Never More Open

Dear friends in Christ,

Many are craving a call to “regular” life, and some are calling for it. I am a little more reserved on the subject, sensing, as I think many of you do, that we are a long way off. And then when it comes, as it most surely will, it will be a different life, not just a return to our old life. For us Christians, we know this. Life lived in the Spirit, in awareness of a God who made, loves, and saves us, is a life that arrives at a different place than it started. Tragedy changes you. Crisis remakes us. And, if you let it, times such as the ones we are in can bring you closer to God than you ever dared to think possible.

In the meantime, I have some ways to restore the “regular” to our new, strange days. You know I’ve been calling for yard work here at the church (!) We are blessed by some beautiful Spring rain, which prospers our weeds and our garden alike, and we have been blessed by beautiful warm weather to tend it. I promise you, there is nothing “virtual” about the weeds here, and Spring has not been cancelled. It is coming into bloom! In a time when exercise is tricky to get and outdoor time more important than ever, why not come spend an hour on our grounds? I promise not to bother you. Plus, no one will know if you leave off your green thumb work and find a sunny spot just to sit and pray.

Prayer. I’ve been asked by several members of the congregation if the church is open for private prayer. Never more open. If I could take the front doors off I would. Please do come to our most comforting and sacred of places we have as a community, our beautiful sanctuary. If you do not have a church key, please call or text to make sure I am there. It is a space I enjoy as a “company benefit,” and I highly commend its stillness and beauty to ease a troubled spirit, calm your fears, dissolve your worries and cares, so that God our Father can fill your heart with His love and sense of abiding care. 

Also available now through Easter: our own visual Stations of the Cross. These are hand-painted beautiful depictions of the 13 Stations of the Cross, representing the last week of Jesus’ life on the sanctuary walls, just below our beautiful windows. Think about whether coming in daylight, or at night when the glass windows are black will influence your spiritual engagement more. We are all different that way. If at night, after hours, maybe text me or alert another where you are, and take care to lock the doors while you are there as well as when you leave. Station guidebooks are in the narthex.

Also available to you right now: a daily prayer time that Episcopalians have been praying for centuries all over the world. It has united us as Christians, strengthened the Body and offered personal comfort for centuries. For centuries, prayer has been a regular ordering of one’s day. You don’t have to be a monk to pray regularly. You could be, say, a modern person going through a global pandemic separated from loved ones. 

In your Prayer Book on page 6 (the page is actually unmarked), is the Table of Contents. From here you can pray a wide range of prayers and services, in part or in whole, including the entire Psalter (Pg. 585-808). If you don’t have a BCP at home, come and get one from the Church, or you can go to the Online BCP here, https://www.bcponline.org/

In the back of the BCP the lessons for the day are listed. We are in Year 2 of the Daily Lectionary and right now, Tuesday March 31st, the lessons are listed on page 957 “Week of 5 Lent.” You can see there are a lot of scriptures. Read them throughout the day, or in groups. Combine them with the service for “Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families”, found on page 136ff.

The Venerable Nikon of Optina (Orthodox Saint 1888-1931) reminds us,
                “There never was and never will be a place on earth free
                 from sorrow. The only sorrow-less place possible
                 is in the heart, when the Lord is present there.”

These times may see trouble and be unsure, but through prayers and devotion, we find these times acceptable as all times are acceptable as the Lord is present.