Hello –
As I look back at the last month, I realized that my last three sermons crystalized three important conversations for our community. Below, I briefly sketch out what those conversations are. I hope at least one of them intrigues you.
If so, all three sermons can be heard by going to the front page of our website, www.stpaualssanrafael.org. All three conversations are very likely to be continuing in many contexts in the months and years to come.
1. Our 150th Anniversary. We are the oldest Episcopal Church in Marin County. In a year and a half we celebrate our founding in 1868. The Vestry and I propose three fun projects: A Great Party, A Compelling Story and An Inspiring Retreat. Each of these will require the creativity and the work of many.
2. A Rigorous Church. Over a dozen times in the last month I have been engaged in deep and creative conversation about being and becoming a rigorous church. If the seven core Christian practices are the house we have built together, the six necessary dimensions of a rigorous church are the foundation. I’ve named these six as fluency, community, abiding, befriending, call and cross. There is a lifetime of exploration in each of these six.
3. New Jerusalem. What’s our goal? Where do ultimately end up? What’s it like? There are many terms and images in our tradition for our ultimate goal. Some examples are Kingdom of God, Heaven, the City of God, the Heavenly Banquet and Zion. I’m proposing that, for a season, we explore together the language of one of the most important, New Jerusalem. This image is the very last image from scripture. It comes from the end of the book that inspired our iconic rosette window, the book of Revelation. We get along better when we know where we’re headed, and why we want to go there!
Each of these thee sermons has just the title you would expect: A Party, A Story, A Retreat; Rigorous Church; New Jerusalem.
I look forward to continuing all there of these conversations with you in the months and years ahead.
Faithfully,
Christopher
p: (415) 456-4842