In Andrea’s sermon this past Sunday, she mentioned that part of how we respond to the good news is to participate in the basic rhythms of our common life as a church. But cultivating any kind of common life together has been a significant challenge during this seemingly unending pandemic. I find myself weary of always needing to consider it in our decisions as a church.
But God continues to be present with us and working among us, despite our current challenges. I wanted to simply commend to you 3 ways to meaningfully participate in our life together as a church in this season:
- Join a DNA Group, where we focus on formation and learn to pay attention to God’s presence and activity in each other’s lives so we can more deeply participate in the life God shares with us. New groups are starting this fall. If you haven’t done so yet, fill out the DNA Group Interest Survey to give us a heads-up of your interest.
- Fill out the Telos Lab Congregational Survey. Our friends at the Telos Lab for Congregational Discovery are helping us discern some Kairoses we’re having as a church about decolonized mission, diversity, and leadership, and you can help us by filling out a congregational survey they put together for us.
- Participate in tonight’s discussion of abuse protocols. Help us build a healthy community that relates to power faithfully and protects the most vulnerable among us. At 8:30pm tonight we’ll have a brief meeting to talk through our policies and procedures regarding protecting children and other vulnerable people from abuse. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
These little acts, along with others (participating in a Table Group, e.g.) are all part of how we take our place in the Body of Christ, and discern how God is present and at work among us, both personally and communally. We share our lives with each other, offering our observations and feelings and joys and disappointments, submitting them to one another, trusting that God is working in the midst of it all for our good.
No doubt these are challenging times! But in many ways, what we are going through together is similar to the kinds of sufferings God’s people have been navigating for thousands of years. If we listen closely enough, perhaps we can perceive a great cloud of witnesses encouraging us and praying for us.
Therefore, let us “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 11:1-2).
Grace and peace,
Fr. Ben
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