New Beginnings and Surprises

At our Vestry meeting Monday night, Alison Gugenheim shared this wonderful message, which is too good not to share with the whole parish on this first day of Lent. - The Reverend Chip Edens


We are living in a complicated world right now, coming to the other side of a pandemic, so much pain and suffering… And now the reality of a war happening has occupied a lot of my time.

This quote by Warsan Shire has really resonated with me: “Later that night, I held an atlas in my lap, ran my fingers across the whole world, and whispered where does it hurt? It answered everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.”

The world is hurting everywhere…especially in Ukraine. This invasion is only like what I have read about in history books or watched in movies, and it is still hard for me to fathom it is actually happening. I have prayed a lot for peace, for eyes and hearts to be opened, and for all the people whose lives have been turned upside down to SURVIVE.

The words of John 1:5 hold me steady. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” These words bring me hope. Light always makes me think of new beginnings, and they are all around us. They are not always bright and shiny…yet sometimes they are, and God never fails to surprise us.

Our daughter, Eliza, is in the midst of a new beginning at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh. She is continuing her confirmation journey (which she began January 2021 at Christ Church) with five other young women under the guidance of Chaplain Stoddard. Part of the process is visiting other Episcopal Churches and experiencing worship in different ways.

Last Sunday, she went with old friends to St. Michaels Episcopal Church, where she was baptized, had her first communion, was Gabriel in the Christmas pageant, and where her spiritual life began. She said the memories flooded back while she was sitting in the pew.

At the peace, she happened to be sitting next to a mentor of mine as a young mother and my bible study leader of ten years, Frances and her husband, Mike. Their last name happens to be Penick…and Eliza lives in Penick Dorm. Mike’s grandfather is the former Bishop of North Carolina, and it was really fun for Eliza to connect the dots and realize all the relationships she is re-kindling while making new ones…and noticing how God is in the middle of it all!

It is such a privilege to watch Eliza growing in her spirituality from afar. A few days later the Chaplain asked Eliza to interview for the Vestry in the next school year. This brought me joyous tears, as she likes the idea of us both serving in this role. Eliza’s experience has brought back many memories for me, and reminded me why I so appreciate the Episcopal faith.

I love our 'three-legged stool' of scripture, tradition, and reason. Yet now I think of it as a tricycle, thanks to Matt Holcombe. It is the same as our stool, each leg depending on one another for stability, yet always in motion. It gives me a great visual and reminds me I must continue peddling at various speeds as I learn, while opening my heart and mind. Then I can see myself coasting with a breeze in my face in the comfort of our liturgies/traditions. I also love the liturgical calendar, now more than ever, because it is predictable. The seasons bring me solace and it always is a full circle, like life.

So, it seems fitting at this moment in time that we are about to enter Lent -- a time to let go, and for rebirth. As Joan mentioned Sunday in her sermon, new blooms are all around us and we are coming out of the darkness of winter into the light of spring and into hope. It reminds me to be more present, get out of my head, and lead with my heart, which are only 18 inches apart. (Thanks, Connor Gwin, for the precise distance.) Not a long journey, and Jesus is beside me each step of the way.

I am using Lent to pause intentionally, and to wait for God to surprise me, like he did Eliza. I hope to grow in my faith and as God intends, and for God's love to shine through me as I walk in this world. I will reflect once again where I have been, how far I have come, and how far I have to go as our world stays in constant motion. I hope we all can use this Lent to prepare us for the unexpected AND the important work we have ahead as a church, a city, a country, and a world.

As we encounter all that is new in our lives -- new jobs, new semesters, new children, new grandchildren, new sports teams, new journals, new practices, new experiences, new diagnosis, new grief, new challenges, new resolutions, new protocols, new strains of COVID-19, and more -- may we embrace the newness with open hearts … with God’s help.

Join us for Ash Wednesday Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes this evening at 7:30 pm in the Church.