Dear Friends,
I look forward to our first visit from our new Bishop. I find Bishop Scharf to be engaging, thoughtful, open, innovative, and deeply caring. Bishop Scharf will continue our stewardship theme of “Pray, Love, Give,” and will be speaking about some of the exciting new initiatives being implemented across our Diocese. We will have an adult baptism, two reaffirmations of faith, and a reception into the Episcopal Church. Following the Eucharist, we will have a reception in the Parish Hall.
As we consider the prayer portion of “Pray, Love, Give,” I want to remember with you some of the points from my last two sermons. 1) The Spirit is always pushing us to growth and away from what we consider our normal, day-to-day lives. 2) Our fear holds us back; we often live in nostalgia to avoid the new life entering our lives. 3) We are often filled with the noise in our lives, such as the voices in our head that doubt us, the expectations of culture on how we should live, and political noise that can take hold of our thinking and our spirits. 4) We need to clear out the noise to make room for God in our hearts. 4) We can listen to others to help them move past the noise. And 5) making room in our hearts and listening to others can create healing and a new kind of sabbath that can change the world. The preceding notes are invitations to examine your spiritual life, to make more room for the movement of the Spirit in our lives, and to partake in the life that God creates for us.
Peace and grace,
Fr. Jonathan Evans