|
Dear saints,
When I first moved to the States on a permanent basis nearly twenty years ago, I noticed how quickly I forgot the place I had previously called home. While I had no problem remembering the words of the British national anthem or where London was on a map of Europe, I noticed that the granularity of things soon began to slip away. The smells were different. Fall and winter had different nuances. Nobody understood my English soccer references in sermons. It was quite miserable. When you move homeland, there are a million little things that silently shift and a kind of amnesia sets in.
If you spend any time in the Hebrew Bible (also called the Old Testament) you discover just how much the people of God are in need of remembering the place they had once called home. From their odd wilderness longings for Egypt, to the tear-stained songs of Zion by the waters of Babylon, God’s people felt a profound need to remember, as if in failing to do so they would lose part of who they were. It is no wonder, therefore, that there is so much attention given in the Bible to memory with the word "remember" appearing more than 350 times.
Within the context of faith, the call to remember is not an act of nostalgia but an invitation to action. A biblical faith is one that remembers in order to be and to belong. We remember to put back together that which by "the chances and changes of this life" has been rent asunder. To our north, the people of Western North Carolina, among others, literally had parts of their lives rent asunder by a mighty and terrible wind in Hurricane Helene. As we approach this year's celebration of Thanksgiving—cognizant of all of the rich blessings we know in our own lives—I would like to invite us to remember them.
The churches of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina and the people they serve are still facing the most trying of circumstances. The Cathedral of All Souls was so thoroughly inundated that they have been forced to worship elsewhere. Many other churches also face significant damage, yet still they are being Christ's hands and feet for the communities in need around them. I wonder if we might remember them this Thanksgiving?
Some of the folks who registered for this year's Kanuga weekend that was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene have chosen to redirect that money to do just that. If you would like to join that effort please follow this link in Realm and choose "Hurricane Relief" in the drop-down menu. Every gift will make a difference.
Remember that no matter what may seem to divide us, we remain, in the eyes of our faith, one Body. May we each learn to live into the words of that hope articulated in the beautiful prayer for the human family found in the "Book of Common Prayer":
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Though we are many, we are one body.
|
