Dear friends,
Owing to the winter storm, our annual meeting was postponed from Groundhog Day, er, uh, Candlemas, to March 2nd, when, hopefully, the storms might have subsided. It does all make me remember that there have been times in my life when I have eschewed annual meetings, proclaiming that they are neither scriptural nor pastoral, and often avoided the meetings if I could, being, among other things, somewhat conflict-averse.
Yet, in my later years, I now see the meetings as administratively necessary and communally important. The meetings can and should be celebrations and affirmations of all that the church corporate has accomplished, and opportunities to thank all who have affected the accomplishments.
I have heard rectors detail how many pastoral engagements and visits they have conducted in a year (hundreds), as well as how many baptisms, burials, and weddings services were conducted (scores). That can be eye-opening for some who might imagine that priests spend their days writing sermons and planning services (they in fact do that, too!), and rarely mentioned is the Leidtragen, the carrying of burdened souls, that is part of the job as well. It is the priest’s job to both weep and to rejoice, and it ain’t just a job.
Two weeks ago in the Instructed Eucharist we all learned the basis, meanings, and traditions of the Eucharist; I ventured some views on our inner engagements with the Eucharist, and its relevance to our lives and to history and our mission. Note that the annual meeting can be a continuation of the Eucharist that precedes it, that we are joined in Christ, prayerful and caring in our exchange, setting aside the best practices and conquests for victory over one another that we might carry in the door from our workplaces, and leaving behind political maneuverings that might be worthy of Boston politics, and strive for the care of the poor, the hungry, the oppressed, the ill and the dying, for the continuation and care of the church, always with a long view, that there will be faith on earth. These human frailties can be hard to set aside when the world seems upside down and perhaps threatening, but let us be agents of peace for one another. Let us mindfully celebrate that Trinity goes on, and be thankful for one another for all that we do to care for one another and for our community.
Blessings,
CJ+
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