Dear PPPC,

First, a prayer for Halloween, today:

On this, the most hospitable night of the year, when we offer treats to masked strangers; may we be inspired to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, and fling open wide the doors of our houses and our hearts all year long. Amen.

…

Second, an excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writing on the death of a loved one. As we remember the saints who have died and entered the life triumphant in the past year, I have found this reflection to be true, and at times, comforting:

“…nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute; we must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bond between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; he doesn’t fill it, but on the contrary, he keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain…the dearer and richer the memories, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude changes the pangs of memory into cheerful joy.”

See you in church.

Yours for the journey,
Pastor Molly