Dear People of St. James’,
The other day I was doing a little summer sorting, cleaning out my desk and my messenger bag, and I stumbled upon my service leaflet for the recent Deacons Ordination. Flipping through it, I found a spot where I had hastily scribbled, “St. James’ is a deacon!”
For a moment, I wondered what I had been thinking. Surely, this was not simply a statement of fact, meaning Jim Harrington is now a deacon. I am not in the habit of calling Jim, “Saint James”, for reasons that may seem obvious to you.
What I found hastily scribbled in my service leaflet, I think, is true. St. James’ is a deacon church. A deacon has three non-negotiable roles in the liturgy: to proclaim gospel, to set the table for others, and to dismiss the congregation, sending them out into the world.
What the deacon does in the liturgy, the deacon is also to do and to teach others to do outside of the doors of the church. So, our deacons proclaim the gospel reading, but they are also meant to, in their own words and in the words of scripture, proclaim the stories of God’s faithfulness and love in the community and to teach us to do the same. Our deacons set the table of grace and gifted abundance to welcome all during the liturgy, but they are also to set tables outside the doors of the church, which draw people out of scarcity into abundance, out of isolation into community, out of death into life. They are to teach the community to do the same. And finally, a deacon sends the people out the door to do the work of the mission of God. The deacon helps to bring the world to the church and the church to the world, breaking down the walls that divide and the artificial compartmentalization of “church life” and “real life” that allows us to feel too safe and too comfortable in a world that lacks justice and peace.
St. James’ is called to be a deacon church for Austin and the Diocese of Texas.
Our congregation, with its unique history, is called to tell stories of God’s faithfulness and love, and, goodness, we do have stories to tell! We are called to tell these stories, not only to celebrate the ways ordinary saints sacrificially brought God’s love into being, transforming lives and communities in the process, but also to help others find truth and hope in their own stories of struggle and to discern God’s call in this time.
One Human Race is an example of a deacon ministry of St. James’ because it creates an open and vulnerable space for people to learn from each other and to tell their stories about race, stories that we frequently bottle up because they are not safe stories. They are not safe stories, but they are gospel stories when told in a grace-filled space, because they reorient us to truth and the love that unites us in our common humanity.
On October 12, we are bringing One Human Race back to St. James’, and I would urge you to mark your calendar for that day. Just block it off, whether you have been part of the fabric of the St. James’ community for many years or for just a few months. This work is essential training for those who wish to set welcoming tables in the world where new community fosters new creation.
St. James’ is a deacon church for Austin and the Diocese of Texas. How are you proclaiming the stories of God’s faithfulness and love, setting welcoming tables for others, and getting out there to bring change for the sake of God’s mission?
Rev. Eileen
