Change


As a child, I was the ideal Episcopalian.  I hated change.  I wanted everything to stay the same – predicable, expected, easy.  I knew would happen and I knew how to respond.  Essentially, I didn’t have to think and I wasn’t challenged, which was fine by me.  Life was hard enough and there were so many things I had no control over, so keeping church the same was perfect.

And then, when I was in fifth grade, our priest decided that he would change the long-held tradition of kids waiting until Confirmation (which was done in 6th grade) to receive communion and instruct my cohort to receive communion BEFORE we were Confirmation (a whole year early).  I was not happy.  I didn’t want to participate because it was different, and not for any grand theological reason but because it was a change!  Even after I heard the explanation that Baptism was full initiation into the Christian faith and that I was (essentially) eligible to receive communion since I was 3 months old, I still didn’t like it.  But I was told to get with the program and deal with it.

I resisted change throughout my childhood because I thought it would make my life easier.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The reality is that change is inevitable – some highly anticipated and some desperately avoided.  What is important is how we choose to deal the changes we encounter.  I have found that reflection and asking for God’s presence in the midst of the change, even the anticipation of it, helps make the change more manageable.

For instance, we will be saying good-bye to a long-time member of St. Barnabas this weekend.  Nick Hrinkevich has been a beloved member of this community for many years.  We are grateful for his steadfast presence and constant faith, even when faced with the death of this beloved wife, Helena, and his granddaughter, Nicky. Nick has made the brave choice to move in with his son and daughter-in-law in Maryland, which is too far away from us to commute!

I’ve known this change was coming of many months, but it is still hard to say goodbye to one of the people that interviewed me for the position of Rector.  He has needled and teased me, told me bad jokes and challenged my understanding of the Bible, and I am better for it.  And while I know that his leaving is the best thing for him, I will miss him, as I am sure we all will.   While there is still a small part of me that would like to avoid this change, my better self knows it is the best choice for Nick.  We at St. Barnabas will change because of his absence among us, knowing that no one will make the coffee the way he does or manage the grill with the same panache. 

We have said goodbye to many of our younger members as they head off to college and their life’s work, blessing them on their way and reminding them they always have a place to call their home parish.  We offer the same support to Nick and hope he will come back to visit us from time to time.

At to a stalwart Russian, we offer an old Irish prayer:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

We will send Nick off properly this Sunday during the 10:30 AM service with a special Coffee Hour following. 

In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+

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