Hello –
We are in a season of change. It is good change. At the other side of this season, by God’s grace:
• Our campus will be safe, accessible and beautiful.
• Our common sense of shared Christian discipleship will be deeper and more powerful.
• Our capacity to communicate and stay connected will be strong.
But in the meantime, change is hard and often confusing. Perhaps, in the midst of change, we wonder if the things that brought us to St. Paul’s and have held us here will continue. This week I write to assure you that at least four things will be happening, week in and week out, without fail. For those with ears to hear, they provide an ongoing loving hum through this season of change.
Love One Another. Yesterday I was in extensive communication with a parishioner who is approaching the anniversary of the death of an adult child. I am about to leave to go visit one of our sisters in Christ in the hospital. St. Anne’s writes Happy Birthday cards to so many of us. Our love and care will continue. We won’t leave each other.
Pray to Your Father in Heaven. Now, each Tuesday and Thursday morning, a cluster of four to eight of us gather for a lay led, simplified Morning Prayer. We pray for many things, not least the needs of our community. Also, our ‘family members’ Nancy, Chris, Joan and others are carefully attending to our extensive prayer list and praying through it regularly. Five Discipleship Groups are currently meeting, some every week. And, of course, you know where we many of us are every Sunday at 8 and 10.
The Word is Very Near You. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, people of St. Paul’s are reading, word by word, a book of the Bible and drawing connections to our common life now. Nearly every Sunday, I ask you, in my sermon, to open the Bible, look at the text, and reflect with me. Our common life is slowly being steeped in the Word.
Do It to the Least of These. Jesus teaches that as we serve the poor, we serve him. The Teen Success Breakfast, Young Moms Marin, visits to our friends on Death Row, and our partnerships with Ritter, the San Rafael Health Care Center and St. Vincent’s will continue. Even as we restore our inward life, we don’t stop reaching out regularly, with love, patience and generosity, to those whom God especially loves.
Hang in there, folks! Change and growth are always hard for us. We are ordinary human beings and our faith doesn’t shield us from ordinary fears and anxieties. God knows this well. Both scripture and our Christian history are filled with jarring changes that produce great fruit. We are in a time of great change. Have faith. All will be well.
Blessings,
Christopher
p: (415) 456-4842