The thing about Church, as defined in Scripture, is that every time we gather, we are gathering as family. Truth is, sometimes we act more like distant cousins than brothers and sisters, but that’s for another day.

Today I actually got to go to church with my birth family. I’ve having a little vacation in Oregon with my son, my daughter in law and grandboys, and Sunday worship and teaching at New Hope is always on the Sunday plan.

New Hope, where my Bend family calls home, is part of the Evangelical Church, and the adults worship with praise music and Biblical teaching while the children go to their own age classes.

I always am very thoughtful about what Church really is whenever I go to New Hope and never leave without bringing something home to St. Mary’s. I am particularly thoughtful because I may retire to Bend, and I am full of prayer about what my ministry would look like if I do. Very few folks attend church here, and Bend has endless opportunities. I imagine what Church would look like in this place for me, and I pray about the possibility of partnering with Christ in creating some sort of missional community.

But back to today. It’s a joy to sit beside birth family in church. Today we had the rare gift of communion.

At the end of worship, ushers passed around metal plates of tiny pillows of cracker bread and trays filled with minuscule plastic cups of grape juice. We sang Jesus Paid it All accompanied by a band as communion was distributed. I was back in time to occasions of the Lord’s Supper in my own growing up days in the Baptist Church.

There was no instruction about who could take the meal or not. The only direction was to wait until everyone was served to eat. Standing in our rows of chairs, the ushers held the plates towards each of us one by one with a smile. It was Christ’s table and all were welcome.

When all were served, the pastor read from Scripture:

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

And we ate our crisp tiny pillow of bread.

And then he read:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

And then we drank our thimble full of juice.

And then he read still more:

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

( I Corinthians 11. 23–26).

I was fed and it was holy.

The Word became flesh and blood,  and moved into the neighborhood. (John 1. 14, The Message)

Back in September, after Hurricane Harvey filled my home, the rectory, with five feet of water, the Vestry had a challenging decision to make.  With two floods in a less than two years, did we rebuild?  Did we rebuild and sell?  Did we sell as is?

After a lot of prayer and a lot of conversion and a lot of research, the decision was made to rebuild. Knowing that it would likely take at least two years for a buyout to go through,  we also made an application to FEMA  and Harris County to buy the rectory.

Although we knew that we had made the best of a difficult decision, I wasn’t certain why that was the holy thing to do until a while later.  I got a glimpse into why God was having me move home to Norchester in the midst of conversations with my neighbors.

I’ve lived in Norchester for twenty years.  People know that the house belongs to St. Mary’s and that I am St. Mary’s priest.  Slowly, over time, neighbors have begun to trust me enough to seek me out to have some conversations about Jesus.  After Harvey, the trust had built to the point where some neighbors allowed me to bring them communion and to pray with them.

This fall, whenever I’d come by home,  neighbors would ask me if I was moving back; so many folks were still trying to decide what to do.  I gave them my answer:

Yes, we were rebuilding.  The house belongs to St. Mary’s, and we want our neighbors to know that the Church is in the neighborhood.  You are not alone.  God is here.

It wasn’t until people began to weep when I said those words that I knew for sure that this was why I had to move back to my home in Norchester.

It wasn’t until I moved home during Eastertide and began to walk the neighborhood in the mornings that I really knew why I was coming home.

My neighborhood continues to look devastated.  Yes, some house are rebuilt and and look better than ever.  Others are in the midst of being rebuilt.  Others have been abandoned.  If there was ever a neighborhood that St. Mary’s and her priest needed to live, this is a place where folks need to be reminded that Jesus is in the neighborhood.

So I’ve bought a sign for my front yard.  It says:

+ St. Mary’s Rectory +  How can we pray with you?  stmaryprays@gmail.com

I’m going to invite parishioners to place the sign in the ground and bless it and the rectory on the Feast of Pentecost.  I chose that day because that’s the day we recall that we were all given the power to be Jesus in whatever neighborhood we are standing.

Then we will spend the summer imagining and living as Jesus.  In our neighborhoods.

I’m finishing up a near week long retreat at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana. I lived in community with over one hundred Roman Catholic Sisters and Protestant clergy women. We gathered for a fifteen year reunion of three Women Touched by Grace classes, thanks to generous underwriting by a Lilly Endowment grant.

It’s been a glimpse into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Singing morning and evening prayers in women’s voices everyday.

Attending a writing workshop with poet/singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer. And yes, we wrote a song together.

So much laughter over cups of coffee.

Sharing stories of deep joy and deep sorrow the way that friends across time only can. Strengthened by the unique connection that women clergy and women religious share.

Watching Spring open wide.

Walking the labyrinth.

Being sung and blessed back into the world by the Sisters.

Oh, and of course, there were cupcakes.

Sister Ann Patrice has said it better than I can. This is indeed a glimpse into God’s beloved kingdom.

God the Father, You gave the Law that Your people might live in peace,

Have mercy upon us.

God the Son, You suffered violence for the sake of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

God the Holy Spirit, You bind us together in a community of love,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Trinity, One God, You model for us the perfect and holy relationship in which You intend for all people to live:

Have mercy upon us.

 

For all victims of violence, and particularly for those affected by the shootings throughout the world, especially in our schools.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who have been injured, that they might be restored to health, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who are afraid, that they may know Your perfect love which casts out fear, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who mourn, that they may be comforted in their distress, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who have died, that they may be received into Your compassionate embrace, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

For the first responders, firefighters, chaplains, nurses, and all others who work to restore order, heal the wounded, and care for the needs of the community, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

For all volunteers who give of their time and resources to meet the needs of those affected by this tragedy, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

For leaders, both in the Church and in the government, who strive for greater peace, compassion, and understanding in the world, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

That the world may one day be free of violence, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

That war and bloodshed may one day be no more, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

That we may no longer desire revenge when we are wronged, but Your justice, which is mercy and grace, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

That each of us might be empowered and equipped to work toward a just and peaceful society, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

That all people might be united to seek the cause of Your Kingdom, we pray to You, O Lord:

Lord, hear our prayer.

 

We ask Your forgiveness for the ways in which we ourselves are complicit in the problem of violence in the world.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for any harm we have done to one another.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for any unkind words we have spoken against one another.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for any prejudice, bitterness, or hate we harbor in our hearts.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for any ill we have wished upon one another.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for the times when we have repaid evil for evil.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for the times when we have been slow to forgive.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We ask Your forgiveness for all we do, think, and say which falls short of Your command to us to love one another.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us,

And help us to show mercy to one another.

 

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by Your name: Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever. Amen.

O God, You made us in Your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus Your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish Your purposes on earth; that, in
Your good time, all nations and races may serve You in
harmony around Your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

Litany written by Anna Howell.