January Rector’s Letter
Dear Parish Family,
In this Rector’s letter, I’m thrilled to announce that we have a new Parent's Day Out Director. I’m looking forward to our Annual Parish Meeting. I’m also reflecting on the recent decision by the Church of England to allow blessings of same sex unions.
Thank you!
On behalf of all of our clergy, thank you so much for the very generous Christmas gifts! We are so blessed to be able to serve the Lord and all of you at St. Laurence. The gifts you gave were so generous and so appreciated. Please know of our deep gratitude.
New Parent’s Day Out Director
Thanks be to God, we have a new Parent’s Day Out Director: Erin Wallace. Erin has been a St. Laurence parishioner for about the last decade and now assumes leadership of this very important ministry that we have together. As an elementary teacher for over 20 years in the Arlington ISD, Erin brings substantial knowledge and experience to our PDO ministry. As you know, Cherie Bennett led this ministry for the first five years of its existence. Cathy Barthelemy stepped in to be our Interim Director earlier this fall and now Erin takes the reins.
Parent’s Day Out is far more than babysitting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We spend time with these little ones exploring the world that God has made and His eternal truths that He has passed on to us. It’s a major goal of ours to tell the little ones the great stories of the bible, to help lay a foundation of faith that we hope and pray lasts a lifetime. There is an ambitious curriculum that nurtures educational and spiritual growth.
I am so grateful to Erin for accepting this leadership role and I am excited to see how God will bless her efforts in the years ahead.
Blessing Same Sex Relationships
Many of you will have seen the news that just before Christmas the Church of England began, for the first time, to allow its clergy to bless same sex relationships. Liturgies have been developed and such blessings are underway. The Vatican also made news on this same front, releasing a confusing document that has been interpreted in vastly different ways. Some have insisted that the document allows Roman Catholic clergy to bless same sex couples, while others insist that it does not.
If the Church is invited to bless two business partners who are opening a new restaurant, the Church has always warmly welcomed that opportunity. I myself have had the privilege of blessing several businesses. However, when it comes to blessing sexual partnerships that take place outside of Holy Matrimony, that is not something the Church has the authority to do. These actions by the Church of England claim an authority for the Church which the Church does not have. The Church cannot bless what God has forbidden.
The Church cannot bless lying, or gossiping, or greed, just as the Church cannot bless sexual activity outside of Holy Matrimony. The Church can and does bless people who tell lies, and people who gossip, and people who engage in homosexual activity, and people who commit adultery. The Church blesses sinners with the intent that they leave behind their sinful actions and walk closely with the Lord. However, what is now being proposed is a blessing of persons without the intent that they leave behind their sinful action. That makes all the difference. That, the Church cannot do.
All people who engage in homosexual activity are loved by God, as are all sinners. All sinners are also loved by us, who are commanded to love our neighbor. We are all sinners so this isn’t about pointing our fingers at others. Precisely because we are commanded to love all people, we must call all to repentance. This is what our Lord does in the Gospel and it's what His Church must do. We must call all, regardless of whatever sin they struggle with, to live the moral life, to walk closely with Christ and to experience His grace. All of us stand in need of repentance and the grace that comes with it, myself included.
There are many in our country and beyond who do not believe that there is a moral dimension to sexual activity. However, traditional Christian thought is that all human actions have a moral dimension. If I eat a good dinner, then I’m okay. If I eat, and eat, and eat, then I have chosen the sin of gluttony. All human actions have a moral dimension including sexual activity. There are boundaries on what behaviors are good for us and what behaviors are not, and thanks be to God we have a robust moral tradition to help us navigate. Sexual activity is only blessed by God within the context of Holy Matrimony.
Please pray for clarity in the wider Church.
Annual Parish Meeting
On Sun, Feb. 4, we will meet to give thanks to God for His many blessings on St. Laurence in 2023 and to take a look at what He has in store for us in the year ahead. We will elect new Vestry members and delegates to the Diocesan Convention. We will hear various ministry reports about all of the good work being done in the name of Jesus Christ through our Parish family. We begin with Evensong at 5:00pm, a potluck dinner at 5:30, and then the meeting at 6:00. I hope to see you there!
Thank you all for the opportunity to continue to serve as Rector here at St. Laurence. 13 years ago this month, Fr. Crary retired and I became the 2nd Rector of St. Laurence. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long...I am blessed.
With love,
Fr. John