Dear St. Luke’s,

Ritual and tradition are so very important. Not so much as something to appease or satisfy God, but to give us here below a chance to make meaning in our lives. I think there is good reason that people of all faiths and cultures tend to gather around a ritual when a child is welcomed, a couple gets married, or when someone dies. We have this compulsion to put these ineffably massive moments into some sort of context, and to do so within community. In many ways the past year has put us in a state of arrested development by taking away our ability to do ritual.

When I accepted the call to St. Luke’s, the timing could not have been worse for my previous parish, and both Bishops commended me to find a time to go back and say a proper goodbye, but then no one expected the pandemic to last past the summer. This weekend is the last shot we will get to say goodbye, so even though hugs may be missing and masks will still need to be worn, we are going to go back, and do what we should have done eight months ago. When we left for Alexandria, it was the beginning of a new chapter, but it was as if it began before the previous ended. Even though I now feel firmly planted at St. Luke’s, I imagine embracing that final chance to say goodbye will healing for us and for my previous parish. While I am away, our former associate, Rev. Grace Pratt, will be covering for me this Sunday, and I hope that you will be here to hear her.

A priest going back to say goodbye to a former parish is highly unusual, and in many ways is probably not the best idea. However, it is better than the alternative, which is to fade away while neglecting that work of saying goodbye and finding meaning in a hard situation. Many within our Church and community are faced with similar circumstances. Weddings have been delayed, delayed again, and done over Zoom, with receptions planned for the distant future. Funerals are being held as best as they can, and interments have been delayed in the hope that they will be able to resemble our expectation in the not-so-distant future. Baptisms are getting put on the backburner in the hopes of collecting families and Godparents in a less anxious time.

The Church has always found ways of not just surviving but thriving in the most challenging of circumstances. People still felt called to worship Christ in community even in the midst of Roman oppression and violence. For many, these trials and tribulations are a chance to go back to basics and even rediscover what is most important to their faith. Despite the fact the early Church is often idealized, we would be fooling ourselves if we thought it was an easy place to be in the midst of these hardships. We hear about the triumphs, but we don’t hear about the difficult conversations, strained relationships, and general anxiety.

Perhaps scripture constantly reminds us to cast off our burdens and avoid worry, not because God expects us to be carefree, but because God knows we are going to need the encouragement and comfort. As we look in the near future and we find ways of doing those priceless rituals, we also need to be comforted by these words and find ways of safely and boldly continue to find meaning in our dynamic world.

Blessings,

Nick