On Sunday, July 20, St. Peter's welcomed The Rev. Hall Kirkham as the new Assistant Rector.  This is an exciting moment in our parish life, and I've asked Hall to share his thoughts.

Stephen

Greetings in the love, peace and power of the One who creates, redeems and sustains us all. 

Stephen gave me the chance to preach at services this past Sunday, which was my first worship at a place I will call my spiritual home for the foreseeable future, my first clerical functioning at my spiritual home, and my first chance to preach as an ordained person! 

I spoke about the themes I saw in our readings, primarily the reminder Jesus gives us that it is God - the first and the last, gracious and full of compassion - who is in charge: God is our rock and opens to us the promise of the Kingdom through Christ and the Holy Spirit, and it is God who determines whether we have worked and walked in our time on this earth towards its birthing or away from it. 

We have plenty to do in following Jesus' message of love, forgiveness and humility without having to take on the impossible task of judgment and punishment, and yet we tempt ourselves constantly into those very dangerous roles.  Scripture simplifies it for us, asking that we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God, and following this, if we are really trying, gives us little capacity to do much else. Leave the rest to the Expert. 

And God is doing an exciting thing that we at St Peter's can lay claim to through the work we will be about this year, in our liturgical and musical life together, in our programs for younger folks and adults, our outreach, and in the growth of our own faith and the faith of new members.  St Paul reminds us that something is afoot with Christ's resurrection, and it's happening!  We are in an amazing place - a place of God's time - that is both already and not yet, and we are the hands and feet that are nothing less than co-creators with God.   

May God bless each of you this summer, enable safe journeys and restful moments, and I look forward with eager anticipation to meeting each of you as you return home!