Dear People of St. James’,
Last Sunday, we celebrated St. James’ Day with a big party with our extended family from Freedom Schools, and it was glorious! Ms. Bertha Means had us standing up to sing as communion wrapped up. Friends reunited with friends, and new connections were formed.
As we gather around the table at St. James’, it makes an intuitive sort of sense to me that we find out who we are by coming together as the Body of Christ. Brother James Koester of the Society of St. John the Evangelist tells us that this is the power of communion. The invitation of word and sacrament is to “Behold the mystery of your salvation laid out for you; behold what you are, become what your receive.” When we stand or kneel around the altar, facing those whom we know and those who are strangers to us, we know that we are a part of the mystery of salvation for each other in the way that we receive one another and give of ourselves. We become a people for each other by participating in the One who is always God for us. As St. James’, this encounter is a particular source of joy that calls us out from a culture obsessed with the myth of self-sufficiency to embark on a new and living way together.
When we talk about who we are, our identity, we are speaking of a journey, a way made by receiving each other as companions for the journey and by learning to walk together in the wake of Jesus, the trailblazer. Over the coming months, the St. James’ community will be doing some things to take stock of where we have been, to look around and see who journeys with us, and to invite others to be a part of this great adventure.
As we take stock of where we are on the journey, we are doing some practical things. First, we are updating our (new) database. This month, you will have an opportunity after services to help us update your records, starting on August 11. You may also receive a call from a Vestry member or your rector. Comfort calls are an opportunity for us to connect and check in with you. If you receive one of these calls, I hope that you will take a bit of time (10 minutes or so) to talk with your Vestry member about how you are doing and how St. James’ is doing. In places where I have done comfort calls before, we have learned about ways to strengthen relationships in our community, build up our ways of caring for each other, and tap into the holy curiosity of the congregation. Your Vestry and staff want to learn from you and with you, so we look forward to hearing your voice. If you don’t receive a call by mid-September, the odds are good that our contact info for you is bad (or your voicemail is full).
Looking forward to being in conversation with you on this next leg of the journey! See you around the altar, stranger and friend.
Rev. Eileen
