January 8, 2023 – Annual Report

Isaiah’s words from today’s first reading always get to me in a different way each time we read them. The writer of the passage says “See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them” (Is 42:9).

You’ll have to give me some latitude in this annual report, because in order to talk about this year and the future, I first have to review the past few years. In October of 2020, the Holy Spirit had great things in mind, and I was called to begin my tenure as Priest in Charge. I had great things in mind, but I didn’t tell you of them. And had I told you of the vision that we would create together, you would have thought that I was nuts anyway. (You probably still do, but that’s beside the point.) 

We had the pleasure of working together in person for a whole two months before COVID upended our lives again. We survived, and – I truly believe – grew as a result of having to think about doing things in new ways. For five long months, we had to resort to church online and virtual meetings. We learned to Zoom and I learned how to create videos on my computer, piecing together video clips of me, overlaying music files found online and generating titles. We learned that relationships can be fostered online, but in our congregation, relationships are much better in person.

And then, I began to spring my ideas about visioning on you. We started with Anna Olson’s fascinating book about acknowledging the death within our church. I could see that people – Jack, I’m looking at you specifically – were hesitant to buy in and thought that the Holy Spirit had screwed up when she called me to you and you to me. I mean, we had to say that our old church was dead, and we had to look to the future in new ways! And that is hard to do! Once you all agreed that Anna had some fascinating insights, we all began to have some discomfort as we really processed her words. It’s hard to grow… we have to unlearn what we’ve learned; we have to trust sometimes that people are good without knowing them; we have to learn to let go of all that we want to control and let God take control. 

This doesn’t mean that we eradicate or forget our past. No – our past is part of what has made us what we are today. But the past is “in the past”, and we are not what we once were. The former things have come to pass.

And now new things are happening. God is declaring them to us. The more that we looked outward, to see how we could be part of the community around us instead of how we could be a community of just us, the more excited we became. I think of Nancy beckoning the cars to come to our barbeque and Chris joyfully helping to serve the chicken to customers. I think of the backbreaking work of clearing the ground for the community garden that Jack designed and Nancy and her son Christian helped to build,  and how Larry and Sharon watered it regularly. I think of how we care for our grounds and buildings, our outward appearance to our neighbors – how John and Kerwin tend the lawn and how Dennis helped when the lawnmower broke. I think of how we make it attractive to visit us, whether in person or online – how Carol loyally swears at the computer every Sunday while she helps to stream the service, how Janet faithfully donated flowers that we can use week after week without much maintenance, and how Bob programs the music for every service.

But I think, too, of how we also care for our own – how Mike dutifully makes coffee every Sunday morning, how Mark and Jack helped Bea into church while the elevator was broken, how Bea and Debbie obediently pray for all of us.

I believe we’ve started to make great steps. The former things have come to pass. God is doing new things with us.

The servant Isaiah describes in our first reading is described as one who is gentle and humble, not using his power and authority for his own benefit but rather for the benefit of others. That is our vision – not mine, but ours – of what St. Michael & All Angels is, and over the next year, we will be working to refine that vision into words and actions that are easily seen.

What does it mean to be humble? How is humility exemplified in the life and ministry of Jesus? One example can be seen in Jesus’ willingness to serve others. He washed the feet of his disciples, even though he was their teacher and leader. This act of service demonstrated his humility and his willingness to put the needs of others before his own. Another example of humility in Jesus’ life can be seen in his teachings. Jesus often spoke about the importance of humility and encouraged his followers to be humble. In one of his most well-known teachings, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). This teaching emphasizes the importance of humility and acknowledges that those who are humble are favored by God. Above all, though, Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die on the cross for the sake of others is perhaps the ultimate act of humility. By willingly sacrificing himself for the salvation of others, Jesus demonstrated the depth of his humility and his love for others.

Humility means practicing self-reflection – looking at our own strengths and weaknesses, and cultivating self-awareness. It means serving others. It means practicing gratitude – focusing on the things that we are grateful for, rather than dwelling on our own accomplishments or successes. It means listening to others and seeking to understand their perspectives, rather than always trying to be right or having the last word. This could also mean acknowledging and apologizing for our mistakes, rather than trying to deflect blame or make excuses.

Humility means welcoming all – but most especially the least among us and the lost. Welcoming means inviting people in, being approachable, showing interest, and relating to them as an individual.

My friends, God told us in 2020 and 2021 to start looking outward. God told us that we are part of a larger community with whom we live in relationship. Later in Isaiah (43:19), we read, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?”

New things are springing forth… together we will meet the challenge and envision a St. Michael & All Angels for the future, one with a respect for our heritage but an understanding of a new life yet to come. Are you ready? I know I am!