From our Rector

The night is almost over, and the day is near. So let’s get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light. Let’s behave appropriately as people who live in the day.

Romans 13:12-13a (Common English Bible)

Here we are – summer vacations have come to an end, our warm days are leading into cool evenings, and the school year (for many of us) is about to begin. I have to admit, this has been a bit of a bittersweet fall. This is my first fall since 1989 that I have not had a first-day of school. I don’t mean to be a whiner, but it was very strange to have no students, not even online, to welcome them to the school year.

Still, moments like this remind me that we are always in transition, invited to let go of somethings in order to take on new things. As I “mature,” I am keenly aware that I am not able to do all of the things that I did when I was younger. Sure, most are still in my wheelhouse, though it takes me longer to complete them and more time to recover from them. I am grateful that I am always in flux, always able to grow.

Paul in Romans is reminding his readers that they, too, are changing. There was a moment before they knew Jesus Christ, and a moment after. The time before was a time of ignorance, of darkness, living in the past and honoring old traditions that may have been meaningful at one time but have lost their meaning or their purpose. Beliefs that are constantly being challenged by the ongoing revelation God gives us in God’s natural world. We have relationships which strengthen over time, and those that become more nostalgic than actively engaged. We discover gifts that we didn’t know we had, as well as lose the skills that we once celebrated.

When we come to moments of transition, it is essential that we keep in mind that much of what we are leaving can and needs to be left behind; what we are discovering and embracing is the joy of something new, something present, something vital. That’s what new school years, new church years, new programs and experiences are all about: seeing the light of something new shining in contrast to the dark of something fading into the past.

May we each see this fall as a season of potential and promise, embracing the autumn light and living into each autumn day.

Peace in Christ,

Father Shawn 

leen given to do.