Born Anew
This past Sunday was a gift!
On the Day of Pentecost, Bishop Mark Bourlakas joined us to baptize Jamie and confirm Sophie. We celebrated new life in Christ, renewed commitments to faith, and the work of the Holy Spirit among us. It was one of those Sundays when the joy in the room felt almost tangible.
Yet what has stayed with me all week is a question the bishop posed during his sermon:
Are we ready to be born anew?
It is a beautiful question. It is also an unsettling one.
To be born anew means allowing God to lead us somewhere we have not yet been. It means trusting that the Spirit is still at work, still creating, still calling, still surprising us. It means recognizing that faith is never a destination we reach. It is a lifelong journey of being formed into the likeness of Christ.
The bishop spoke about the Shakers and their willingness to be moved by the Spirit. What struck me was not simply their enthusiasm but their openness. They expected God to act. They expected transformation. They understood that the Holy Spirit rarely leaves people exactly where they are.
That is true for congregations as much as it is for individuals. As I look around St. Peter's, I see signs of new life everywhere. I see it in those who are discovering this parish for the first time and wondering whether they have found a spiritual home. In those who have worshiped here for decades and are listening for a fresh call to serve. In our children and youth, whose questions, gifts, and faith continually remind us that the church is always becoming. In ministries that continue to grow, relationships that continue to deepen, and conversations that are helping us imagine what God may be calling us to next.
This fall, we will begin a Year of Discipleship together. We will spend time reflecting on what it means to follow Jesus more intentionally through worship, prayer, learning, service, and community. In many ways, I think the bishop's question has already become the question before us. Are we ready to be born anew?
The disciples on Pentecost could have remained behind closed doors. Instead, the Spirit opened the doors and sent them into the world. Again and again, that is how God works.
Our mission statement reminds us that we are called together by Christ, transformed by God's grace, and sent out to serve. Those words describe more than what we do as a parish. They describe a way of life. Perhaps that is what being born anew looks like.
As summer begins, I invite you to pay attention to the movements of the Spirit in your own life. Where do you feel a tug toward deeper faith? Where might God be inviting you to take a next step? What fear, habit, assumption, or certainty might need to loosen its grip so that something new can emerge? The answers will be different for each of us.
My prayer is that we will be willing to listen. The Holy Spirit is moving. May we have the grace to move with her.
Blessings,
Jenifer+
