Letter from the Recctory - May 27, 2025

Easter is my favorite liturgical season. I may havementioned that a time or two before. As the event which defines all of Christianity, what's not to

love? Jesus DIED for me, and yet, He LIVES! How can it get any more exciting? Even after more than half a century's worth of Easters under my belt, there is still mystery, thestory of Jesus is still awesome, there is still so much I am learning. We often speak of “blind faith” or hear of

“professions of faith” and in general acknowledge that our spiritual existence is a matter of faith. The scriptures instruct us to have faith, our clergy encourage us to walk in faith, and our magnificent hymns extol the greatness of faith.Now faith is the substantiating of things hoped

for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (Darby translation). These words were in the dialogue of a popular TV series we recently watched, and they really resonated with me. From our earliest experience with religion, we learn that being a Christian is amatter of faith — yet I never thought about what faith is. For me, it was always just “there” and Ibasically took it for granted, just like the sky is blue, sunflowers are amazing, and tacos are delicious. I never thought about defining it, eithergenerically or in a more personal sense, so this particular phrase was eye-opening for me. Other translations use words such as reality, assurance, or confidence of things hoped for — yet “substantiating” really caught my attention. With the same root as “substance”, it seemed to remove any filters and it struck me as, well, substantial. I think in some obscure way, I have always felt like faith was ethereal, a wispy fabric of hopes and dreams just beyond my fingertips. Dare I believethat faith can be something with a little more heft

to it? For decades, I've been content in my faith, and steadfast in my beliefs. What a marvelous

realization that faith is not only an emotion, but something which I can see and hear and touch!

There's a great praise song I remember from the ‘70s — Love Is Something You Do — sharing the message that we can show love through actions, that it's more than a feeling. So it is with faith.How cool is that?We've talked about our love language before, sowhat about faith language? I've experienced it allalong, but attributed it to God's will, or a miracle,or good fortune… BUT, (another buzzword

coming up) fruit of the faith is the manifestationof our hopes and dreams… literally answers to

prayer, whether it is in fact tangible, like a newcar, or not, like receiving a clean bill of health.

We exercise our faith language when we pray,when we hope, when we believe, and the resulting

blessings are the substantiating evidence of our faith at work.Now the second part of the verse — “the conviction of things not seen” — is the model

I've always ascribed to as faith — firmly believin in that which is completely intangible. My

favorite examples are, of course, hymns:

● I KNOW My Redeemer Lives

● I KNOW Whom I Have Believed

● I KNOW Who Holds Tomorrow

Faith is not just some churchy word we might hear in a sermon or see in the liturgy. It's

something we have, which we can see and touch, something we can share in our testimony and

example, something we can grow and hold! A blessed bounty of believing… a covenant with

God renewed in our daily prayer… a comfort in the sure knowledge of everlasting life!

And that, my friends, is just another Easter story!

Because we are, in word and in deed, Easter people! Not just for forty days of lent or for seven

Sundays of Easter, but each day of the year with the opportunity and responsibility to share this

good news.

You don't have to donate every dime you have or heal the sick or feed the multitudes to make a

difference and have an impact on others. Think about a time someone affected you — a motorist

stopping to help you with a flat tire; getting to the drive-up window to have the teen in a paper hat

tell you your order was paid for; a door opened for you; a friend's prayer; a stranger's smile. Find

ways to serve your neighbor. It doesn't have to be monumental to matter, and we become part of

someone else's substantiating faith. In this way, we are obedient in our own faith.

Thanks be to God.

From the Rectory…

Sylvia