Are You a Fair-Weather Messiah Parishioner?

I will always be grateful to our previous rector Father Gary Adams. He had to deal with several divisive groups, including members of the John Birch Society, a new Book of Common Prayer, ordination of women as priests and a dramatically changing inner city Santa Ana. He laid the ground work for social justice in the parish by welcoming the Episcopal Service Alliance program for the homeless and poor and the Santa Ana Neighborhood Organization, a grass roots community organizing program sponsored by the Jesuits.

My first couple of months at Messiah back in 1981 I experienced the sudden departure of several parishioners. My priority that first year was to visit every single parishioner in their home. But some were grieving the loss of Father Gary and could not imagine the parish without him. People I never had the chance to say hi to left the parish.

Certainly with my 30 years here we have some strong personal bonds and a lot of precious history. I know that there are a lot of feelings moving in your hearts as we both experience big change in our lives in relationship to this congregation. My advice to you is be faithful. We have almost 130 years of history. I grieve that this congregation is my dream of what a church should be and I have to leave you and worship at another parish.....so far that has not been an attractive thought. You get to stay here. This is a very special place and a healthy spirituality requires commitment to some community.

At the adult education class I offered on September 11, we reflected on the Four Pillars of Essential Christianity according to Ron Rolheiser. I share some of his thoughts about community from his book Holy Longing.

The grounding, earthiness, and necessary pain that only real involvement within a concrete, parish-type family can give you. In parishes, as we know, we do not get to pick who we will be standing beside as we worship and celebrate various things together. A parish-type family is a hand of cards that is randomly dealt to us, and precisely to the extent that it is truly inclusive, will include persons of every temperament, ideology, virtue, and fault. Also, church involvement, when understood properly, does not leave us the option to walk away whenever something happens that we do not like. It is a covenant commitment, like a marriage, and binds us for better and for worse.

Accordingly, if we commit ourselves to a church community and stay with that commitment, we will, at some point, have the experience that Jesus promised Peter would befall every disciple: Prior to this kind of commitment you can gird your belt and go wherever you want, but after joining a concrete church community, others will put a belt around you and take you where you would rather not go. And Jesus is right. What church community takes away from us is our false freedom to soar unencumbered, like the birds, believing that we are mature, loving, committed and not blocking out things that we should be seeing. Real churchgoing soon enough shatters this illusion, and gives us no escape, as we find ourselves constantly humbled as our immaturities and lack of sensitivity to the pain of others are reflected off eyes that are honest and unblinking.

We can be very nice persons, pray regularly, be involved in social justice, and still not be fully responsible. It is still possible to live in a lot of fantasy and keep our lives safe for ourselves. This gets more difficult, however, if we start going to a church, most any church, especially one that is large enough to be inclusive. To be involved in a real way in a church community is to have most of our exemption cards taken away.

I will be praying all of you through these days of transition, remembering the goodness of God that has blossomed in this congregation, and trusting that a new good shepherd will be coming to you.

Faithfully,
Brad