Dear Parish Family,
Today is a busy day. I am thinking about way too many things simultaneously: sermon prep, vestry business, how to keep the church clean, when to start adult formation, and all the things that you deserve as a church community. I have to remind myself that it takes time to “recalculate” the path forward, as my navigation app would say, following some big disruptions on the journey: a worldwide pandemic, departure of a pastor, financial pressures, a national and local election cycle filled with apocalyptic visions—these are just some of the things that characterize the environment in which we find ourselves. And yet… I feel joy and I feel hope as I slowly get to know you one by one. I hope you are starting to feel a little joy and hope too, as these things give rise to determination.
The joy and hope for me proceed from a sense that I am among people who care what their church is like, what their city is like, their country, and the world. That these things matter to you is reassuring to me because I care about them too. It tells me that I am with kindred people. The Holy Spirit gave me a gift when I was led into Memorial, because people who care how they move about the world are the people who will move the common good forward.
For every person who may be feeling stressed and discouraged in our parish community, there is another person in the community who loves kindness and justice and is willing to enter into relationship with you. You might think you are in the community because it suits your need for something in your or your family’s life but know that God usually does more than one thing at a time. For whatever reasons you have been brought into this community, God has called you here because you are exactly who someone else needs to deepen their own relationship with God and with community.
Don’t underestimate how beloved we must be that God gave us this gift of one another. As we stand at the threshold of Advent and the new liturgical year, we celebrate the brilliance of God’s immanent presence in human flesh. No longer do we regard God as not of this world, but rather as God deeply present in this fragile world that we inhabit. It’s not just the scriptures that we must read, learn and inwardly digest—it’s also the unique wisdom to be gleaned from one another.
If we each focus on deeply loving both God and one another, we will grow this community. No one can resist the deep welcome of genuine love. When you come to worship or to community activities this Advent, come prepared to love with your whole heart. Set self aside and be the love that you want in your own life, and then watch what happens. We are entering a time of deep mystery. Be present to it and watch what happens.
With love and gratitude,
Pan +