St. James' Stewardship 2022

Rooted in love

Blessed are those that trust in the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots by a stream. It shall not fear when the heat comes, but it leaves shall stay green; in a year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

This year for our stewardship theme we return to an image even older than the prophet Jeremiah: the image of a resilient tree planted by the water, its roots reaching out to nourish and support, its hospitable branches extending to the sky. Jeremiah offered his people this image in hope during a time of exile and displacement. Maybe you can identify with feeling displaced or uprooted by the upheaval of this pandemic. People have moved and we have experienced loss; rhythms and patterns of living have changed. But in his vision of the tree, Jeremiah discovers that even when powers too big for us displace the people of God, we remain rooted in God's loving and everlasting faithfulness. We have only to reach out to seek God and each other.

At St. James’, we have sought to do this through the work of radical welcome, by setting tables (physical and metaphorical) where all people may encounter a glimpse of God’s greater welcome. At these tables, we find that God’s economy is a radical alternative to corporate capitalism,

to fearful, competitive accumulation, and to walls set up against others. The tables of welcome we set form us into a new sort of household and society. And even in the middle of a pandemic, our household has grown!

In response to our call in this time of pandemic, St. James’ has created online, hybrid, and outdoor spaces for worship, prayer, Bible study, and doing life together. We keep singing and hoping with and for each other as we all ride the rollercoaster of emotions and anxieties brought about by COVID. St. James’ continues to contribute to critical conversations around racial justice by creating fruitful spaces for transformative encounters. We continue to find ways to celebrate the feasts and fasts of our church, and we have poured hours and resources into the work of pastoral care and outreach to seniors and families through Welcome Table.

The people of St. James’ have been responsive to the Spirit’s call to extend our branches so that many might find sanctuary.