My Dear People of St. Thomas,
I can only begin in this space to express how thrilled I am about this new beginning upon which we embark! I hope and pray that you are equally as excited, for you have been in my prayers from the very beginning of my conversations with your search committee through this very day. Beginnings have a way of projecting hope out into the future, laden with all sorts of possibilities, and my hope is that you can see and feel some of that hope for our community of St. Thomas and for yourself!
What better day to start something new between us, to present a fresh new offering to God, than the Feast of the Presentation, the day that Mary and Joseph, acting out of their own deep and abiding sense of covenant, bring Jesus to the temple to present him as an offering to God. Their movement of faith, of doing the right thing, with the right motivation, has obvious and life-long impact upon Simeon, Anna, and all those, who are present in the temple that day. Think what would have been missed if they had not been there, if they had stayed home.
Think what will be missed if you are not present, at St. Thomas, this Sunday, as we present ourselves, to each other, and to God? Every time we come together as the body, to “re-present” Christ, to each other, and to God, we make that same statement of commitment to our own covenant of faith. We bring that little piece of light into the world again, illuminating some of the darkness. We cast a little bit of hope forward into the future. It is important. Your presence IS important!
I hope you will plan to be in church this Sunday, to present yourself, as we present each other, as an offering and a sacrifice to God, and see what new things we can hope into existence!
With much love,
Fr. Christopher
