Going deep and loving more

As some of you know this past weekend we had our Diocesan Convention. As it is the 100th Birthday of the Diocese of Western North Carolina our special guest was the Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry. Some of you who have been around for a while might have known him when we was bishop of our neighboring diocese North Carolina. For others he will be recognizable as the perso who preached at the wedding of Meghan and Harry.

He issued two clear challenges for us. The first was to go deeper and the second was to love. Each of those might sound very basic. But, as with so many things in our Christian faith, what sounds simple is often the hardest thing to do.

We heard about trees which impressed him in Ghana and how the guide who was with him talked about not only the root system sustaining the tree but the tree sustaining the environment. In these days of Global Warming we know that trees are a vital part of our fight against climate change. Alongside, of course, behavior change. As the tree sustains the world around it so we, rooted deeply in God, can offer sustenance to the world around us.

Then, on Sunday, we heard about love. Inclusive love. Most people at Redeemer pride themselves on inclusivity, but we have to be careful what we mean by that. Yes, we should certainly include those who have been traditional excluded from the full life of the Church. But there is something else. That something is continuing conversation with those with whom we totally disagree. Our inclusiveness cannot only stretch to the parts of life and people which we like to include or who are in our comfort zone, it has to go beyond to those we find utterly uncomfortable and we have to be willing to be witnesses to Christ in conversations from which we would rather run away.

I am not quoting Michael Curry above but it is the end point of what he talked about, that is that we must love one another, and that means everyone.

I don't have an immediate take away. I would invite you to go to the Diocesan Website or YouTube Page over the next few days as the videos become available and watch for yourself. Advent is around the corner and we will be taking the oppotunity to journey inwards towards God. But there is also an opportunity to grow outwards.

I have said to you many times from the pulpit that having conversation with those whom you usually regard as "other" , meaning the people who are not usually in your sphere of life because you would rather avoid them, are frightening. They are frightening because they can arouse big emotions and remind us of painful times in our lives. There is another piece as well, conversations with other run the risk of offering perspectives which we find actually cause us to question and change.

That is why we must love. We rely on God alone and, even if we find ourselves on stormy seas, even if we find things out about ourselves or our way of being which are challenging, it is OK, we are leaning on God. Love is not a ticket into all knowledge, it is not a way of holding on to all truth. Love is not mine or yours. Love is bigger than all of that. None of us know everything and learning to love means learning to value our own wisdom, but to accept it as partial, and learning to value the wisdom of others, even in the midst of disagreement.

Grief and Alleluias.

"And weeping o’er the grave, we make our song,

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

These words from an ancient prayer are a part of the funeral service in our prayer book. There is a sharp contrast between the image of the mourner at a grave and the shout of Alleluia! I imagine someone bent over with grief and sobbing, the Alleluia coming from their lips, trembling at first and then strengthening with repetition.

My imagination wants to make the scene one where, although the hurt remains at the loss of one loved, so also, the truth of resurrection to eternal life is brought into that utter despair, like the sunrise in the morning.That is just my picture, and I know it is often a lot messier than that.

As we celebrate All Souls day, I know well that grief is not simple, nor linear. No matter how its stages are sometimes laid out as tidily following each other - it does not happen that way. It can be hard to want to proclaim Alleluia!, especially when we are angry with God. Even then, when we have no words, the community of the Church does, and holds onto that fine silken thread of Easter joy for us when we are bowed low.

It seems like a contradiction to sing Alleluia in grief. At the end of the day, what else is there to say, or listen to others saying on our behalf? We believe that Christ is raised from the dead and those who die are raised with Him to eternal life. Alleluia indeed. All Souls day is a time to remember, a time to reflect, a time to continue the work of grief. It is also the time to allow the possibility of Alleluia, even in the darkest and most distant hour.

Remembering our loved ones

I am writing to invite you to attend our All Souls Day Service at 5pm on November 6th 2022. Everyone is welcome. We will remember those who have died and are dear to us. You may ask for the name of your loved one to be read out in Church and you will be able to light a candle for them. There will be a couple of hymns and some other organ music, together with prayers and readings.

This service is intended as a space where we can remember, give thanks for and celebrate the lives of those who have walked with us a while. It is perfectly alright if you get upset or cry, that is very normal when you are hurting. This service is a space where you should feel free to "not be OK" for a while. Whether of not you can attend, the link below will take you to a form upon which you can enter names you would like read out in the service. These can be people who have died recently, or people who are still in your heart after many years.

Click here to submit names

Sincerely, Rev. Caroline Kramer