“Be still and know
that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Dear People of St. David’s,
I pray that you are well and want to thank all of you who
made this year’s Fair and Country Auction such a great success. It was
successful in terms of the money we raised for outreach, but it was stellar in
terms of the service, the friendships and openness to the community we
exhibited. And for that and on behalf of God, I thank you from the bottom of my
heart.
I’m taking a break from the series of reflections on the 23rd
Psalm because of
a major change in our life as the Church. On Tuesday our Bishop, the Rt. Rev.
Charles E. Bennison, Jr., announced his retirement, effective at the end of
this calendar year. Bishop Bennison has been the bishop of our Diocese, on and
off, for all the time I have served you as Rector. He has sought to follow the
Spirit’s leading to the best of his abilities through some difficult times of
decline in the Diocese and some extraordinary conflicts and disagreements about
where God was leading us. Charles has always sought to bring the best of his
gifts and his faculties to the work of the parishes and communities that make
up the Diocese of Pennsylvania. For that, we give thanks to God and I ask for
your prayers on his behalf and that of his family as he heads into a new phase
of life. We will celebrate Bishop Bennison’s ministry at the Diocesan
Convention in November.
For the Diocese, this means that we will have a Provisional
Bishop for a couple of years. We will find a Bishop who has retired or is
nearing retirement, who feels called to work with us as a Bishop normally
serves a community until a certain date, say two years. At the same time, we
will begin the process of creating a profile of who we are and what kind of
Bishop we want to call; build a search committee to find suitable candidates;
and then elect a new Bishop, at the earliest the end of 2014 at a regular
convention of the Diocese or at a special Convention.
Like so many events in our lives, this change in leadership
and direction of the Diocese, brings up the anxiety we often feel when our
lives are changing – which is pretty much all the time. Major changes in our
health, or status in life, changes in our family or in our friendships are
often difficult to face. It makes us long for what once was and worry about
what will be. In other words we can become fearful.
Among the antidotes for this kind of fear is seeking the presence of God. Be still. Be quiet. Settle down. Lift up a brief pray from the heart and God will come to you and me. In stillness, we can know the presence and goodness of God at work in our lives. And the change we may be facing and it accompanying fear, will be put in its proper place. It will be pushed aside by the presence and peace of God that is beyond understanding.
So be still in the midst of your life’s changes and know
that God is with you.
Grace and Peace,
WFA
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