The Canticle St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church Dear Friends, I write you this month with joy and gratitude in my heart for the various ways you have supported one another and me (and my family) personally during this strange season of “Coronatide.” Since we have transitioned to virtual worship, you have tuned into our 59 videos (including Sunday services, Holy Week, daily devotionals, children’s chapel, rector’s forum, and more), and you have loved each other through various means—by buying and delivering food, praying for one another, delivering Easter lilies, making protective masks for strangers, and so much more. What a gift we have in each other, and in Jesus Christ who has drawn us together as a parish family!
May 2020
To be sure, I never imagined that my ministry here would quickly become so dependent upon technology— Zoom calls, phone calls, video streaming, etc. Even as my engagement of technology has increased, I have enjoyed the physical setting of living on the Church campus, and the beauty of the outdoors in Louisville, which have helped decrease stress and anxiety. The following poem called The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry rings true to me in this moment (as I’m sure it does for so many of you): When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Theologians of the past have talked about the Book of Scripture (the Bible), and the Book of Nature (the outdoors), and I know that “reading” from both in this season has been good for my mental health. I encourage you to use this time to become attuned to the rhythms of creation, for in doing so, we learn that we are contingent, but that we are loved by a God who has showered us with gratuitous beauty. Consider this: Beauty is not necessary. I am convinced that the beauty of creation is one of the strongest arguments for the goodness of God, for there is no reason it should exist, except due to a God who like a cosmic artist has painted the tapestry of creation for our enjoyment. And this is important to proclaim in moments such as this, when creation seems to be at odds with humanity, where a virus is working against our very lives. I’ll close this update with an encouragement for you to participate in The Kindness Project, a movement in our community to both highlight and practice acts of kindness as an antidote to our anxiety and isolation. our community! We learn from Scripture that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and what God desires: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” To speak of “kindness” might seem to lack real “teeth,” but nothing could be further from the truth. God in Christ has given an infinite gift of kindness to us—salvation, and we are called to participate in this great gift. A saying I am fond of is “a seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.” Who knows how God will multiply our acts of kindness for the sake of building his Church, and for spreading the gift of salvation in Christ to others who are not a part of our community! As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if I can help you in any way. Otherwise, know that your parish staff and clergy team are working hard to ensure that you are supported and loved in this moment. Remember, the Gospel of Christ is the last Word over even death (“It is finished”), so I bid you to remain steadfast in hoping, above all else, in the truth and power of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God’s Peace,