March 18, 2021
And now, please turn to page 447 in your Book of Common Prayer.
There, you will find one of the least-trod sacramental rites of the Anglican tradition, one that for unspoken reason, holds intimidating sway over us all, The Reconciliation of a Penitent, more commonly called “confession.” Somewhere along the way, the more ritualized act of “confession” got left behind on the cutting room floor, when we made a deliberate split from Rome. Oh, we confess, weekly, as a community; some of us even daily, in the offices. But the act of telling our sin, our separation, to another living soul, is somehow so intimidating, so scary, so frightening.
There is a tension that exists between confession and gratitude, the relief that comes through reunion, the rejoinder of souls that sin has torn apart. It is in that tension that God sits, waiting patiently for us, like the parent in the prodigal story, with God’s ever-redeeming, always life-giving grace. Even though I know it’s there, I still worry each time I put grace to the test, with confession.
Will they still love me; will God, still love me, in spite of my sin, my foolishness, my separation?
Will grace be there, to catch me when I inevitably fall?
Do stories of God’s grace really apply to me, this time, each time, every time, I sin and fall short?
There is good reason for doing this work during the 40 days and nights of Lent, this time of intentional self-reflection and introspection. There is a reason why Jesus himself did this work during his own 40 day wilderness journey. It helps to prepare us for what is to come. From the shouts of “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday, to the depths of suffering and death on the cross, and up through resurrection on Easter Sunday, all of this is so much richer when we know what grace feels like, when we have experienced it, once again. And it is so much fuller when all of the rifts, the separations of sin, have been knit back together. The rejoicing of rejoinder is more gladdening than anything we can ask or imagine when we are ALL rejoined!
Your Rector and Regathering Committee are solidifying plans for our own physical reunification with our beautiful, sacred space on Inwood and Mockingbird. I can announce that on Sunday, April 18, 2021, after over one year, we will hold our worship service in person at 10:30 am. (Details to follow!) The drought of COVID-19, “Corona-tide” is nothing that anyone could have anticipated or imagined over a year ago, least of all your baby Rector.
That being said, I want to confess to you, individually, and as a parish, that if there was anything that I have done in leading us through this time together, and yet separate, that hurt you, or in any way made you feel less than the wonderful, beautiful child of the most high God that you are, I sincerely apologize. I want to make that right, and I hope you will let me know.
Please remember that all of your clergy are available for the sacrament of The Reconciliation of a Penitent at your request. It is an amazing and powerful way to feel God’s grace move in your life in a very tangible way.
I want each and every one of us, all of us, to come back to this building, together, better and stronger for the year that just happened, and I don’t want my separation from you to stand in the way of that.
The Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle is ALL of us, each one of us, together in chorus, sounding God’s great beacon of hope in this hurting world. Each one of us is necessary to bring forth God’s great plan!
And we will all be able to say with great gusto:
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
– Psalm 122:1
Yours in confession,
Fr. Christopher+
