I missed being with you on Sunday, at church, but I had a wonderful time at my conference. My group included Episcopal clergy from as far away as Hawaii (and a pretty big handful from both California and Texas), and it was great to hear how other priests minister in their different settings. Also, it made me so glad to be part of what we are doing here at Christ Church, and thankful for each of you who are so important to this community.
The conference was especially tailored for clergy, but I think the questions we discussed are relevant to everyone. There was a quote from the Quaker writer Parker Palmer which wove in and out of many of our discussions: "Is the live I'm living the life that wants to live in me?" Am I in alignment with God's deepest desire for my life? How is the life of my family in line with God's calling? What about my work, or my financial decision making? My health? God wants deeply to be involved in each one of these parts of our lives.
God is our Creator--but we are also creators with God in the unfolding of our lives here on earth. God invites us to be partners in creation--in making God's dream of peace and justice a reality on earth and in nurturing the life God has planted in us. We pray to know God's will, God's desire, for our lives and for our world and to make them real. And each of those prayers is a response to a conversation God started with us at our birth. (A good thought to remember around Mother's Day--our parents were certainly co-creators in helping to initiate that conversation!)
In our Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus says that God is glorified when we become his disciples, and "bear much fruit." There will, he says, be some pruning--those branches which bear no fruit, and even those which do bear fruit will be pruned to bear MORE fruit. More fruit--God is always pushing us forward to do more and to be more. It's not always easy, but we are never alone--as members of the Body of Christ we have each other, and we pray for the grace to trust in God's calling for each of us.
Blessings,
Sara+
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