From the
Rector’s Desk
July, 2001
Our Book
of Common Prayer is rooted in a history and tradition that offers enormous
spiritual experience, power and depth.
Our
faith and liturgy is the same faith and liturgy of the spiritual giants of the
Old Testament, of the New Testament, and throughout the history of the holy,
catholic and apostolic church. We are
one with Abraham and Moses, David and Solomon, Elijah and Elisha, Jesus, Peter
and Paul, Gregory of Nyssa and Chrysostom, Augustine and Aquinas, St John of
the Cross and Teresa of Avila, Thomas a Kempis and Julian of Norwich, Luther
and Calvin, Hooker and Keble, Thomas Merton and Mother Theresa. One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.
Our
tradition offers enormous spiritual experience, power and depth. Offers – but does not necessitate.
Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
(Hebrews
12.1-2)
It is
by no means certain that any of us will run with endurance the race that is set
before us. No matter how rich and
powerful are the resources of our spiritual heritage – no matter how many
examples of spiritual giants are paraded before us. It is by no means certain that any of us will run that race at
all, let alone run it with endurance.
The
Episcopal Church of St Andrew the Fisherman has a mission: We are called by God to foster spiritual
experience, power and depth among ourselves, among our neighbors and among
those outside our community. The
mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other
in Christ. (BCP p. 855) The human hunger and need for unitive
experience with God and others lies at the heart of all human longings – mine,
yours, your neighbor’s, story tellers, novelists, filmmakers, poets and
mystics. Whether based in God’s
self-revelation in Jesus Christ, or in the most destructive of all human folly,
this hunger for unitive experience with God fuels all spiritual experiments and
human endeavors. Our mission is not to
“offer services,” to provide a building where worship can be offered, or even
to feed the hungry, even though we will do these things. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus
Christ -- fully committed followers with an ever deepening experience of God in
Christ.
It is
by no means certain that any of us will experience the enormous spiritual
potential of our faith. But it is God
who calls us to become ever more intentional about fostering that experience
among ourselves and others. Let us run
with the race that is set before us – and let us run that race with endurance!
The Lord be with you!