Weekly Clergy Letter From Mother Anne Turner

Dear Friends in Christ,

 

I have often told people that not a lot of churches look like Grace.  In low-church Virginia, full of plain colonial buildings and modernist suburban parishes, our stone and stained glass stand out.

 

I am beginning to realize, however, that a more telling description is that not a lot of churches sound like Grace.

 

Here’s some of what I hear on a typical Sunday morning:

 

  • the quiet shared by those who value contemplation and solemnity
  • Spanish spoken with fluency by natives and with enthusiasm by those still learning (including one of your clergy)
  • shrieks of laughter from children learning the gospel while running in circles by the amphitheater
  • music that stretches from the classical Anglican tradition to African-American spirituals to contemporary choral works

The diversity of our life here is notable.  I have served at five other parishes besides Grace, none of which even comes close.

 

This coming Sunday is Pentecost, and the book of Acts tells us about the sound “like the rush of a violent wind” the led to the advent of the Holy Spirit.  I believe it is the gift of the Spirit that leads to the concert that is Grace Church on a Sunday morning.  We are not all blessed with the ability to speak other languages (alas), but we learn to live in a unique harmony with one another.

 

The Episcopal Church is sometimes regarded as a “big tent” tradition, and scholars of church history will describe the way in which we try to be comprehensive, holding a variety of experiences and viewpoints together.  Our parish follows in this tradition of comprehension.

 

Do we pay a cost for our tradition?  Sometimes.  It can be hard when community is not homogenous or when the liturgy pulls us out of our comfort zones.

 

But is it worth it?  Absolutely.  Imagine how impoverished the church would be if the disciples had stayed in that one place, never challenging themselves or anyone else.  Imagine how impoverished our parish would be if we never risked, stretched, or grew.

 

I look forward to seeing—make that hearing—you on Sunday for this celebration of all that we can become when the Spirit draws us together and sends us out.

 

Yours in Christ,

Anne+