September 9, 2021
“Always we begin again.”
- Benedict
Dear Doubters of Great Faith,
Thankfully, by God’s great grace, we are constantly and consistently in the ever ongoing process of “beginning again.” With each new day, we’re gifted fresh opportunity to meet God in that grace, to rise to new levels, no matter what prior days have held.
Being together is, I would venture to guess, one of THE most important aspects of the Christian identity. It is how our identity is shaped and formed and grown and strengthened. Being together is how we know we are a part of the body of Jesus Christ. Being together is how we celebrate and worship our glorious, merciful creator God. Being together is how we breathe Holy Spirit life into each other, and into the world.
I have heard the statistic quoted that in the current age, many Christians consider themselves “faithful” attenders if they are in church once every three to four weeks. I find myself wondering if that is the case, and if so, why? Is it because church doesn’t present enough of a compelling story to bring one back, week after week? Is time in the modern age so completely finite that all folks can spare is an hour each month? Or are folks not finding a place for themselves at the table, within the family, their place in the body, where they feel needed, and necessary, and valued, and loved, and cherished?
I don’t know the answer, but it is certainly a question worth asking, particularly as “again, we begin again.”
With this upcoming Sunday, two additional services will start, for a full complement of weekly worship opportunities, to meet the different levels of comfort and taste. A class for newcomers (and the not so new!), “Basics of the Faith,” is in the offing, as well as a book study. We have a variety of mission and outreach opportunities. There are guilds that need your service (acolytes, ushers, altar guild, Eucharistic visitors, sound engineers, etc.)
To put it succinctly, you, my dear Doubters, ARE St. Thomas the Apostle. You are the Holy Spirit that enlivens this place and makes it the warm, compelling, Christ-centered, all-encompassing beacon that it is. It does not exist without you. We do not change lives without you. You are the hands and feet of Christ on this corner, in this place.
And, it’s time to begin again.
See you in church Sunday!
Fr. Christopher+
