On the Horizon: A Message from Fr. Daniel

Things are changing around St. Michael’s! We are preparing for our future in Christ. God is doing amazing work in us, with us, and through us, and as we follow the movement of the Spirit in our midst we need ALL HANDS on deck.

What does this mean? To be the church means for us to become increasingly responsible for our own spiritual life as well as the spiritual life of others. This will require more than doing our part and learning our roles; it will mean improvisation. As comedian Tina Fey once said, if we merely say “Yes” in response to others, we put an end to the conversation. But when we say, “Yes, and…” we add something, namely ourselves. We become responsible to and for what happens next, rather than idly letting it happen or having someone else do all the work.

This also means being out of control of what happens next, letting the responsibility be and become a shared responsibility. Our response may be “Yes, and…,” but if we are closed to the response of others when they say, “Right, and now…” then we still put an end to the growth that God desires for us. None of this means that questions are to be ignored or where we have been disregarded; rather, it means being open to reassessing where we have been and making sure where we’re headed is where God is leading, not where “I” want to go or only where “I” am comfortable going.

Change should never happen for the sake of changing. Likewise, we cannot be resistant to change merely because “we’ve never done it that way,” or because someone says, “We can’t.” Change in the church is a matter of transformation, being transformed DAILY into the people God is still making us to be. God is still creating us, right now, still making us into the Body of Christ. This means exercise; it will require practice; it also means rest and good conversation. Some things need to be let go; others need to receive more attention. To be fully attached to God, as the saints remind, we must detach ourselves from everything else.

Your Vestry and Strategic Planning Team is working to bring clarity to this vision. Here’s what we know right now: God is calling us to reach beyond ourselves and to become family, so that we might become the Body of Christ. We hope you’re ready for an adventure!