St. David's Episcopal Church | The Rev. Frank Allen | July 2, 2015
A Much Bigger Body

 

"So we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members, one of another."                                                                Romans 12:5 

 

Dear People of St. David's,

 

I pray that you and yours are well and that you are finding some moments of rest, relaxation and renewal. It is so important that each of us use our time well and that includes stepping out of the regular schedule of our lives to take a break just for ourselves, to go to some place different, to be with new people, to make some space for God in our hearts. Summer is a fine time to do this as any, and I hope you can live a little differently for the good of your soul. 
 
 

Summer is also a time when we, the body of Christ at St. David's, extend our reach beyond our community.  It may be travel that takes us away. It may be work. It may be taking a Sabbath rest and turning off the alarm and having a more relaxed Sunday morning.  We are not as connected physically in the summer, and while Sunday worship is still one of the finest ways to connect with God, we are still the body of Christ as we go our separate ways.  We are still one body because our connectedness comes through God who is with us always.

For the past ten days I have been away from St. David's at the Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention in Salt Lake City.  Every three years the Bishops of our church, elected clergy and lay deputies from each Diocese come together to worship, and to be about the business and of the mission of our church.  The convention meets in two houses, Bishops and Deputies.  Sometimes, both houses meet together.

The days are not exactly vacation, though the different location and activities do bring a different perspective on life. We meet in committees to consider revisions of the Prayer Book and Hymnal (the committee on which I serve), world mission, Christian Formation, evangelism, rites for single sex marriage, budget and many more.  Committee work and hearings lead to resolutions that come to each house for approval or rejection.  It's a lot like the Senate and House of Representatives in our national government, which is no surprise since many of the framers of our constitution also founded the Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. 

The conversations, hearings and parliamentary wrangling can be tedious and tiring.  Meetings and sessions go longer than they need to, but the results have been remarkable.  We've elected a fabulous, new Presiding Bishop.  We have committed to revise the Prayer Book and Hymnal and recommitted ourselves to evangelism, inclusion and social justice initiatives.  We have worshiped together in all the varieties of styles and ethnic diversity that represents our Church, and it has all been magnificent and redirecting.

For me, the expanse, reach and diversity of our Church reminds me that we are a much bigger body of Christ than St. David's, and that's a wonderful and sometimes uncomfortable feeling.  It's a glimpse of God's kingdom and Christ's body that draws one out of the the comfortable and breaks open a vision of the body of Christ at its richest and most diverse. Like St. David's, it is Christ and Christ alone that draws us into one body and one community, because there's no way we human beings could do this on our own. 

So, as we live more intentionally into these summer months and are a little more disconnected physically from one another, remember that we are always one body in Christ and He is drawing us closer to His heart every day.

  

Grace and Peace.

 

Frank Allen

 

 WORSHIP SCHEDULE

 

   Sunday, July 5, 2015

8:00 am and 5:00 pm in the Church  

10:00 am in the Chapel

 

                            

St. David's Episcopal Church | 763 South Valley Forge Road | Wayne, PA 19087
610-688-7947