“...let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which have grown old are being made new...”
Someone once told me that faith is simply a way of seeing. Arguably, persons of faith... any faith... are generally those constantly looking for a deeper or more compelling truth — truth that may not be obvious at first glance. The eyes of faith are trained to see the hand of God, the movement of the Spirit, and the face of Jesus in circumstances that may otherwise tell us that what we initially perceive is all there is.
For many years now, we in mainline Christian denominations have been persuaded to see things through a lens of decline — that our Church is dying, crucified on the crosses of our society’s rise in materialism, secularism, political extremism,and growing mistrust, often warranted, in institutions of any kind. We’ve all seen these trends. They can easily lead us to despair.
I also see things that are equally true and heralds of resurrection. Today, for instance, a church in Franklin that has been shuttered for 17 years has now opened its doors for prayer. Mr. Joe Rose of Grace Church, East Concord, took up my invitation to “just go up there and pray with folk and see what happens.” Within a month a small congregation has formed, the local paper showed up with a reporter and photographer, and suddenly, what was cast down seems to be rising.
Living with a strict budget and limited clergy support, St. Stephen’s in Pittsfield is exploring lay worship leadership and sharing the Real Presence of Christ in a new provision I am exploring called “Communion by Extension.”
In another sign of God’s mission of renewal, we are enjoying the benefit of welcoming a number of priests and deacons in their 20s and 30s — young people asking wonderfully disruptive and energizing questions. “Things which have grown old are being made new.” Many churches are actually growing in attendance, maybe not on Sunday morning, but during the week as we adapt to the economic reality that over one third of the our workforce now works on weekends. Despite that, souls still search for signs of new life, holy purpose, Jesus Community. We enjoyed two vibrant and successful events recently: Revival: Reimagined and Spring Renewal. These events look to the eyes of my faith as signs of just that — revival, renewal, even resurrection. As we prepare for our annual Convention in November, you will see bold new initiatives that build on the work the Holy Spirit seems to be already doing. A new school for mission leadership. A network of new clergy to serve as “curates,” to learn from seasoned pastors and multiply area Christian communities. A system of coaching to support newly assigned priests. All these things you will hear about as we seek to strengthen the church as it pursues God’s mission of loving, liberating, and giving life to all God’s people.
If we are truly the Body of Jesus Christ, we will always be giving up ourselves to the death of the cross. It’s what Jesus said would happen. But the eyes of faith always look beyond, to the glory of Resurrection. I pray you see signs of that renewal wherever you are. Look for them. They are there, just as surely as the Risen Jesus is walking with us along the Way.
Bishop Rob
The Rt. Rev. Robert Hirschfeld