Following Jesus into the Heart of God and Greater Love
|
|
Beloved,
Today, the Episcopal Bishops of Michigan issued a
joint directive
that all congregations in Michigan are
to suspend in-person services and all other gatherings
of more than ten people until
May 10.
This includes Holy Week and Easter. That means St. Mary's, too, will not be gathering in person, nor will any other groups who use our space.
I want you to know that this saddens me, it discomforts me, it vexes me. And that's how I know it's probably Jesus calling us to follow him more closely. You may remember my homily from a few weeks ago when I talked about Abram being called from his own country, his own kin, even his "father's house," to the place God would show him. And he went! (Genesis 12:1-4) God often calls us from what is familiar so that we might be a blessing to others, to those we have never met, and to the generations that come after us. That's also what it means to follow Jesus.
When
questioned
about which commandment was the greatest, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy (6:5), "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment." But he didn't stop there. He quickly added a bit from Leviticus (19:18): "And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:34-40). In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:12-13). Sometimes we must lay down our common life for our friends. Because this is what love demands. I will miss walking through Holy Week with you in person this year. I will miss lighting the New Fire with you, and observing the Easter Vigil. I will especially miss dousing you all with water to remind you of your baptism!!! But the whole point of Holy Week is that God's Beloved Child gave up his life for his friends, and there is no greater love than this. Our willingness to answer the call to forego being together for our Easter Feast is a testament to the resilience of our love: our resolve to care for a wounded world and those who might be subject to extreme peril if we don't. As I have said before, this is holy work.
The Vestry and I will be thinking carefully about how to continue to foster the life of our community in these difficult times. I will be in touch soon to let you know how we hope to stay connected, how our worship will continue, even if not face-to-face, and to ponder with you the peculiar forms of discipleship God is calling us to in these times. If you have not already, I encourage you to follow ("Like") our
Facebook page
, where I have been uploading materials and prayers, and where you can see the most recent updates. Changes are coming also to the website, which I invite you also to check regularly for updates and online services. We will be trying out new things, too, new opportunities for connection at a distance. At the moment, the Facebook page and the website are the best ways to stay connected.
I want you to know we are also in conversation about how we might be a resource for the Orion/Oxford area during this time, and we have reached out to community partners. If you or someone you know has acute needs for groceries, medication, etc., please reach out to Fr. Andy (information below). As other opportunities to volunteer arise, we will let you know (we are working on a few possibilities). But for now, the most important thing I can ask you to do is to pray. Pray for grocery store workers and those who continue to make sure we have our essentials. Pray for healthcare workers and those who put their well-being on the line to care for others. Prayer for those who are working on vaccines and those in government who are tasked with making hard decisions. Pray for those who will suffer, either in physical or economic health from the spread of this disease. Pray for joy. Pray for hope. Pray that we may see God's love revealed in the myriad acts of generosity and mercy that will blunt the impact of this illness on the most vulnerable among us.
And in your praying, hold on to this: Just because we cannot gather in person to worship together does not mean we cannot worship in Spirit and in truth. Just because we cannot share our love together in person does not mean our love is diminished. Lent will turn out to be a bit longer this year, but Easter is still on our horizon.
Know that I am keeping you all in prayer, and I will be reaching out to you all again soon!
If you need to talk or have further questions, please do not hesitate to text, email, or call: (319) 750-4991 or [email protected].
Every blessing,
|
|
Here are some additional resources to explore: health guidelines and a few spiritual resources to get us situated.
|
|
|
St. Mary's In-The-Hills Facebook Page
Check here for recent updates and resources.
|
|
The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
For updates from the Diocese, and all official communications from our bishop, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Bonnie A. Perry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
