful is the very essence of what it means to be alive, and to know that life abundantly. Gratitude is defiance of sorts, the defiance of kindness in the face of anger, of connection in the face of division, and of hope in the face of fear. Gratefulness does not acquiesce to evil—it resists evil … by tunneling under its foundations of anger, resentment, and greed. Thus, gratitude strengthens our character and moral resolve, giving each of us the possibility of living peaceably and justly. It untwists knotted hearts, waking us to a new sense of who we are as individuals and in community."

I have much to be grateful for our community at Saint John's. Sunday mornings, I love seeing the happiness folks receive giving Dominic a high-five on their way back to their seats after Communion or the joy of holding baby Luke. This year, we have served more than 500 hot meals in Chester. These moments swell my heart with gratitude to be serving alongside all of you.

Stewardship is also a time to pause and reflect on all the blessings in your life, noticing that all we have, all we are, all we do, comes as a gift from our Creator God. Reflecting on these, we then return a portion back to God as a way of expressing our gratitude to God for God's generosity in our lives.

Thank you to the many parishioners who have turned in their pledges as a way of expressing gratitude to God. Sunday, November 30th ends our stewardship campaign to support next year's budget, and we have received 56 pledges totaling $178,276, which is 77% of the way to our fundraising goal of $230,000.

If you haven't yet turned in a pledge, we ask that you prayerfully consider all that Saint John's means to you and make a promise to support the ministry of Saint John's by making a pledge now.

With a grateful heart,

Rev Jill



Watch Bill's video to see why he and his wife Karen made Saint John's their home.