Traditions

Nov. 6, 2025

By Rev. Riz Prakasim

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. – Acts 2:42

Dear Church,

Peace be with you. When the earliest followers of Jesus gathered, they did so with devotion—to God, to one another, and to the sacred rhythms that shaped their life together. They didn’t yet know they were forming what we would one day call “the Church.” They simply knew they belonged to God and to each other, and that something holy was emerging in their midst.

That same Spirit continues to guide us as New Life Presbyterian Church and Falcon Heights Church come together in this new season. We are rooted in long-cherished traditions, yet open to the Spirit’s invitation to imagine and create anew. We carry beloved practices that have shaped us, while trusting that God will reveal traditions yet unknown—traditions that will speak to the hearts and hopes of a community being formed right now.

Every family of faith carries its own liturgy of life—rhythms that hold memory, joy, and identity. At New Life, Quilt Sunday wraps us in warmth and prayer as quilts adorn the sanctuary and are blessed for ministry. Super-Sundae Sunday launches us joyfully into fall. Our All Saints recognition reminds us of the saints who have crossed into glory. Youth gather each Advent for a Christmas party that sparkles with laughter and faith. And in the days of Knox Church, worship concluded with “The Song of Hope,” sending us out in blessing and courage.

These traditions have stitched us together: threads of memory, faith, and care.

Falcon Heights, too, brings its own meaningful practices and celebrations, beloved ways of gathering and serving that have shaped us for generations. As we unite, we honor what each community brings. We cherish the familiar prayers, songs, and celebrations that have taught us how to love God and one another.

But we also look forward with holy curiosity. Throughout history, the Church has continued to evolve, guided by the Holy Spirit into new expressions of faithfulness. All Saints Day, which is celebrated on Nov. 1 each year, is one of the most tender and sacred observances in the Christian year. It did not originate with the apostles, yet over centuries it emerged as a way for the Church to remember, honor, and celebrate the great cloud of witnesses. It reminds us that tradition can be both inherited and inspired.

So as we step into this shared future, let us hold reverently the traditions that brought us here. And let us also listen for the quiet rustling of new traditions forming, new songs, new celebrations, new acts of service, new ways of nurturing community and witnessing to Christ’s love. We stand in the stream of faithful ones who came before us and we are also the ones building what will be handed on. Rooted in love, rising in hope.