Rector’s Messages

79 of 20 items

What does it mean to welcome the newly baptized?

Dear Friends,
“Let us welcome the newly baptized.” (BCP p. 308)

We will have the opportunity many times over the next few months to welcome the newly baptized into our community. Through June, we have six baptisms that will take place in our congregation. Each time you will hear me state what an exciting day this is for our congregation. As we increase our fold, the entire church celebrates.

What does it mean to welcome the newly baptized? I believe that it starts with our commitment to these persons who have made vows to do all in our power to support them in their life in Christ. (BCP p. 303)  We will be their church family in every sense in that we will lift them up in prayer, encourage their Christian formation and growth, offer support in times of need and be a listening friend as desired. When absent from our presence, we will inquire as to their well-being and when present, we will thank them for all that they offer.

These baptism services will also give us the opportunity to renew our own Baptismal Covenant. (BCP p. 304) We will be reminded of the five promises that we made or that were made on our behalf. We can assess how we are lining up in keeping our covenant and see what areas may need refreshing.  All the while we will remember that in keeping these, “we will, with God’s help.” Alone we cannot possibly do it all and with God’s help we can.

Yes, this is an exciting time for our congregation and for the body of Christ. Please join me in the celebration.

Blessings,
Gini+

Is God holding a checklist and marking off pass or fail?

Dear Friends,
During the Lenten season, we began each service with the Penitential Order and included the Decalogue, which is the Ten Commandments. One Sunday, a parishioner asked if 6 out of the 10 commandments were properly observed would that be considered passing and did I think that God grades on a curve? I laughed assuming that the inquiry was in jest, but then I thought there probably are some who think this way. Is God holding a checklist and marking off pass or fail?

This is what Easter is all about. God loves us so much that he sent his son to live and die as one of us. The resurrection is proof that Jesus overcame death and the grave to save us all. Salvation is a free gift and thankfully we are the recipients. Living a life with belief in this doesn’t make us wonder if we are doing enough to get in, it gives us hope in knowing what is to come.

Once we have a true understanding of this, our lives naturally reflect our relationship with God through Christ. The Ten Commandments are easier to observe because we desire to love God and to love our neighbor.

Yes, I believe that God grades on a curve and it is one so broad that when we are marked as Christ’s own forever, we pass. That’s living an Easter life, one that is lived in belief of the resurrection.

Blessings,
Gini+

God’s grace will be our guide through the perils of the desert and beyond.

Dear Friends,
“Lent is less about what we give up than what we become.” – The Rev. David Teschner

Walking in the desert is not an easy task. As we know, it is steeped with danger that can zap the soul of its very will to live.  The Spirit led Jesus into the desert for forty days and nights to face temptations and to persevere. In all his human vulnerability, Jesus was no different to the temptations than the rest of us.  The season of Lent is representative of this time of trial and a time for us, in our suffering, to discover our dependence on God and the gift of grace to sustain us. We focus on the transformation that can take place during our journey in the wilderness that draws us closer to God.

You will notice during the season of Lent that our worship area has changed. We see the penitential color of purple in the linens. We will not have fresh flowers on the retable, but rather dried flowers, sticks and other items that represent the desert.  (Thank you, Halsey Dillard for providing these wonderful arrangements.) The baptismal font will be void of water, just as the desert. We will long during this time for what sustains us, knowing that it is God who provides.

Many of us will give up things during Lent that we enjoy or add disciplines that help us grow in our love and knowledge of God. What we become at the end or our time in the wilderness is far more important than what we give up. Suffering can lead us to a place far greater in Christ. As we observe a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditation on God’s holy Word (pg. 265, BCP) may we rejoice in what we will become.  God’s grace will be our guide through the perils of the desert and beyond.

Blessings,
Gini+