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Sunday, September 7 is a very important day. It is a day of celebration and joy. In fact, there are
at least ten really good opportunities to pull the party poppers, wave the streamers, and
let your hair down. Sunday September 7 is (wait for it)...
1. National Acorn Squash Day,
2. National Beer Lover's Day,
3. National Feel the Love Day (can you feel it?),
4. National Grandma Moses Day (I had to ask A.I. who Grandma Moses is),
5. National Grateful Patient Day (feel the love, health workers),
6. National Neither Snow Nor Rain Day (this one’s a bit weak; how do you know it’s
not going to rain on September 7?),
7. National New Hampshire Day,
8. National Salami Day,
9. Brazilian Independence Day.


Surely there must be something there that you can celebrate. If not, how about this...? I said there are ten good reasons, so here’s the tenth. It’s the first Sunday after Labor Day and so in churches throughout the land it is ‘Welcome Back Sunday’, ‘Kickoff Sunday’, ‘Where have you been all summer? Sunday’, or whatever else you want to call it. So, open your windows and breathe in the aroma of freshness we associate with the beginning of another glorious year in the life of St John’s.


And celebrate yourself. Right. Celebrate YOU. Why? Because God made you amazing. He formed you in his image, breathed his life into you, and gave you your vast intelligence, beautiful personality, sparkling wit, and truckload of talents. This Sunday is a chance to consider the incredible human being that is you, and to give thanks that God has called into his fellowship, placed you as a vital member of St John’s, and given you a joyful task to perform as all of us together work for God’s kingdom.


So let me throw down a noble gauntlet and invite you to consider how you can serve God and his people in the parish. If you are already active in a ministry (you know who you are, and I thank God for you) then hear the applause of heaven for your service and hard work. But if, at this moment, you are not involved in some kind of ministry then please pick up the gauntlet, and prayerfully consider how you can use the gifts and the time God has given you to serve the world through St John’s.


There are many ministries and outreach initiatives where we need help. These are inside the church building (important things like the Flower Guild and Brass Polishing Guild) and outside the campus, serving people in Montgomery who lack resources, such as Mercy House and Meals on Wheels.

Be sure to be at church on Sunday and pick up a brochure that lists all the ways you can serve, and then sign up. Happy Ordinary Folk Day!