Notes from the Corner Office
Dear Beloved Community,
Building the Kingdom of God. That vision has been on my mind a great deal lately.
The Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer teaches that the mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ through prayer, worship, proclaiming the Gospel, and promoting justice, peace, and love. This mission is carried out through the ministry of all members of the Church.
That tells us the Church’s mission, Church with a capital “C.” We have dodged the mission statement debate because our mission is the Church’s mission. What we say about ourselves is what we are and what we do.
The St. Gabriel’s website tells people that “We are an open, affirming, and progressive Episcopal parish working to restore all people to unity with God and each other by sharing our knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.”
It also says that “we gather together to praise God with song and prayer, share scripture, and receive Christ’s Holy Communion.”
Our worship materials tell people that “In the knowledge that God loves us all without exception, St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church welcomes and affirms everyone as they are. St. Gabriel is a church that seeks to bring those in spiritual need ever closer to God.”
Open, welcome, affirming. Simply put, these three words mean that any person, regardless of age, ability, gender, ethnicity, or any other human characteristic, is fully a part of St. Gabriel. This is who we are.
Working to restore all people to unity with God and each other by sharing our knowledge and love of Jesus Christ and seeking to bring those in spiritual need ever closer to God by gathering together to praise God with song and prayer, share scripture, and receive Christ’s Holy Communion is what we do.
Put that all together and it means that we are working to build the kingdom of God on earth. What a vision that is!
The understanding that we, the people of St. Gabriel, are working to build the kingdom of God on earth, can also be both inspiring and slightly overwhelming.
“We, the people of St. Gabriel.” Those words are worth thinking about. We really aren’t members of St. Gabriel. We are St. Gabriel. St. Gabriel isn’t a thing separate and distinct from us, it is us. Yes, we pay people (Ann, Page, Tara, Jessica, Stephanie, and me) to “manage” it for us but at the end of the day, St. Gabriel is ours. We each “own” a stake in it. We stake our claim. We stake our souls, literally, on that claim. Just as we take care of ourselves, we take care of St. Gabriel. Taking care of St. Gabriel is taking care of ourselves and of those we know and love.
What a vision that is!
Our work to build the kingdom of God on earth isn’t something separate and distinct from us, it is us. And we are St. Gabriel.
The author, professor, and pastor, Henri Nouwen believed that there was a spirituality to be found in, what he calls, fundraising. He understood it first and foremost as a form of ministry. I would interpret fundraising as pledging or stewardship though both those words create a sense of separation in my mind. I would say that it is claiming our stake and that this is a spiritual practice.
I believe that every moment of our lives is an opportunity to experience God. There is no such thing as the mundane. Every moment is sacred. So, that means answering the phone is an opportunity, cooking a meal, driving to soccer practice, paying the bills are all opportunities. God is found in the discreet as much as God is found in the profound.
Claiming our stake in St. Gabriel maintains our own health, the health of those we love, and the help of those who need our love. It is not foolish to say that helping to build the kingdom of God on earth includes keeping the electric bill paid. We support ourselves when we support St. Gabriel. When we support St. Gabriel, we support the building of God’s kingdom on earth.
In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+
~St. Gabriel image by SoulArtAlchemist on Etsy
