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September 2008

Letter of Introduction to the Congregation of St. Paul's

To my brothers and sisters in Christ at St. Paul’s Church,

            With joy I greet you in the name of our Lord!  Words cannot describe the pride and excitement I feel when I tell others that I have been called to be the new Rector of St. Paul’s Church.  God has indeed called us both to be pastor and people, and I am confident that he has amazing things in store for us.
            Eugene Peterson in The Contemplative Pastor says that a priest, as he or she begins a new pastorate, should be mindful of one very important thing:  The new rector needs to remember that God is already present in that church and has been at work there for a long time, long before he or she has ever been called.  The priest’s task, therefore, is not to rush in and change things, as if it is his or her job to unpack God out of a suitcase and introduce Him to a congregation for the first time.  Instead the new priest’s job is to immerse him or herself deeply into the life of the parish in order to discern where and how God is working and what He is trying to do in that parish – then to look for ways that he or she can cooperate with what God is seeking to accomplish.  So…discerning God’s presence and movement among you, and then joining in and cooperating with that movement…that is going to be my first endeavor.  To some extent, I have already discerned how God is moving among you, particularly in your love for and commitment to worship and outreach.  My heart cries, “Yes!” when I hear God’s invitation to join that!  I also have heard your longings for a more systematic approach to Christian Education and Formation as well as to congregational development – again, I say, “Yes!” to that call.
            And I do want to know you better.  In order to do that, I will be calling on you in the next few weeks and months to meet with me, both individually and in groups.  When I call, I hope you will say, “Yes!”  Meanwhile, I hold you in my daily prayers, and hope you are doing the same for me.  My husband (Tom) and I, our two daughters, Sarah (13) and Rebecca (9), along with our dog (Poly) and cat (Jaboo) are making the move to South Bend, and moving one’s lives and possessions is often trying to say the least.  With joy and excitement, I anticipate seeing you in September.

Yours faithfully in Christ,

 

Mother Susan
(Or, if you prefer – Pastor Susan)

Read more about Mother Susan...

October 2008

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

Questions have I! Two in fact! I’m not going to tell you ahead of time what they are. But, in order to ask them, I’m going to invite you to my home one evening for dessert and coffee. Then, while we’re “breaking bread” together, and continuing in fellowship, I’m going to ask my questions; then I’m going to sit back, munch on cheese cake (or something equally yummy) and listen to what you have to say.
So, when I call your home to extend the invitation to come to mine, please say yes. I will be calling everyone in the parish, including those who are only peripherally associated with the parish as friends. I anticipate that this may take a while, so be patient if you do not hear from me right away. But when I do call, I hope you will come because the more you participate, the more successful my questions will be.

As I have said before, God has been at work here at St. Paul’s for a long time, accomplishing extraordinary things for His Kingdom. I am impressed with what a “well-tended garden” it is, full of thriving plants of all kind. I want to be a good steward of what has been entrusted to me, so it is important that I spend some time getting to know exactly what is planted in the garden. I hope you will help me. So when the phone rings, say YES!

Mother Susan

           Coming soon...

December 2008           

Suddenly across the airport, I saw his face among the bustling crowd; but I was not prepared for the tumultuous feeling of joy that would wash over me when I recognized him.  All of the worry, anxiety and moments of longing and loneliness suddenly melted away from their frozen crevices within my soul.  While we were dating, my husband and I attended the freshman year of college in different universities.  I especially struggled with not having the person I had identified as my soul-mate around to experience the “day-to-day-ness” of our lives together: and so, on a lark we had pooled our money to buy me a plane ticket to visit him.  In the days prior to my trip, my anticipation grew.  During the hours and moment of my flight time, I was giddy with excitement.  I was so immersed in expectation that I couldn’t imagine that actually arriving and seeing my boyfriend could possibly be as exciting as this expectant jubilation.  As I deboarded the plane and scanned the crowd, my heart was in my throat, and when I saw his face, my heart and voice cried out together, “Yes!”
            Advent is like that.  It's a time when our anticipation mounts and grows as we imagine what it will be like when we are suddenly reunited with Jesus at His coming.  As time passes, we envision that reunion and how complete and whole we will be when it takes place.  No such reunion takes place, however, without some deliberate, intentional preparation.  Advent is that time when we prepare...when we plan the trip, so to speak.  We want to be ready so that when we see His face, we will recognize Him.
            What can you do to prepare?  Here are some suggestions.  First, make sure you are spending time with Him.  Even if it's just five minutes in the morning, invite Jesus to join you for your cup of coffee and talk to Him.  If you are already doing that, why don't you try adding the reading of Morning Prayer from the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer?  This will give you a good healthy dose of Scripture.  Next, select a good spiritual book with which to spend some of your free time.  If you don't know where to begin, find someone whose spiritual path you admire and ask that person what books have influenced him or her.  Talk to a spiritual friend about what is going on in your walk with the Lord.  And then, find a charitable project to which you can give some time and energy.  When you do all of these things in your life, you are on your way.
            This journey will lead you during Advent to the place where Jesus is, both in your heart and incarnate.  When you recognize Him, your heart and soul will together cry, “Yes!”
May you have a blessed Advent,

Susan+