From the Rector

My Dear Family in Christ,
 
There’s a very old joke, familiar to cynics and students of sarcasm alike, that purports to be an ancient curse from [insert “exotic” culture of your choice] and says:  “May you live in interesting times.”
 
The notion, of course, is that the most interesting times throughout history -- interesting, at least, in terms of reading about such times as one relaxes in a comfy chair with maybe a nice, warm mug of chai latte close to hand -- are those times in which many dramatic and monumental events are happening in rapid succession:  societal upheaval, governmental collapse, revolution, natural disasters, “wars and rumors of wars,” &c.  Very exciting reading indeed!  Ah, but to have to live through such “excitement,” boots-on-the-ground, as it were?  That would be a very different proposition, wouldn’t it?  Hence the “joke” of the “curse.”
 
My dear friends, it doesn’t take a whole lot of deep searching to begin to suspect that we ourselves are now living through some extraordinarily “interesting” times.  Longstanding norms and values that our society has at least nominally held up for generations now seem rather “up in the air,” and many of our foundational institutions seem to be under direct, open attack.  Given the unprecedented nature of the last couple of months, it’s all but impossible to imagine what might be in store for us in the next few months, much less the next several years.  The future is of course “always in motion,” as the famous movie quote goes, but at the present moment, the future seems less predictable, certainly less certain, than ever before in living memory.
 
So what does it all mean?
 
First and foremost, it means we need each other, now more than ever.  We need to do what Christians have always done, are always called to do, in times of crisis.  We need to gather together to hold and support each other.  We need to do what we can to strengthen and encourage each other to go out and minister to those around us -- the suffering, the vulnerable, the hungry, the lost, the oppressed, the victimized, the desperate -- in the name of Christ.  We need to remind each other daily to lay our burdens, fears, worries, and outrages at the foot of the cross and rely utterly on Jesus to heal us and our world.
 
Sounds good, doesn’t it?  That description captures, in my opinion, the Church at its very best, the Church as it ought always to be.  But how do we get there?  After all, despite being created and called into existence by God, the Church is made up of people just like ourselves -- folk who are just as scared or anxious or angry or confused or whatever as I might happen to be on any given day.  Well, that truth may in fact be our greatest strength.
 
Y’all, we don’t have to have all the answers!  We don’t even have to have anything resembling an unshakable faith to be God’s people -- just look at the examples from Scripture!  All we have to have is a simple feeling of yearning.  A longing after God that draws us closer to each other as we seek some connection, or some deeper connection, with our Maker. 
 
That’s it.  That’s the secret.  And it’s the basis for the new Living Christianity series that’s starting up on Monday, March 3rd:  a weekly gathering in which we’ll take time to connect with each other where we are -- wherever we are in that moment each week.  If that means ranting and raving about everything that’s wrong in our community, our nation, and/or our world one week, then that’s what we’ll do that week.  If, the next week, it means rolling up our sleeves to brainstorm what practical, local actions we can take here in Appleton to combat some of the terrible things that are happening around us, then that’s what we’ll do for that session. 
 
We will go where the Spirit leads us, week by week, and we’ll do it together, leaning on each other and especially on Jesus … and if some of us happen to feel that our faith in Jesus doesn’t seem to be all that strong some weeks, we will know that our fellow seekers are there to hold us up and help hold us together.
 
Folks, I’m really excited to see what a program like this might be for us, during such chaotic and unsettling times, and to see what it might grow into.  If you’re even the least bit unnerved about the “interesting times” in which we find ourselves these days, I truly hope you’ll come and be part of this new ministry.  It’s designed for you.  And I think it’s something we all need just now.  I hope to see you there next Monday!
 
Peace & blessings,
Christopher+

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