"What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of my Father's hand. The Father and I are one."  -John 10:30

This line from last Sunday's Gospel from St. John the Evangelist says it all.  The Father and Jesus are one. 

How about us?  Are we one with the Father and with Jesus?  Do we create our own personal "quadnity?"  That is, do we form a union between God the Creator, God the Son, the Holy Spirit and our self?  (Incidentally, 'quadnity' is my own, made-up term and not to be mistaken from the genius of any of the Church Fathers, mystics, evangelists, apostles or theologians...in case you're wondering.) 

The point is, we are all part of this special union made of the three beings of the Trinity and ourselves.  When we take these unions and form them into a larger unit, a community is created.  And that, my dear friends is what we have at St. Nicholas Church.  We are, individually speaking, part of a four-being union, connected and joined to all the other four-being unions, all of which poured and formed together makes what we call this blessed house of worship. 

We celebrated our own version of Commissioning Weekend last week.  It was a glorious occasion; filled with sweet incense, the gifts of the Spirit breathed upon us and the prayers and blessings of your most grateful vicar.  I have to tell you...it was a truly blessed time.  It was difficult not to notice the wide smiles and happiness present on the faces of my faith family.  My heart was gushing with pride and joy. 

It is my hope and prayer that the grace and energy shared last weekend carries over and over and over again, lasting us an eternity-long period of time.  That's how great God's love is for us:  it can not truly be measured nor can it be compared to any other force or form of love.  It is above and beyond our full comprehension and understanding.  Nonetheless, what we receive through the Creator, the Son and the Holy Spirit is meant to be shared with everyone we encounter.  We are 'commissioned' to share our faith with those we meet, with our neighbors, those with whom we are perhaps at odds, those who are both like and unlike ourselves in worship and in language.  All who enter our lives are to be the recipients of our love and faith made visible through our actions and in the words we speak. 

Lastly, I wish to thank everyone who was able to take part in the Commissioning Weekend:  all of us are entrusted with the care, protection and growth of this church.  Together, as the Father and Jesus are One, as we are part of that 'quadnity' of which I spoke earlier, there is no telling just how far we can go and how alive our church can be.  The sky is the limit and beyond that, too.  Together, we are one and that is just as the Creator, the Son and the Holy Spirit wishes us to be.

Amen.