Rector’s Reflection
May 2020
Dear friends in Christ,
I have been reading the Acts of the Apostles this Easter season, as I hope many of you are. I find myself wondering what the lives of those early Christians were like. How did they spend their days? What kinds of jobs did they have, what were their neighborhoods and towns like? How much time did they spend in Christian community? What were their routines? And what happened when those routines were upended?
We are not the first people in history to face rapid, unwelcome change in our lives. And we will not be the last. We do not know all the details of these early Christians’ lives. But we have some sense that their faith shaped their days.
“Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)
What shapes our days? Is it our faith? Is what is going on in the world around us? What is the balance? I invite you to think about what you do first thing in the morning? Do you check the news and social media? Do you read scripture and pray? Do you consider the day an opportunity to be active and proactive, or is it something full of things to which you must react? The way we spend those first minutes of the day can shape our whole day.
If we spend them reconnecting with the truest part of ourselves, with the source of life and love, our faith will shape our days. We will be better equipped to make choices during the rest of the day that are life-giving and loving. Our faith will shape our reaction to the world around us, rather than the world around us shaping our faith.
Who knows what this month holds for our world, our nation, our state, our city? The future is uncertain. But we who trust in resurrection, in the ultimate power of love, know that whatever this month holds, God is with us in it all. God is always pouring out love, and breathing out peace, and all we need to do is receive it. Receive it, and let it shape your days.