September 2010
Dear Members and Friends of Christ Church,
This summer I took my granddaughter, Scout, and her mother, Ashley, canoeing in Maine. The last time I went canoeing was a long time ago when I was a camp counselor on Sebago Lake—so re-learning the bow stroke, the backwater stroke, and the draw stroke took a bit of doing. Fortunately, Ashley enjoys paddling and had a firm hand in guiding us through a shallow inlet in Penobscot Bay. With adults on either end of the canoe, Scout felt secure in the middle and seemed to delight being on the wavy water, watching the myriad of seabirds, and pointing to trees and rocks that studded the nearby islands. And although it was adventure for all of us to paddle to a small island nearby, I like to think that my granddaughter felt safe and secure knowing that all was well with her mother behind her and her grandfather before her. To see and experience in safety and security while still going on adventure— whether sailing, biking, hiking, flying or driving—opens new vistas that can make us appreciate God’s creation, acknowledge our skills, and deepen our relationships among families, among friends, and among communities.
I believe that part of the reason for being in the church is to see and experience together the world and how God calls us to adventures in mission and ministry, to be transformed, and to serve Christ being in this world but not of this world. In the New Testament book, The Acts of the Apostles, that tells the story of the apostles after the Resurrection with the coming of the Holy Spirit to create the Church, we hear about the apostles Peter and Paul. I like to think of the Book of Acts more as “The Adventures of Peter and Paul,” where they confront adversaries, break out of prisons, get shipwrecked, and perform miracles. More importantly, they do not journey alone. They share their adventures together. In a sense, Acts is the ongoing saga of the people of God who are women and men and children just like us. Although the Book of Acts ends at chapter 28, I like to think that you and I are still writing chapter 29 of Acts by our lives as Christians. In a sermon I preached sometime ago, I said that Acts is not only about the adventures of Peter and Paul but also the adventures of Kim and Tim, Liz and Sherry, Phil and Priscilla, Scout and Ashley, you and me. We journey together.
And the journey continues as we return from the summer to worship, to pray, to serve, and to minister at Christ Church. Again, it is an invitation to take risks and to take adventures not done before knowing that God is with us in our labors and in our lives. I remember once being with a group of clergy whose mantra was “God is good… all the time.” In that faith that God is always good, we gather back together on Sunday, September 12th, for Holy Cross Sunday, for resuming services at 8:15 am and 10 am, and for church school registration. On Saturday, October 2nd, we will have a family outing of kayaking and canoeing on the Charles River. I hope many can join me there; and perhaps, you can help me brush up on my bow, backwater, and draw strokes.
Faithfully yours,
The Rev. Robert “Skip” Windsor
Rector, Christ Church
