October 22, 2026 - "The Word Among Us" - A Weekly Note from Pastor Michael

The Word Among Us 

A Weekly Note from Pastor Michael 

The Hook 

Thursday, October 22, 2026 

The Federated Church of Chagrin Falls 

What holds a community together? 

It’s a question worth asking, especially in a time when so many of the institutions we once trusted seem to be coming apart. Families are divided, communities are fractured, and even the Church—the very place where many of us first learned about the love of God—has often failed to embody the love it proclaims. 

We might be tempted to ask what has gone wrong. Have we lost our traditions? Have we abandoned our values? Have we forgotten what made our communities strong? 

These are not new questions. 

This Sunday, we return to Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus is engaged in a series of conversations about authority, faithfulness, and the future of God’s people. The questions are difficult, and the stakes are high. Beneath them lies a concern that has occupied communities of faith for centuries: What does God actually want from us? 

When asked which commandment is greatest, Jesus reaches deep into the sacred tradition of his people. He draws upon words that have shaped generations of Jewish life, returning to the very heart of the covenant. 

And his answer invites us to reconsider everything. 

This Sunday is also Gratitude Sunday, when we celebrate the generosity that sustains our shared ministry and dedicate our commitments for the coming year. It is also Reformation Sunday, a reminder that the Church is always called to examine its life in light of the gospel. 

Both occasions invite us to consider a question that has guided our journey through Matthew this year: 

What kind of people is God making us into? 

Perhaps the most important question isn’t how we preserve the Church we’ve inherited, but how we become faithful to the calling that brought us together in the first place. 

I look forward to gathering with you this Sunday as we consider what it means to become the people God is calling us to be. 

Bound in Love, 
—Pastor Michael 

Read Before Sunday 

Matthew 22:34–40 

Questions for Reflection 

As you prepare for Sunday, consider these questions: 

• What holds us together? Think about the communities that have shaped your life. What makes them places of genuine belonging? 
• What happens when trust is broken? How can a community remain faithful to its deepest commitments when its institutions or leaders fall short? 
• What is God calling us to become? If love of God and neighbor is at the heart of our faith, how might that change the way we understand the Church and our responsibilities to one another?