Who Are You Going To Invite?

Recently at a vestry meeting Mtr. Lisa used a check-in question that still resounds with me, which was something like: What are you going to do at St. James during Lent, and who are you going to invite? Everybody on the vestry had the opportunity to respond, and it was heartwarming.

So what about you? What are you doing at St. James during Lent? As we are now in the season of Lent, you may have already started a ‘Lenten discipline.’ You know, kinda like a New Year’s resolution, only with a focus on growing/strengthening your faith. People often talk about giving something up for Lent. Some will mention that they take on something. Hopefully all of us have some type of focus on our faith during Lent: denial of self to follow Christ. This is a major emphasis of the season, and has been a faith tradition for centuries.

So what about you? Whom are you going to invite? While determining a Lenten discipline may not be easy, you may find it much more difficult to invite others to join you at St. James for the worship and/or fellowship and/or service opportunities that we have. After all, isn’t your faith something just between you and God?

Prayer

Perhaps you should consider the following quote from one of the Cowley Fathers (Society of St. John the Evangelist – SSJE, in Cambridge, MA):

You’ll notice that what we call the Lord’s Prayer is in first person plural, not first person singular. We don’t begin the prayer by saying, “My Father in heaven.” Nor do we pray, “Give me today my daily bread.” Our Father; our bread. Our relationship with God is quite personal, but it is not private. 

–Br. Curtis Almquist

This is why we go to St. James – we call it “community.” Our worship, our fellowship, our service, our faith: these are all very personal to us. And we are called to share. As we mature as Christians we transition our focus in faith from the self to the other.

Re-start your Faith

Lent is a wonderful time to ‘re-start’ and ‘re-fresh’ our faith, however strong or weak it may be. The first part of the check-in question from the vestry meeting is an invitation to each of us. You are invited to a number of opportunities at St. James for worship, fellowship, and service. Bring yourself! The second part of the check-in question is also an invitation to each of us. Bring someone (or multiple people) with you to share in your faith, as God calls you to do.

Deacon Terry Garner