It’s hard to wait. Christmas is good at making us wait. Do you remember Alvin and the Chipmunks? Christmas, Christmastime is near Time for toys and time for cheer We’ve been good, but we can’t last Hurry Christmas, hurry fast In a recent CCK chapel, I asked the children if they enjoyed waiting on Santa or if they were ready for him to be here. You can imagine the ferocity with which they answered. “WE’RE READY!” You can also imagine who else was ready for Jesus to be born: Mary! Never mind riding on the back of a donkey; never mind the no place for them in the inn; never mind the particular difficulties of her pregnancy – as far as I can tell, every pregnancy seems like a feat! Long about the thirtieth week, mothers are carrying around the weight of the world! It’s hard to wait. When everything is heavy, when everything is harder than it used to be and harder than it will be. It’s hard to wait. Mary has been waiting for a long time. Just think, it’s not like she felt the baby Jesus kicking as soon as Gabriel disappeared back to heaven. Mary had to wait. And no matter how faithful, she likely wondered, “Was that real? What if it’s not true? What if it IS?” And even after Jesus was born, Mary had to wait to find out, “What does it mean that his kingdom will never end? What if his kingdom never starts?” You might say that for thirty years, Mary waited on the promises of God. I imagine that sometimes she believed, even when God felt far away. I imagine that sometimes she scoffed, even when she had every reason to see that God was living right there under her roof. In CCK chapel, I told the children that if they are having a hard time waiting, they can remember that Mary is waiting with them, that nobody wants Christmas to come sooner than her! I can tell you the same thing. When you are waiting on the promises of God, Mary is waiting with you. When you are counting the candles of Advent, present to the holiness of this season, Mary is waiting with you. When you are counting the minutes, ready to burn the greens and pack up the lights, Mary is right there with you. When you hear the voice of the angel, clear as a bell and when you are sure that the whole thing was a dream, Mary is right there with you. When we were children, we wanted Christmas to come, right this very minute. We’re not much different today. Waiting on the promises of God is not easy. But, like the gifts hidden in the top of the coat closet, those promises WILL arrive… right on time. Hurry fast. Please Christmas, don’t be late! _____ Join us for worship this Christmas. Details and schedule can be found at https://christchurchcharlotte.org/christmas-worship
My daughter Rosalie is an avid baker, and in this season, she has been busy. Last weekend, when I walked into our kitchen, she looked up quickly, sheepishly pushing the cookies she was decorating to the side. Curious, I moved closer and saw that she was icing tiny cookie angels. She confessed that she was hiding them from me. She said, “I know it’s Advent, so you probably don’t want to see any Christmas cookies yet!” I’m not enough of a curmudgeon to take the joy of cookies away from my girl. In fact, it gave me a swell of pride that she knows the church calendar so well. Because she’s right! Despite our culture making this the season of Christmas carols and Christmas decorations and Christmas cookies, Advent is an entirely different season. It has its own carols, and its own traditions, traditions that point forward to a Christmas that is not here yet. But fortunately for Rosalie, one of the traditional ways to mark this time involves cooking dessert. The Collect prayer for this Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent, begins, “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us.” This prayer is used on this Sunday every year. The history (or at least the lore that accompanies it) is that this is a collect that began the service on the last Sunday before Advent. In the English church, it served as a reminder for women to go home and “stir up” the ingredients for their Christmas pudding the appropriate five weeks before Christmas, which was understood to be just the right time for culinary perfection. And so that Sunday became Stir Up Sunday. The writers of our prayer book moved the prayer to the middle of Advent, but the name remains. Without Christmas pudding to stir up, we can focus on the real gift of Advent – God’s power – a love and peace that passes all understanding, is among us. I offer this prayer to you in the middle of this season of Advent, because I hope you are letting the excitement of the season build. I pray you can look past the chaos and busy-ness and see the giddiness of anticipation in the children and childlike in your life. I pray you use the opportunity to notice the people around you and remember to know them better. Because in Advent, especially on Stir Up Sunday, it is our time to stir up joy in the world. Our Savior is coming.
Tsh Oxenrider published a lovely guidebook in 2020 called Shadow and Light: A Journey into Advent. She reminds us that the word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus,meaning coming or visit. Here in the first week of Advent, the first season of our liturgical year, we are now in a season of anticipation of the light of Christ, of waiting and wondering. Oxenrider wrote that “Advent is also a realization of our daily, ongoing preparation – the work of inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives and making room for Christ to do good work in us.” Most of Shadow and Light is devoted to the four-week journey of Advent as we approach Christmas. The theme for Week One is Expectation, followed by Preparation, Anticipation, and Gratitude. Each entry for each day of each week includes a reflection, a psalm or other Scriptural reading, and a question to contemplate. In the entry for tomorrow, Oxenrider invites us to consider, “When we reflect at daybreak on a small portion of God’s truth, beauty, or goodness, we open ourselves to seeing it unfold in the flesh through a candid comment from a child, a hint of snowfall in the scent of morning air, or the kindness in the smile of our mail carrier. Noticing God helps us keep noticing [God]... But still, we wait with expectation in the shadows. We remember the glimmer of hope and the steady hand that holds the good lantern. God is with us as we wait.” The contemplative question for tomorrow is, “Where have you noticed God today?” This question actually takes me back to last Wednesday at Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte, the day before Thanksgiving. In a short window of time in the morning, we witnessed the sure and steady movement of God through the kindness of strangers feeding strangers. That morning, donated food flowed through our doors from a local parish and from the Missionaries of Charity Sisters, a nearby faith community. Almost as soon as donations came in, they were sent back out into the world into the hands of hungry neighbors. I noticed God in the bright faces and humanity of those bringing food and those taking food home. Last Wednesday morning was just one glimpse, illuminated by the good lantern, into God’s truth, beauty, and goodness brought to life by love in action. In service, Emily+
“If the only words you ever pray are ‘thank you’, that will be enough.” The Christian theologian Meister Eckhart wrote those words in the 14th century and they get as close to a succinct yet full summary of my beliefs as I have found. Gratitude is not my default position. I once rolled my eyes when I heard the word gratitude. I was taking part in a two-day silent retreat as a part of a continuing education program in spiritual direction and retreat leadership. As we gathered for the opening session of the retreat, our leader announced the theme for our extended time of silent reflection: gratitude. And my eyes involuntarily rolled. The exact word she used was gratefulness. The exact turn my eyes took was 180 degrees. I rolled my eyes because my default position is not gratitude but anxiously striving for more or fretfully defending what I feel is mine to protect. Through my fallen nature as a sinful human being and my particular life experience, I wake up in the morning as a hypervigilant and generally selfish creature. When you combine that default nature with a world full of pain, heartbreak, and injustice, you get a tendency to fear, scarcity, and isolation. The antidote to fear is gratitude. Don’t worry – I'm not going to suggest you develop a detailed gratitude practice or take up gratitude journaling. These are all good things, of course, but there is a way that the suggestion of gratitude can make you more anxious. (“I should be more grateful!”) Instead, I am going to suggest that you take Meister Eckhart at his word and start praying the words “Thank you” as a daily practice. Set an alarm on your phone that simply says, “Thank you” at three points throughout the day. When the alarm rings, take a deep breath, put your hand on your heart, and say “Thank you.” Listen to this incredible song* by Paul Zach, Music Minister at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. At just around two minutes long, you could listen to it when your "thank you alarm” rings. It is a fast track to a state of gratitude. When we pray “Thank you” we are not saying everything is hunky-dory. We are not presuming that everything is as it should be. We will gather tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving while many people in our lives and around the world continue to suffer. There will be empty chairs at family tables. There will be medical diagnoses that won’t take a break for the holidays. There will be financial ends that simply will not meet. When we pray “Thank you” we are acknowledging that great mystery of the Incarnation – God is with us. In the midst of the pain, confusion, and loss, God is present. At our lowest, Jesus is there with us. When we are burned out from the never-ending ways we strive and hustle to find our worth, the Lord says, “You are mine.” The Book of Common Prayer defines prayer as “responding to God.” Today and every day, let our response be, “Thank you.” * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3mpjwykh9ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3mpjwykh9o
You and I crave being known and understood. We all long for and treasure someone we can trust, someone who will not recoil when they see and come to know us – warts and all. Being known is as essential as bread and water. It nourishes the soul. Without it, we wither. Like the age-old riddle, “Does a tree falling in the forest make a sound if no one hears it?” – do we truly exist if no one knows us? If no one hears our cry, sees our pain, or celebrates our victories? Years ago, I sat in an open forum and listened to a very “well known” man confess, “No one really knows me.” This person was a legend in the business community, known by everyone – or so it seemed. But his work and place in the community left him feeling isolated. He said he was known only by what people thought him to be, not who he truly was. Here’s the life-giving truth of the gospel: God knows you. “You have searched me, O God, and you know me” (Psalm 139:1). Every hidden part, every unspoken fear, every moment of doubt and failure – God knows it all, and doesn’t flinch. God doesn’t turn away. In fact, God draws closer. God’s love is not based on our performance, our success, or even our faithfulness. It is relentless, unearned, and infinite. God is the ultimate safe presence. In God’s care, we find the courage to face ourselves because we know we are held in perfect love. Grace whispers to us: You are known. You are loved. You are enough. So, may we become like Christ to one another. May we be the kind of people who create spaces where others can breathe, let their guard down, and know they are safe. May we embody the characteristics of safe people – offering both grace and truth, listening without judgment, and loving without condition. And in doing so, may we remind the world that the God who knows us fully and loves us endlessly is as close as our next breath.
And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ – Matthew 25:40 Many of you attended – either onsite or online – this past Sunday’s Faith Forum. It was part of the November series presented by the Outreach & Mission team focusing on our congregational priorities of Faith, Connection, and Wellbeing for All. This month we have chosen to accentuate the FOR ALL part of that. On November 3, we had an interactive conversation examining what connection and wellbeing look like in our own lives. Then, we widened our view to think about what they might look like in the worlds of some of our neighbors who differ from us in age, wealth, ability, race, education, native language, or whatever. Things that we take for granted – heat, groceries, transportation, visitors, etc. – suddenly became more consciously integral to what it means to be well, to be cared for, to be connected. Perhaps our conversation also helped us to see that providing those things for others out of our abundance is integral to our own connection, wellbeing, and yes, our faith, as per Matthew 25:40. This past Sunday, November 10, Laura Konitzer and I hosted a panel discussion on a wholistic approach, with representatives from four more of our partners. We talked about the intersectionality of the issues affecting not just Charlotte, but also our whole country. It is impossible to try to fix the affordable housing crisis without also addressing public education, transportation, affordable childcare, a living wage, food insecurity, good healthcare for all, etc. They are inextricably linked. The phrase “wrap-around services” describes the collaboration efforts of many non-profits in our city to address multiple issues concurrently. For example, Charlotte Family Housing works with Common Wealth to help families increase their financial literacy. Rama Road Elementary partners with Families Forward to provide mentors for students’ families who are stretched thin. Nourish Up and the Diaper Bank work together so that families can obtain the things they need more efficiently. This coming Sunday, November 17, Doug Ey will talk with Erskine Bowles, Nelson Schwab, and others from the Housing Impact Fund on a strategy to preserve naturally-occurring affordable housing. Through the Transforming Hearts campaign, we’ve been able to fund a community health worker to help families find the help they need. On Sunday, November 24, we’ll discuss how faith, connection, and wellbeing have all been nurtured in Beloved Community with our friends from Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church. Recently, I attended a breakfast gathering with Right Moves for Youth from which I had a couple of takeaways. Dr. Virginia Covill of “Leading on Opportunity” talked about the importance of longitudinal relationships in changing the long-term trajectories of people’s lives. Christ Church has room to grow in this area, to develop and maintain relationships for significant periods of time with people who differ from us. The “return on investment” is always amazing. Tutoring, Girl Scouts, Common Wealth, Families Forward, and Right Moves for Youth provide just some of those opportunities. My second takeaway came from Frank Bragg, founder of Bragg Financial. He discussed the difference between addressing the symptoms versus the causes of disparity and inequity. Addressing the symptoms (A) is giving someone a box of food for this week. Addressing the causes (B) is to advocate on behalf of and change policy and practices until there is no one who goes hungry. The more we do (B), the less need there will be for (A) and the world will be just a little more like the Kingdom of God. In the words of Frederick Buechner*, “Our happiness is all mixed up with each other’s happiness and our peace with each other’s peace. Our own happiness, our own peace, can never be complete until we find some way of sharing it with people who, the way things are now, have no happiness and know no peace. Jesus calls us to show this truth forth, live this truth forth. Be the light of the world, he says. Where there are dark places, be the light especially there… Be life-givers to others. That is what Jesus tells the disciples to be. That is what Jesus tells his Church, tells us, to be and do. Love each other. Heal the sick, he says. Raise the dead. Cleanse lepers. Cast out demons. That is what loving each other means. If the Church is doing things like that, then it is being what Jesus told it to be. If it is not doing things like that – no matter how many other good and useful things it may be doing instead – then it is not being what Jesus told it to be. It is as simple as that.” + _____ *From The Clown in the Belfry, Frederick Buechner, p. 154-155.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. As a child, I loved dressing up and going door to door for candy. (Who doesn’t?) We lived on a street with sidewalks and kind older people who were glad to remark on my Star Wars costume or the time that my brother dressed up as Maverick from Top Gun. For years, I held onto the plastic hook that was part of my pirate costume. We moved to Charlotte about the time our kids no longer needed us to go trick or treating. This means that every year, my wife and I get to sit on our porch and welcome the ghosts and the Swifties and the characters from the Marvel Universe. We hand out Fun Dip because nobody’s parents will ever let them have Fun Dip. We chat with neighbors we rarely see. And the kids love us because, did I mention that we hand out Fun Dip? You can read the Wikipedia page or a scholarly article about the origins of Halloween as easily as I can. I only want to emphasize that the haunted houses and the creepy decorations and even the masks that we wear all help us to face our fears. On All Saint’s Day, we honor the saints who’ve come before us, and that also means acknowledging the sometimes scary reality of death. Whatever we’re afraid of – a new job, a new town, a new school, the end of a relationship, or the first Christmas without a loved one – can feel a little bit like dying. “I’ll just die if I don’t have any friends at my new school.” “I can’t imagine going on without her at the Christmas dinner.” Whatever our fear or our loss, these feelings of dread are real. And that burden is lighter when it is shared. In handing out sweet treats (like Fun Dip), our wild costumes, and our neighborhood rituals, we are sharing that burden of our fears. We are facing our fear of death together. In our costumes, we can become the scary thing, or we can play the part of the impervious superhero who is never afraid of the scary thing. We put on a costume hoping to become something that remains just beyond our reach. We hand out candy and we delight in each other’s costumes and decorations as a way to share the burden of our fear. Church is the place where you can face those fears without a mask, without dressing up as anything other than yourself: a beloved child of God. We may revel in our annual Trunk or Treat celebration, but that’s only once a year! Every week, the church invites you to be known: not for your costume, but for the unique gifts that God has given to only you. We want to help you discover those gifts, share those gifts, and celebrate those gifts. We want to walk alongside you in your fear and in your loss. And, we want to have fun together! God is in your whole life. It feels like everything in church begins with, “The Lord be with you.” And he is. God is with you. Not just the perfect you (whenever you figure that out). Not just the holy you (in those moments when you get it right). Not just the happy you and not just the mindful, best version of you. The Lord be with YOU. All of you. Unmasked. No special costume required.
Dear Church Family, As we approach the upcoming election, we know that many are feeling a mix of emotions – hope, anxiety, and uncertainty. In this moment, we want to remind you that our church is a home for all. Our unity is found in Christ and we are called to love one another. We encourage you to spend time in prayer – pray for our leaders, our nation, and for each other. Pray that we may all work together for the common good. Our mission remains the same: to love God, care for each other, and serve the world in the name of Christ. Psalm 46 reminds us that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." In the midst of uncertainty, we stand firm on this foundation of God's love, knowing that we are held by a power far greater than anything this world can offer. As we move through this season, let us be a church that models grace, love, and hope to the world around us. Together, let us continue to trust in God's presence and in the peace that surpasses all understanding. In Christ's love and service, The Clergy of Christ Church _______ Nurture Your Wellbeing at Election Time On Election Day and the day after (November 5 and 6), the Chapel, the Church, and the Contemplation Room will be open for silent prayer and meditation. There will be a Wednesday (November 6) Noon Holy Eucharist and Prayers for Healing in the Chapel. Also on Wednesday, November 6, we invite you to come and break bread with your friends at the https://christchurchcharlotte.org/events/wednesday-dinner-buffet/ (5:30 - 7 pm in the Blue Room) and feed your spirit at https://christchurchcharlotte.org/events/the-well/, a contemplative worship experience in the Church.
In John 5, Jesus asks a man at the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to be made well?” It’s a simple question, yet profound. Wellbeing looks different for each of us, because we all have unique needs and desires. Where in your life do you need hope and healing? As we approach the https://christchurchcharlotte.org/wellbeing/, we reflect on the many ways we each long to be made well, both individually and as a community. This center is more than a building; it’s a space dedicated to nurturing spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, and vocational/work wellbeing for all who come. We are thrilled to invite you to this exciting journey ahead: Friday, October 18 at 7:30 pm: An Evening of Bach & Haydn: Music in a Time of Anxiety, featuring the Christ Church Choir and the Queens University Chamber Orchestra, raising awareness for https://hopeway.org/, an organization committed to mental health. Saturday, October 19 at 6:30 pm: Contemplative Worship with The Reverend Becca Stevens, followed by a reception and open house for The Center for Wellbeing & Care. A time to reflect and connect, grounded in the peace we seek. Sunday, October 20: Blessing Prayers for The Center for Wellbeing & Care at all worship services. Becca Stevens, our Faith Forum guest, will invite us into a deeper conversation on what it means to live well in body, mind, and spirit. This weekend is more than a celebration of a new space. It’s an invitation to embrace wellness – wholeness – in every part of our lives. The journey ahead is full of possibilities for transformation as we continue to support our mission of wellbeing for all. Together, united in love, let’s embark on this adventure of transforming hearts and changing lives. May we always seek to be made well and to bring wellness to others.
You are not alone. We’ve never been more connected – at least that is what we are told. In a moment I can send glowing words on a screen – pixels, data, 1s and 0s – to almost anyone, almost anywhere. You are no doubt reading this right now on a screen as you wait for coffee or nurse your child or wait to hear back from the doctor. In any given moment, I can see regular updates from college classmates and read the 3 am thoughts of celebrities on social media. I can ‘like’ your dinner, your grandkids, your vacation, your reflection on the world’s news as soon as you post them on your account. On the surface, we have never been more connected. And yet, this digital connection only carries us so far. There is still this longing in our fleshly heart to be near the beating heart of another. There is still that primal need buried deep in our bones to be seen and loved by another. We still wake up in a sweat, convinced that we are the only ones on this planet of eight billion with our specific problems or worries or responsibilities. What rose up in you when you read the first sentence of this eDevotion? You are not alone. Did those words resonate? Did they land like the long hoped-for response to your heart’s cry? Do they seem too good to be true because your life experience seems like proof of the opposite? Regardless of your initial reaction, hear this truth: You are not alone. This is the root of our faith. This is the outrageous Good News of the Gospel. We are not alone – in our failures, in our despair, in our lack of faith. We are not alone when our resources run out or when those we love leave. The poet David Whyte writes, “You are not a troubled guest on this earth,/you are not an accident amidst other accidents.” What I know is that in this very moment as you read these words, God is with you. God is as close to you as your next breath. God has called you into being and is holding your cells together through the sheer power of His love for you. The God that was made man in Jesus Christ is not Jiminy Cricket who promises to make all our problems go away. No, God’s name is Presence – I Am, I will be with you, I am in your midst. You are not alone. The oldest trick of the devil is to try to get you to hide; to convince you that you are alone and that God has left you to fend for yourself. We are called to remember what Jesus – with his human heart that beat as he walked the shores of Galilee – spoke to his disciples. That same Jesus is alive in this moment and speaking to you now: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27 “I will not leave you orphaned.” – John 14:18 “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20 You are not alone.
Living in Atlanta, I had the privilege of serving several different congregations. One that made a deeply lasting impact on my life was the Church of the Holy Comforter. Holy Comforter is a stunning parish: small, generous, diverse, compassionate, and deeply mission-focused. The congregation of Holy Comforter is very unique with many of its members living with cognitive and developmental delays. During my time there, The Reverend Mike Tanner was Rector and was a deep, faithful, and patient man. Mike’s skill and compassionate capacity to hold in tension the sacred tradition of worship in a room full of people who might yell, scream, or be shuffling about taught me much about how broad and how deep the grace of true worship can be when the whole congregation is welcomed and all gifts and distractions are experienced as holy. One of the most powerful and you-never-know-what might-happen parts of the service was the time of offering. As the piano played and plates were passed, it was not rare for them to return to the altar full of any sort of gifts. Coins? Yes. Dollar bills? Yes. A banana here or there? Yes. Vegetables? Yes. A stick or branch or flower? Yes. You see, the custom of the offering at Holy Comforter was that people provided not only monetarily for the community, but practically. The gifts brought forward at the offertory were used in the food pantry or handed out to the community as was needed at any given time. Most gave as they could. Some took what they needed. But God always provided, through and through. Whenever we enter newly into our Annual Stewardship season at Christ Church, I am always mindful of Holy Comforter. As Laura, Gav, Geneva, and I talk about our family’s pledge to Christ Church, Laura and I explain to our children that our gifts are about far more than simply the money we put in the plate (or give online). They are also about the way in which we choose to give our gifts of time through volunteering or leadership. Or our gifts of talent to the community of Christ Church for the use of God and for the good of the whole. As parents, this conversation is less about the final dollar amount and far more about the practice of faith-filled generosity we hope to inspire in our kids. As you consider what your annual pledge will be this year, I wonder what other gifts you might choose to “put in the plate“ as you make your monetary gift to God? I wonder what fruit might come from an offering of your unique gifts of time through volunteering and service in worship, or in the community in the aftermath of Helene? I wonder what blessing might be received by someone in a small group or Bible study, simply by your wisdom being in the room because showing up is priority? Make no mistake about it, your financial gifts matter. But each person has so much to offer beyond their monetary pledge. Your presence may just matter more. As you walk your personal or family faith journey with generosity this season, I hope you may discover – like I did all those years ago – that the gifts we can offer to God and to others are diverse and deeply meaningful to both the giver and to those who benefit from their generosity. I pray that you may find space this year to give the gift of God in you, for that is the greatest gift of all. Amen.
One of the places that I almost always experience God is in Creation. Which is why I love to hike or walk, work out in my yard, or just be outside. There is something about the beauty, the harmony, the complexity, the paradoxes, the appeal to all the senses, and the proximity as well as the variety of flora and fauna that fascinates me. It draws out the praise and wonder in me. I have been mowing grass and tending yards since I was about eleven. In addition to babysitting and pet/house/plant sitting, it was how I earned money back in the day. It started one Saturday when a neighbor, Mr. Hill, came looking for my older brother to mow his yard. My dad was mowing and I was trimming the edges with the clippers (in the days before string trimmers) and raking up miscellaneous cuttings. My brother wasn’t around, but my dad looked over at me and told Mr. Hill that he would teach me to mow and send me over. Which is what happened. I soon had a thriving business with many of the neighbors. It paid better than babysitting, but it was also a lot more work. I had been trained to my dad’s standards for what a tidy, well-manicured lawn might be, and that meant everything trimmed, raked, and swept with not a stray leaf in sight. Fast forward several decades. I still find a tidy yard attractive, but I am also learning to appreciate letting nature take its course. Not out of laziness, because I actually still really love mowing. It’s very Zen to me: there is instant gratification. But in the last several years, I have learned about the “Leave the Leaves” campaign. It’s an effort to encourage people not to vacuum up every leaf or twig or whatever that falls into their yard and to just leave the leaves. Why? Because an enormous number of insects, invertebrates, birds, and small mammals use that detritus for foraging, nesting, or drinking the rainwater caught in the leaves. It also keeps all the leaf litter out of landfills in places where there is no composting. I started thinking about this as a metaphor for our spiritual journeys. It would be nice to think that life and our relationship with God was neat, trim, tidy, and always on an upward, straight-ahead linear progression. But, at least for me, that is not the case. Life happens, questions arise, storms come along, there are other beings with whom I inhabit this earth. There are so many things – really almost everything – that are not under my control. (And for that we can probably all be thankful!) Life, like the seasons, is cyclical and I believe that our spiritual journeys are as well. Not like a circle, but like a slinky or a spring. We come back around to things that are familiar, but we are not quite the same as we were when we encountered them before. Life has happened. So, what if some of the depth and beauty and joy of our spiritual journey comes out of the loose ends, the seemingly unconnected detritus of life that accumulates like leaves in the fall? What if God is deep at work, like all the little microorganisms in the stuff on the ground, repurposing it, redeeming it, turning it into rich compost to help us grow and flourish? Let’s leave the leaves. Both in our lawns and in our lives.
My family has moved several times in the last few years, which has often made the start of the school year a challenge. Each year, my children have had to figure out new friends, new carpools, new hallways, new teachers, and new teams. This is a lot of adjustment, and it hasn’t been easy. In my first months at Christ Church, a kind soul asked after my kids. I shared a few details, and she replied, "You are only as happy as your least happy child." I hadn’t heard this before, and I haven’t forgotten it. That phrase struck a chord, not just because of its truth in parenting, but because of how it speaks to a larger reality of life in community. This conversation came back to me after Sunday’s https://christchurchcharlotte.org/faith-forum/ where the Christ Church clergy shared stories from our spiritual journeys, speaking about the influences on our faith in our early lives and sharing reflections on times when our wells of faith seemed to run dry. As we talked about those dry seasons, it became clear that the connections we had – whether with God, community, or loved ones – were often what sustained us. Just like my children adjusting to a new environment, we’ve all experienced times when we felt lost or disconnected, only to be drawn back by the love and support of others. Our wellbeing connects to those around us. Our wells run dry when we see others around us suffer. We share in each other's pain and joy, just as much as we share in our own. Paul writes in Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ." Our hearts expand and contract with the joys and sorrows of the people around us. While this might seem like a lot to bear – to be only as happy as your least happiest child, or spouse, or neighbor, or friend – it is also the route to wellness. Writer and activist bell hooks once said, "Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation." The peace of Christ flows when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to open up and let others help carry what we can’t carry on our own. That’s where real healing happens – in the messy, imperfect connections we build with others. Wellbeing comes when we allow ourselves to be held in community. Together, we reflect the wholeness of God’s love – a love that heals, comforts, and nurtures. The burdens are lighter, the joy is sweeter, and the love is stronger when we walk with others, participating in God's vision of abundant life for all.
I love sandwiches. There’s something about sandwiches that just brings people together. Maybe it’s the simplicity of a meal that can be both humble and extraordinary, or perhaps it’s the way that a good sandwich can feel like a comforting embrace in the middle of a busy day. As a sandwich fan, I’ve come to appreciate the deeper meaning behind this beloved food and how it connects us in ways we might not always recognize. In town, I have my favorite sandwich spot, a place where the staff knows my order before I even walk in the door. There’s a sense of belonging that comes with being a regular, where not only do they remember how I like my sandwich, but they also notice when I haven’t been by in a while. These small gestures of recognition and care are more than just good customer service – they’re a reminder of the power of community. Paul writes in Romans 12:13, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” In the breaking of bread, even in the form of a sandwich, we practice hospitality, we build community, and we experience the love that binds us all together. A sandwich is more than you think. So is whatever you love. When we come together to connect and care for one another it becomes a sacrament – a symbol of grace and connection.
Our daily life is made up of habits. We all have habits that govern our waking hours, days, and weeks. From minor (“I always listen to the same music on the way to work”) to the major (“I always take a vacation with my grandchildren in the summer”), our time is marked by rhythms and patterns – many of them unconscious. James Clear wrote a bestselling book, Atomic Habits, that points out the incredible effect of tiny habits on your overall wellbeing. He writes, “It is only when looking back two, five, or perhaps ten years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent.” As the treadmill of daily life speeds up this fall, I want to offer a bold claim: Making a habit of regular church participation will transform your life. If you make it a priority just to start your week on Sunday at Christ Church, your life will change. If you decide that you (and your family or your circle of friends) are going to jump in with both feet by joining a group for the program year, I promise that you will be amazed before you are halfway through. We see so many negative headlines about increased loneliness, exploding anxiety, especially in our young people, heightened division, and a general lack of hope about the future. We may not have a magic pill that solves these problems, but we do have church. Church is one of the last places we gather intergenerationally to focus on a shared good. Church is one of the only places where your political opinions are not a prerequisite for membership. Church is the last place we gather to sing, to mourn, to celebrate, and to live out our daily lives in community with each other and with God. In other words, church is how God created us to exist. As you start filling in the calendar for this fall, I invite you to make Christ Church a cornerstone habit. Make Sunday the starting point of your week. At the very least, worship can help combat the “Sunday scaries.” Even more, becoming deeply involved in your spiritual home will draw you deeper into the heart of God and give you the space to rest in your belovedness as a child of God. But don’t take my word for it. Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” This is going to be an amazing year at Christ Church. We have a spot just for you. We can’t wait to see you this Sunday at Fall Parish Day.
