the A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR

A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR NOW IS THE TIME FOR CHANGE

We are quickly sliding into the summertime, and even though the heat has not yet descended upon us, there is a change in the air. Summer will bring with it a certain relief from the rhythm and rush of the school year, but this year, that relief will be very different.

Over these past two months, I have found our common sense of unity remarkable. Surveys of American adults across the country showed levels of generosity and agreement that we have not experienced since 9/11. We have done remarkably well, but we have now entered what I have been calling “the second phase” of our response to the novel coronavirus. In this second phase, it will be easy for us to lose the unity we felt in April and become disagreeable about what we should and should not do moving forward. I hope we’re better than that.

Just last week, I was reminded of just how much we have been through in our nation and in our world. I had the privilege of presiding over the graveside service of Bob Brackbill who, before his death, was our oldest living member at 100 years. Bob’s long life made his death sad and joyful at the same time, and his warmth and hopeful spirit made his graveside service especially uplifting.

This hopefulness was emphasized in the small bulletin prepared for the service, where a handwritten note from Bob had been scanned and printed on the inside cover. The note read simply, “Thank you God for these 100 wonderful years. I am very grateful. I love you.” Born in 1919, just imagine all that Bob lived through. And yet, at the very end of his life, he was at peace, resting in ultimate gratitude for the gift of life.

I tell you that story not to make you sad, but to inspire us all to remain focused on the big picture, the long game, on God. It’s so easy for us to experience hardship and begin to look inward, losing ourselves in the process. When people experience difficulties, especially as a big group, they often begin to seek spiritual connections they do not have. Whether you’ve lost your car keys, had a big fight with a loved one, or are experiencing a pandemic, it’s normal to seek after a spiritual truth when life is hard.

Church communities, especially Episcopal church communities, often seek God in the very sacred, sacramental actions we share. We have been taught and conditioned to find God in those extremely special moments. Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace given by Christ. I am convicted in the truth of God’s presence in the mystery of the sacraments, and rooting ourselves in them is a very good habit! However, we can find God in many places outside the sacraments, especially in one another.

In seminary, Dr. Greg Jones, one of my professors, spoke about holy friendships and the idea has stuck with me. Holy friends are not common, and perhaps they’re not even the people we first choose to be around, but holy friends are the people we really need in our lives. Dr. Jones described holy friends as the people who “challenge the sins we have come to love, affirm the gifts we are afraid to claim, and help us dream dreams we otherwise would not dream.” They’re the people

who tell us the truth, the people who stick with us when the going gets tough, and those who help us imagine a truly better future.

Holy friends challenge the sins we have come to love. We are all physically separated from one another and that tends to give us time in which we can lose ourselves. Perhaps we scroll through too much social media, allow ourselves to drown in too many news stories, or succumb to fear in ways we had never imagined. Whichever way we “sin,” none of it is good for us. Holy friends remind us that it’s ok not to be ok, and when everything is not fine, however we feel is normal.

Holy friends affirm the gifts we are afraid to claim. When we look back at hard periods in our collective history and hard periods in our personal histories, we find that the one constant is change. Change will happen to each of us, no matter what. Just think about this current quarantine. There are people baking like they never have before (seriously, sourdough is the breakout star of quarantine!). There are people sewing face masks for strangers when they’ve never sewed before. There are people riding their bikes, waving to neighbors, decorating their front steps, and showing kindness to strangers every day. Love your gifts, share your gifts, no matter what they are, even if your gift is making the perfect loaf of sourdough.

Holy friends help us dream dreams we otherwise would not dream. Change will happen in our world, and I believe the time for change is now. What our world was before this virus was not good enough. The inequality, insecurity, and pain of our neighbors and our world was not OK, and now this crisis gives us a chance to right those wrongs. What problem did you think was too big? What issue did you think you couldn’t impact? What box had others put you in that no longer fits? The moment to change the world is now, and we can be part of that change.

We may be separated, but we are not alone. We are surrounded by good and generous people, and we can find the holy friends we need to change the world for the good. Together, we can turn this ship, we can right so many wrongs, and we can be the change we hope to see. And I’m grateful to have holy friends to walk with me.

RECTOR’S SUMMER STREAMING BIBLE STUDY

Join Us Online!

Led by Rector Chris Girata Wednesdays 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. facebook.com/cgirata The Rector’s Bible study (RBS) will take a short break and return for the month of June with a special weekly study on the book of Philippians! Then, the RBS will go on summer break until the Fall. Stay tuned for more details and don’t forget you can still watch and listen to the recordings, link below.

Questions? Email Meredith Rose, mrose@saintmichael.org

Watch previous episodes on demand, at our website: saintmichael.org/rectorsbiblestudy