Quiet Observation

Sometimes God’s greatest gifts are revealed through quiet observation.

On Friday, October 9^th, Christ Church hosted the annual fall festival dinner.  My wife was out of town visiting our daughter at college. My son was busy being a 17-year-old and did not need me. And the organizers of the event were having a terrible time finding wait staff for the dinner, given Keeneland, the Breeder’s Cup and all of the many fall festivities taking place in town. So, I decide the best use of my time and talents was to supplement the professional wait staff and also to help chef extraordinaire Mary Thom in the kitchen.

So with our wonderful professional wait staff, Rob, Christi and Juanita, I helped serve water and tea, helped people arrange their food at their tables, and even helped serve the Roast Beast (aka beef tenderloin). About an hour into the evening, there was a lull for the wait staff, so I was just leaning by the kitchen door, taking in the festivities. Beautifully decorated tables that the hosts and hostesses had designed with great thought and with the desire to entertain their table guests. The room was abuzz with talk and laughter.  People moving from one table to another to greet old friends and new acquaintances and admire the table decorations and costumes of the guests.  A perfect evening with the perfect people of Christ Church. I began to see how lucky I was, how lucky all of us are, that we simply enjoy coming together with each other in the company of God’s love at Christ Church.

This would have been enough for me.  But at almost the same time, and each separately, Rob, Christi and Juanita came up to me to ask me questions about Christ Church and to provide their thoughts.  Is this really a church? Do you always have this much fun together? How often do you do this? My church isn’t like this. These people really enjoy each other. This is an amazing event – did these people really pick their own theme and decorate their own tables?  My eyes welled up with tears and my chest puffed up with pride as I listened. What a unique opportunity I was provided to hear the reflections of three total strangers to Christ Church, three individuals employed to serve the members of Christ Church. Unsolicited, unedited, honest, raw.

So, when you take a few minutes to think about your many blessings, be sure to include the blessing of being part of the Christ Church family.

Thanks be to God.

Marc Mathews

How Do I Love Thee, Lord

"How do I love thee, Lord. Let me count the ways. I love to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach... I shall but love thee better after death." Those words came silently me this morning as my morning prayers arose to God. As I have thought over those words, written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I realize how true they are in respect to my love for God. My reasons for my love for God are without number. My gifts from God are without number as well for as I live my life, I discover new gifts, new strengths, new courage God has provided me.

I was raised hearing the words to a hymn found in the Hebrew Union Prayerbook, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, with all the soul and with all thy might. These words which I command thee shall be upon thy heart: Be holy unto your God. I am the Lord your God." Those words, completed by Jesus' direction that I am to love my neighbors as I love myself, are the standard for how I strive to live my life. How I go about that is what defines me.

I love Christ's Church. I love Christ Church. I have grown, I have flourished within these holy walls. I have been lifted by beautiful music. I have been nurtured by the love of parishioners and fed with God’s word through sermons. I have been with joy through the amazement of children as they learn about Christ through Godly Play. I have witnessed the restoration of the beautiful leaded windows in the room where our choristers practice.

I am filled with gratitude for all these gifts. How can I repay them?  How can I insure their continuance? I give, of course, of my time and my talents. Without them, I would not have received gifts I so love. As I consider all I have gathered and received, it is time for me to consider what I will contribute to help insure the healthy continuance of Godly Play, beautiful music, the maintenance of stately cathedral and so many other things that make us the body of Christ known as Christ Church Cathedral. My harvest has been plentiful this year, while people outside our beautiful cathedral home have been not as fortunate as I.  

During a recent visit with Bishop Hahn, I expressed my concern that my efforts to address a situation I find intolerable would be only a drop in the bucket. The Bishop reminded me that with many drops, a bucket becomes overflowing and that without my contributions, the bucket would never overflow. I hope you will join me in this season of stewardship to bring the Cathedral’s “bucket” to overflowing.

Thanks be to God!

The Reverend Paula Ot

Generosity in Place

    Our generous creator just keeps on giving and transforming lives.  Christ Church Cathedral is a major hub for this divine outpouring.  From the moment that I walked through our doors about 34 years ago, I was showered with a grace that I had done nothing to receive.  I just showed up!  The beauty itself spoke as well as the people and the teaching that I received.

     Our nave and sanctuary are rich with the mystery that has been housed here for close to 200 years.  Because of the generosity of God in this space, we have been changed.  Being the receiver of so much, we cannot keep it inside - it must flow into the world to change all.  Some of the most familiar changes due to our generosity are; Christ Church Apartments, Good Samaritan Hospital, The Community Kitchen, The Cupboard, Habitat houses and so much more.

     Then there are the classes beginning with God's Children Sing for infants and Godly Play and extending to classes and opportunities for inner growth and transformation for adults.  God's call to grow and learn never ends.  It is a constant here.

     As a very young child I was given offering envelopes.  At the age of 7, I learned and enjoyed how to give the church 10% of all the money that I received.  At that time, I had a very small allowance and every now and then I was paid for a job accomplished.  I learned of amazing things that would happen with this money in order to make the world a better place.  It was exciting.

     It is my prayer that as a body, we at CCC can capture that excitement and give generously from our financial assets.  It is a necessary thing to keep this holy place going in order to transform lives and thus the world.

     Remember: :"Thy kingdom come, they will be done ON EARTH as it is in heaven."  That means right here in Lexington, Kentucky.

May it be so.