Rooted in Grace: A Place to Rest

This week we turn to the prophet Elijah in a moment of fatigue. After all his courage and faith, Elijah runs. He hides in the wilderness, exhausted, and afraid. God sends an angel—not to scold him, but to feed him. To let him rest. To remind him he’s not alone. 

As we approach All Saints Day, this story speaks to those of us who are tired from trying to be brave in a weary world. The suffering of the world weighs heavily. Violence and scarcity churn alongside anger and fear. Even in our own lives, grief, change, and uncertainty demand much of our hearts. It can feel like too much. Like Elijah, we may find ourselves needing to pause under a tree—or on the couch—and simply breathe. 

But God does not meet Elijah in the storm, the fire, or the earthquake. God comes in the sheer silence, the gentle whisper. It’s a reminder that divine presence doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it hums quietly in the rustling of the trees or in the names of saints we whisper in worship—those who have taught us love that endures. 

This All Saints Day, we remember that we don’t just honor the dead. We remember who we are: a people rooted in grace, moved by love. Like Elijah, we are sustained by God’s quiet care and sent out again—to keep showing up with courage and compassion. 

If you’re feeling weary, you’re not faithless. You’re human. And God is still here— in the grace that feeds us for the journey ahead. 

I’ll leave you with a poem by one of my favorite writers, Audre Lorde: 

"If you come as softly as the wind within the trees, you may hear what I hear, see what sorrow sees. 
If you come as lightly, as threading dew, I will take you gladly, nor ask more of you. 
You may sit beside me, silent as a breath. Only those who stay dead, shall remember death. 
And if you come I will be silent, nor speak harsh words to you. I will not ask you why now, or how, or what you do. 
We shall sit here, softly, beneath two different years. And the rich earth between us, 
Shall drink our tears." 

May we come to one another softly, sharing in the love and heartache of being alive, knowing God is always with us. 

Peace, 
Pastor Katie