Rectors Reflections September 2005

Rector’s Reflections September 2005 “Back in the saddle.”

It is the end of August, and I am “back in the saddle”, so to speak. It is good to be among you at St. John’s again, after some time of relaxation and renewal. I did have an opportunity to horseback ride in August, when we were up North at our house in Interlochen. One of the comments, which my son Matthew made, is “Horseback riding is so new to me that I don’t have all the necessary behaviors on auto-pilot, like saying ‘Whoa!’” This can present a problem when the horse you are riding begins to run on its own will and in its own direction. I have ridden horses all my life and have never before thought about how many of my actions are automatically responsive, until Matthew made his comment.

This could be a parable for our Christian living. If we never learn to pray regularly or easily, or if we are not familiar with the words of scripture, if we are not securely yoked with Christ everyday, we might find that our Christian faith fails us in times of need and challenge. When the horse takes off, do we have the ready responses not to fall off or get lost? When life hits us with sickness or with confusion or with catastrophe, are we prepared as Christians to withstand the blows? Will the strength of our on-going prayer life, or the depth of our knowledge of God’s nature and purpose and will, or the solidarity of our Christian community involvement see us through loss, great or small?

My hope for all of us this fall is that we increase and deepen both our individual and corporate relationships with God: through our prayer life, our study, and our actions. May it be that our response to turn to God will become so fully automatic, that no matter what may come against us, it will not triumph. Check out the Prayer Book on page 136 for four Daily Devotions that anyone can use to strengthen their spiritual life.

We will be starting a Youth Discipleship Program this fall, in order to help our young people begin to think about and learn, and hopefully, make a Christian commitment that will stay with them throughout their lives. It is my hope also to offer for adults an Alpha Course or perhaps an inquirer’s class, so that all ages of members in this community will be able to grown and learn and renew their Christian commitment. I would like to see a daytime Bible Study started for folks who are not working during the day.

There are also plans for another Healing Mission this fall, with an invitation to the Rev. Richard Singleton, the Regional Warden of the Order of St. Luke the Physician, to serve as the Missioner and Speaker. Some of you who will be going to the OSL meeting in Indianapolis on Oct 14 and 15 will have an opportunity to hear what a gifted and anointed man that he is. These opportunities for healing prayer can also increase our “auto-pilot” responses to God.

The news today has been continuous on the dimensions of the disaster from Hurricane Katrina. Our brothers and sisters need our help and prayers. Thank God that Christianity arms us with the compassion, and the willingness to sacrifice, in order to help others. Over the next number of weeks we will no doubt have many opportunities to respond, and I pray that we will be filled with a generosity of spirit that will not only help those in New Orleans and points south, but will also affect all that we do as the Body of Christ here in Sturgis.

So let us “gird up our loins” as Paul says, or otherwise “buckle your belts” to begin work for a wonderful fall, as we grow in Christian Community together.