Friends,

Last Sunday, I preached about looking at Jesus' actions to see what the way of Jesus looks like. The Gospel we read was a scene from Luke's account of the crucifixion. There, as he's being publicly mocked at a lynching run by the state, Jesus shows kindness and mercy to the criminals being killed alongside him. You can listen here.

Here's some of what we see of Jesus' behavior in the Gospels: Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, welcomed the stranger. Jesus served, and taught others to serve. Jesus told the truth in the midst of injustice. In the midst of profound violence and scorn, Jesus stayed kind, stayed human, showed mercy.

Jesus shows us what the way of love looks like so that we can practice that way too.

This week, our liturgical calendar moves from the paradox of 'Christ the King' -- the end of the liturgical year -- to the yearning for justice and defiant hope of Advent. The origins of 'Christ the King' in anti-fascism point us back to the need for that hope. We have completed the full circle, and we begin again; if we are willing to see, the world around us cries out for God's restorative justice and defiant hope.

Many of you are taking your own actions to practice defiant hope in response to the many concerns about rising authoritarianism. I want you to know that we're exploring Grace's role as a congregation in that work as well. In a few weeks, a team of lay leaders will join Huldah and me to attend a planning session led by a local faith-based community organizing group. That organization is planning a series of national demonstrations and public actions in the spring, to gather people of faith around three key Christian practices: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger. The team from Grace will attend the planning event and then discern whether Grace is called to participate corporately, sending participants as representatives of our faith community.

There is more than one right answer to this question. I'm already hearing from folks who are planning to attend as part of other organizations. Grace could position ourselves as a source of spiritual nourishment for the work each of our members does to practice the way of Jesus; we could also position ourselves as a vector for shared ministry in this direction. Grace members will be practicing the defiant hope of Jesus regardless. We will pray about our congregation's involvement and keep you informed. I hope you'll pray for that discernment as well.

I hope you get to eat something delicious with people you love this week, and I'll see you soon for the first Sunday of Advent.

With love,
Susan+

Tags: Rev Susan, action

Finding community at Grace Episcopal Church
by Clare Boerigter

I started attending Grace Episcopal Church in the spring of 2023 because I was curious about the kind of faith community that hangs prayer flags from its trees, offers food and books to its neighbors in sidewalk libraries, and honors those who have died with a garden. I was also searching. Like so many others, I was trying to understand what my life was meant to look like after the isolation of covid, the murder of George Floyd, the protests that followed, and the questions all these events provoked within me. What was this country all about? Who was I, a person benefiting from countless privileges, a U.S. citizen, a neighbor, a person of faith, a friend? Where was my life taking me?

I was looking for a place where I could ask big, hard questions alongside others who were asking their own – and I found that community at Grace. In the last 2.5 years, I’ve gotten to spend dark winter evenings singing alongside familiar and new faces at Taizé. As part of the team writing elder profiles, I’ve been generously welcomed into the homes – and life stories – of the Junnilas and Krakowskis. I’ve helped feed goats, tended apple trees, and prayed in the worship silo at Good Courage Farm with friends from Grace and other (or no) churches. I’ve been able to share meals with my Dinner of Seven group and at gatherings with the under-forties. And many Wednesday afternoons, I’ve sat in the quiet with the Centering Prayer group as the light fades in the sanctuary. I have felt incredibly lucky to belong to this community.

In January, I’m starting a new journey. After 7.5 years in Minneapolis, I’m moving to Missoula, Montana, to begin a graduate program in Forestry at the University of Montana. There, I’ll get to continue working on research projects that support the restoration of fire to public lands through prescribed burning. Fire has been an immense part of my life since 2012, the summer I drove across the country from Iowa to Utah to join a Forest Service crew of wildland firefighters.

As excited as I am for this next step, I’m going to miss the people and places that have filled this chapter of my life – and I want to take this moment to thank the Grace community for being such an important part of these last few years. I can’t claim to have found answers to any of the big, hard questions I came to Grace asking, but it has been deeply meaningful to me to have the support of this community while asking them.

In gratitude,
Clare

P.S. For those interested, I’ve written about my seasons as a firefighter in a memoir forthcoming from Beacon Press. My editor hasn’t set a publication date yet, but if you’re interested in hearing when that happens, you can sign up for updates here or look for them on my website at clareboerigter.com.

Tags: community, welcome

Friends,
Last Sunday, Marion Larson preached a sermon that reminded us that "It's Friday — but Sunday's coming." You can listen here!

That theme of defiant hope was strong at last week's Annual Convention of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota—a gathering of clergy and lay leaders from the 100-ish congregations of the diocese for prayer and learning and worship and governance.

[ Read reflections from Linda, Tom, and Sarah, and see photos! ]

Here's a taste of what we heard from Bishop Loya:
These days, as we are “being a diocese in an exilic, remnant key,” the congregations of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota are going to need to:
1. Be weird. "Authentic Christianity will appear strange because Jesus invites us to live inside a very different story than the zero-sum battle of winners and losers that pervades our culture."
2. Keep digging the deep, interconnected roots that build resilience: apprenticing our lives to Jesus together.
3. Embrace our limits. "We often still try to sustain the local congregation as a full service program center for all types and peoples and interests – as if we could paddle the boat at the same speed that it used to be blown by strong cultural tailwinds. We are going to have to set down things that are not part of our core work of making disciples and practicing God’s way of love, and that will always disappoint someone."
4. Live with a bold and contagious hope that Love has already won. "As followers of Jesus, we face fear and hardship and death from the place of hope that is in us. God and the world don’t need us to be large, or wealthy, or influential. What God asks, and what the world needs, is for us to look like the cross of Jesus Christ, meeting the forces that assault God’s children with God’s fierce and gentle love, joining the Spirit, gathering all of it to God’s perfect embrace.”

You might hear more about some of that at our Annual Meeting on January 25!

With love,
Susan+

Tags: Rev Susan, convention, Hope

[In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and broken, many of us feel helpless and afraid. We may question what we can do to make a difference. To build collective courage, in this space we will share examples of how individual members of GEC are practicing the way of Jesus, in private action or in the public arena. How might you find inspiration and hope in the small steps others are taking?]

"Over the last ten months I’ve worked to become more involved in actions to help promote democracy in our country. My reason for doing so is due to trying to counteract with action the anxiety I feel about our fragile democracy. This past election day, November 4, I had the opportunity to volunteer here at Grace Episcopal Church as a lobby host to help greet voters, help them find their way around the building, and help with security issues."

"During my shift I interacted with many voters including a woman and a man who walked in together. I greeted them and pointed them in the direction of the check in table. The man went in and the woman stepped aside and told me that she had already voted earlier in the day. She said she had helped her friend get registered to vote and was bringing him in to provide moral support. Judging by her expression she seemed quite happy to do so and help someone to engage with the process."

"Voting is one of the most basic ways we can put our faith into action. I found it impressive that she was putting her own values into action by encouraging someone to vote and help them get registered." -Submitted by Joe L.

Tags: Faith in action, Voting

From Susan+:
A family reunion. A resource fair. Worship. A chance to fill your spiritual tank. All these things (plus some governance work) are part of the Annual Convention of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, the 100-ish faith communities and associated organizations that Grace Episcopal Church is part of. Our delegation (myself, Tom Boe, Linda Cobb, and Sarah Sivright) attended the event in Rochester last weekend and came home full of ideas, encouragement, connections, and energy. Also attending: Chris Opsal was there repping EfM (Education for Ministry, a scripture-and-theology-and-faith-reflection program), along with many clergy who attend or are friends with our congregation!

From Linda Cobb:
It was a gift to attend the ECMN Convention for 2025. I am always amazed, and delighted how inspired and uplifted I feel during, and after the convention. There were so many moments I could share about that experience, but I will have to keep it simple-such as: Bishop Loya's address to the convention-if you have access to that, I highly recommend it. He leads us towards the focus of convention, but also looking forward to our work ahead as a Diocese. There was a speech from Cyara who leads the Food Ministries at Casa Maria, deeply moving. Her message to us is: " remember to love and support people no matter who they are" and the collaboration the Bishop shares with Bishop Betsey from Iowa who led us in group work on Saturday. And so much more....what I will leave you with are a few of the moments that really touched me. Bishop Loya reminded us that what we are experiencing in our country right now-political and religious division is not novel. We have seen this happen throughout history. What he reminded us so deeply is this: "we may feel we are in a Babylonian type exile, rather than rage against it, let's get comfortable with discomfort, settle in, plant gardens, start a family, and seek the welfare of those around you" that this is a "gift to be embraced, tend to small communities of practice, witness and resistance!" Finally, "don't you forget the outrageous promise of God that will sustain you!"

From Tom Boe:
I heard one theme over and over in different ways at our ECMN Convention 2025: Our congregations seem focused mostly on money and building questions vs. God and community questions.

The story of St. James & St. Luke's was held up at Convention as a positive example of a community giving up their treasured place of worship and joyfully joining another in one place. In our world with fewer believers, though, many of our congregations have not done as well in focusing beyond their beloved building. They struggle for years to simply survive in place. Some have broken up and have faded away.

On the day after Convention the first verses of our Sunday Gospel (11/16/2025) hit me in a new way:
Luke 21: 5-6
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

God never asked for a temple anywhere. Instead, God provided detailed instructions for the portable tabernacle (tent) that was to be set up to shelter the Ark of the Covenant wherever the Hebrews happened to be. It was David who decided on a temple, embarrassed that he’d built an elaborate palace for himself when God’s place was this old tent.

With God’s assent (if not encouragement), David carefully designed an elaborate temple, which his son Solomon built. Hundreds of years later, the Babylonians destroyed that "first temple" and carried the Hebrews off to exile in Babylon. Eventually Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, released the Hebrews, and helped them rebuild their “second temple” on the same spot as the old one. Less than 50 years after Jesus's prediction, that second temple was again destroyed by the Romans and the Hebrew people were mostly scattered elsewhere.

For hundreds of years thereafter, the People of the Book—Jews, Muslims, and Christians—have killed thousands fighting over the hill and the surrounding land where that temple once stood. They continue to do so.

Now in our time, our congregation joined together, standing for God’s mission and for faithful community over devotion to a beloved place of worship. I fervently pray that we—and our Christian brothers and sisters—don’t forget what we learned during that time of testing, faithful discernment, and holy choice.

From Sara Sivright:
This being my third convention, I saw many familiar faces--some friends, some people I admired as our leaders, convention planners, key figures in the diocese. What immediately struck me was a sense of comfort and energy—two odd things to partner. I was taken back to the consolidation process that created Grace Church and gave us our name. Along the way, we were led by several groups of thoughtful, sensitive, smart and collaborative people, who helped us experience a miracle of sorts in a time of anxiety and pain. Now I was feeling the same comfort and energy in a different context. The amazing people of ECMN are leading us in a time of global anxiety and pain with spiritual reassurance and direction. As Bishop Loya said in his opening address, “The present story is not new—not novel but true.” He reminded us of our history as children of God and urged us to plant gardens even in places of exile, grow deep roots, accept our limits, focus on what’s most important, and have hope. Sounds to me like our Grace story and the message for what lies beyond our doors.

Tags: Rev Susan, ECMN, convention, Reunion, anxiety

Friends,

Last Sunday, I preached about grief, loss, and resurrection. You can listen to the sermon here.

In his poem Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot wrote, "In my end is my beginning." His poem was about the spiritual journey, but it applies too to the work of grief. In all the ways we find ourselves lost after the death of a loved one, God holds out a promise of resurrection that offers new life. I believe that new life does not erase the pain and wounds we carry, but lets us move forward, healed, forgiving and forgiven, with the hard-won wisdom of all those chapters of our lives. Whole and free, with our wounds and our scars.

Eliot's words point us, too, to the cyclical nature of the church year. In just a few weeks we'll celebrate Christ the King Sunday -- the 'end' of the liturgical calendar, when we proclaim Jesus as God's final word of restoration and hope. And then, the following Sunday, we begin again with Advent, the yearning for salvation. Our lives echo this movement, from end to beginning, in ways that are practical and mystical, too.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, I wonder what vision keeps you going? What is the 'end' of the journey you hope to reach, with God's help?

With love,
Susan+

Tags: Rev Susan, grief, Death

[In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and broken, many of us feel helpless and afraid. We may question what we can do to make a difference. To build collective courage, in this space we will share examples of how individual members of GEC are practicing the way of Jesus, in private action or in the public arena. How might you find inspiration and hope in the small steps others are taking?]

"Between December 2024 and November 2025, I felt called by God to write seven Bible commentaries (Genesis, Luke (x3), Acts, Romans, and Revelation) to explore what a Liberated Life looks like. This is grounded in an open and inclusive reading of God's Word. I know, from personal experience, that the Bible can be misused to judge and shame others, weaponizing texts into what are known as 'clobber passages'. I wanted to challenge people to read the Bible lovingly, counter divisive interpretations, and support those struggling with their faith."

"When people declare, 'The Bible says,' it is often not to use it with grace, but to shame people into changing their ways. My journey in writing these commentaries has shown me that Christians are called to a higher standard of grace and mercy, exemplified by loving God and loving your neighbor. I have also learned that the Bible speaks directly into the story of our lives, transforming us by connecting our experiences to those within its pages. Messages become distorted when we allow guilt, shame, and judgement to dictate our reading of God's Word, which is intended to unite us, not divide us. Its transformative power comes as we let the Holy Spirit heal our relationships and follow Jesus in discovering the way to the truth about life. This is lived unapologetically in the Unconditionally Loving presence of God."

You can find out more and buy Liberated Life Bible Commentaries here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWT9GLQJ?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi

This is my website: www.divineinfinity.org

Submitted by Steve R

Tags: Faith in action, shame, guilt

Friends,
What a fabulous celebration of the feast of All Saints on Sunday! All Saints celebrates the Saints who have gone before us -- those whose lives show us what it looks like to practice the way of Jesus in their time, so that we can creative and courageous in ours. From a fabulous litany and procession representing many saints, to music by our Parish and Youth choirs, to a celebration of our Pledge Campaign for 2026, the day was full of defiant joy. If you missed it, catch the video here.

My sermon shared about the Rev. Pauli Murray, an American icon and one of the saints we look to on the Episcopal calendar of saints. The way of Jesus that we see in Pauli Murray’s life is a way of creative, resilient, nonviolent work for justice. I hope you'll take a moment to learn more about Murray's life!

As you exercise the right to vote today, I encourage you also to bring non-perishable food to Grace for us to share. You can find more information about that below.

With love,
Susan+

Food Box Update
With SNAP benefits ending in November, now is a wonderful time to keep our Food Box full! We’re inviting everyone to take part in a November Food Box Drive to help stock our outdoor pantry. Throughout the month, we’ll collect non-perishable, winter-safe food items to create a reserve for the colder months ahead.

We’re mindful and grateful that Grace is already deeply engaged in feeding ministries with the Minnehaha Food Shelf, First Nations Kitchen, and Casa Maria. Making sure our Food Box is fully stocked is another great way to show our support for the neighborhood and our ability to lead with compassion in the face of this new crisis.

Suggested items include:
Boxed meals (mac and cheese, pasta, rice packets)
Granola bars and snack packs
Peanut butter and jelly (in plastic jars)
Cereal, oatmeal, or instant soup packets
Dried fruit and nuts
**Please note that canned goods are not winter safe as they can crack when frozen.

Even a few extra items each week can make a meaningful difference for neighbors facing food insecurity this winter. Let’s come together to keep our Food Box full and our hearts open.
Donations can be dropped off in the hallway by the Commons during the month of November.

Tags: saints, Pauli Murray, Food

[In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and broken, many of us feel helpless and afraid. We may question what we can do to make a difference. To build collective courage, in this space we will share examples of how individual members of GEC are practicing the way of Jesus, in private action or in the public arena. How might you find inspiration and hope in the small steps others are taking?]

"As I write this on the morning of Tuesday, November 4th, I'm looking forward to exercising my right to vote for elected officials in the city of Minneapolis. Why do I consider voting an essential way of putting my faith in action? The National Council of Churches offers an answer which resonates with me strongly. It is found on their webpage: 'As a part of our stewardship in a democracy, Christians have an obligation to make the most educated decision possible about who will represent our concerns on the local, state, and national levels. The voting booth is how we can participate in making sure there are leaders who will enact laws for the common good that do justice and love mercy; care for the most vulnerable in our society; ensure, to the extent possible, that our government lives up to this nation’s ideals by the people and for all the people; and, perhaps most significantly, hold leaders accountable.'" Submitted by Joe L.

Tags: Faith in action, Voting