Holy Ground

Exodus 3:5: " ...Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

I believe that the presence of God permeates all of the ground on which we walk, it is just that most often I am not awake to it. A ten year old girl opened my eyes just a few days ago. The morning of November 18th, our second grandchild was baptized. It was an exciting time but the holiness of the moment had not sunk in any deeper than my head. I knew it, but there was too much activity for it to have moved into the whole of my being.

Sometimes you can come into a space for the very first time and know that it is holy.  At other times, a space becomes holy to us through an accumulated experience that is bigger than any word can convey.  The familiar place transforms in a moment into the sacred. You understand the words of God to Moses: "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

Day after day, week after week, month after month, for the last 216 years, the people of Christ Church Cathedral have come together because of an experienced glimmer of truth. This truth has been revealed to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Our gatherings can be awkward and even messy at times, but on looking back, the whole is quite beautiful. We have been given the hope that we can find God in our meager selves because Jesus did. He came to live life like we do.

On that morning, just a little over a week ago I came to realize in a new way the holiness of the space where we gather as a community. As I stood praying for Emma with the words of the baptismal vows, I was transported to other transitional times in the lives of immediate family members. There have been baptisms, confirmations, a Rite 13, a wedding and most recently, the funerals of both my mother and my father. I have also been here to celebrate these times with those in our community. The weekly pilgrimage to the altar to receive the body and blood of Jesus binds the rest of these times together.

As we processed back to the baptismal font, the children of this community gathered around. Some were quite eager to come close to the water. I knew many stories surrounding their lives. We were gathered together with our collective history around the font to celebrate the baptism of Emma. One ten-year old girl looked up into my eyes and whispered, "She is yours, isn't she?" She had the biggest smile and was so excited for me. A few minutes later she looked at me again and said, "She is yours!" I was moved to tears. This child was an integral part of the baptism. She housed the words of God to me, "Take off your shoes, you are standing on Holy Ground!" This child represented the community who welcomes the baptized into the family with joy.

These words of God will come to you today if you will but stop and listen. They could come through the voice of a child.  They could come in the silence, or  they could come in an interruption. As we move into this season of Advent, why don't you make it a daily practice to listen for this voice? Wait - it will come.  You will know that you are on holy ground.

Giving Thanks for Thankful Givers

In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, 

remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, 

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35 NRSV). 

Thanksgiving is upon us! This week, as I prepare our house and begin to put the shopping list together, I am reminded of the many things which I am thankful for my life. Here at Christ Church, I am thankful for:

Task forces

Happy faces, the Hahns, and Happeners

Angel Tree, Acolytes, Art and Altar Guild

Nurtures of our young people

Kris Kindles

Sponsors and Seedleaf

Growth, gardeners, and givers of time

Imaginations of children

Volunteers and Vestrys!

Introits and incense

New families and new births!

Guests of Room in the Inn!

As our study of stewardship continues and as Advent is on the horizon, I am reminded that this is not only a season in which I give thanks, but also a season of thankful-giving.

A few weeks ago, Dean Wade preached on 2 Corinthians 9:7: “For God loves a cheerful giver.” She reminded us to give not only with thanks, but that the Greek word for cheerful also mean hilarious. Her sermon reminded me of a legendary story in our youth department.

Every year, during the third week in November, youth participate in a Canned Food Scavenger Hunt benefiting God’s Pantry. This year marks the 5^th year of the event. During the evening, youth are paired with a team and an adult driver. They drive to preassigned houses knocking on doors and asking for food. In our second year, our youth visited the house of a police officer. The officer answered his door and then escorted the students to his police car. Upon opening the trunk of the car, the youth were met with hundreds of cans! For weeks, the officer had been collecting from his fellow officers so that this offering to God’s Pantry was abundant, plentiful and hilarious. As the team returned to church, they were overcome with joy. “You’ll never guess what we found on our hunt.” “We went to one house and it was more than we could fit in our car.” “We won.” They were delighted to have received such a gift for God’s Pantry.

During this week of thanksgiving may we givers of thanks, thankful givers, and thankful receivers of all that God has given us. May we work as a community to give to others out of our blessings, may we become thankful, joyous and hilarious givers.