This is my newsletter article for April, influenced by my earlier posting.
ALLELUIA, CHRIST IS RISEN! THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED, ALLELUIA! With these ancient words, we reaffirm the central creed of the Christian Faith. We reaffirm that the central story of our existence is not one of our own enacting, but of God’s action to redeem the world to himself. Once again, we’re reminded, “It’s not all about us.”
Too often in the church today, we still think things are all about us. We get focused on issues of sexual ethics or church polity, or differences in Biblical interpretation. It’s human nature for us to think these things that we value so highly must be of ultimate concern to God. But are they really? Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seems disinterested in issues of politics and abstract moral reasoning. Instead, he is concerned about people and their real, day-to-day lives. He wants to know what is holding us back from a right relationship with God. He wants to know if those of us with much are helping those with nothing. He wants to know if our prayers are for the world to be reconciled to God, or for the world be converted to our worldview.
Our parish mission trip returned from Camp Coast Care on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi last week. There was so much to see and absorb about the devastation of Katrina - it truly has to be seen to be believed. But the other thing that was amazing to see was the outpouring of support from the faith community. 80% of the work being done in costal Mississippi is being done by faith-based organizations. While we were there, we saw Episcopalians, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Mennonites and even Amish working to rebuild housing for people in need. The Episcopal volunteers spanned the width and breadth of our denomination, representing every point of view you could hold on the current issues facing the church.
I’m not much given to beatific visions, but an image keeps flashing through my mind. It is an image of a New Jerusalem, a heavenly city being built on the coast of Mississippi. It is being built by women wearing “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You” T-shirts and men in suspenders and traditional Amish hats, a Baptist youth group and some Lutheran Norwegian Bachelor Farmers from Lake Woebegon. It is certainly true that Christ’s church is splintered into a thousand pieces, and that we squabble amongst ourselves as if our human differences were more important than our divine commonalities. But in Mississippi, I wondered if we can truly separate ourselves from one another as long as we confess the same Lord. Indeed, was God not using us as one despite our best efforts to insist we are many? Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no denominations in construction.
I believe that if every Episcopalian could spend one week at Camp Coast Care, much of the current vitriol of our church politics would evaporate as we reclaimed what is truly at the core of being a servant of our Risen Lord.
David+
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A sad day for gamers. The publications of Dragon and Dungeon magazines is to cease later this year. According to this press release:
