Weekly Clergy Letter from Mother Anne Turner

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

C.S. Lewis wrote, “your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”  Sunday allows us to live out that truth twice.

 

The first time is at our morning worship, when we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation, more commonly known as Candlemas.  The day commemorates when the infant Jesus was, at 40 days old, brought into the Jerusalem temple, where he encountered the aged Simeon and Anne.  Simeon recognized Jesus as not just any baby but the “light to the nations.”  Because of this phrase, Candlemas is the traditional time to bless candles for use in church in the coming year.

 

What is holy, of course, is not just the light.  It is the people upon whom the light shines.  As we celebrate the beauty of the sanctuary, we also celebrate the beauty of the humanity within it.  We celebrate the power of this place to transform individuals and relationships.

 

 So Candlemas is the first observance of the holiness of our neighbors.  And the second?  The Chili Bowl.

 

The auditorium on Sunday evening will be far less tranquil than the nave in the morning.  But it will be full of our neighbors—not just fellow members of Grace Church, but friends and family whom we have invited to share a different kind of feast.

 

What is holy here is the presence of the Spirit in human connection.  We will not have candles, incense, or hymns.  But we will have the smell of food shared and the sound of laughter.  We who come to Christ’s banquet each week know the power of a meal to bring people together in ways that matter.

 

Holiness is all around us.  I hope we will open our eyes to it.  And I hope we will always invite new neighbors in to share it.

 

Yours in Christ,

Anne+