Every Day Can Be Holy

This weekend we will have the privilege of witnessing a major milestone in the lives of 16 individuals. Ten of them (five youth and five adults) will have their Christian faith confirmed by Bishop Sumner, and another eight will be formally received into the Episcopal Church or publicly reaffirm their baptismal covenant in the presence of the bishop. Since these rites are an annual tradition at Transfiguration, it would be easy to take it all for granted, or forget just how big a deal this really is, or even roll your eyes at the inconvenience of a bishop’s visit. I hope we don’t, because what these 16 folks will experience is the culmination of months of dedicated preparation, discernment, and prayer. And dozens of additional people have given hundreds of hours to the work of teaching, mentoring, and praying for them.

And what they will perform in our presence is no mere trifle. It is nothing less than the promise to follow and obey Jesus Christ as Lord, and witness to his saving way, truth, and life through the Episcopal Church. They have spent months, or even years, figuring out what that means, and what it might entail for their lives, and here they finally are, ready to take this big next step. So I hope you’ll pray for them, and show up for them, and be ready to do all in your power to support them in their continued lives in Christ.

Speaking of milestones, I hope you feel like you took a big step in your own faith and life this past month, as we journeyed through Holy Week and Easter. I haven’t yet heard from anyone alleging my promise was faulty — you know, the promise I made that if you will walk the whole way of Holy Week, and especially the Triduum, your life will be deeply, profoundly impacted and changed. I make that promise every year in full confidence that the story of Christ’s Passion, and the powerful ways we experience and remember it in our worship and fellowship, will break into even the most sad or cynical heart. I hope you accepted my invitation, and journeyed with us from the Mount of Olives, to the Place of the Skull, to the Garden Tomb. I hope you went looking for Jesus each place — waving palms, washing feet, keeping vigil, kneeling at the cross — and came to discover that he was looking for you all that time, too. If you missed any of Holy Week, you can listen to the sermons preached at the major services, and check out some of the pictures of the week now hanging on the walls in the Tower Cloister.

Even though not every week can be Holy Week, every day can be holy. Take some time today to breathe deeply, and remember that God is present with you right now. The arms of love that were stretched wide on the cross are stretched wide to embrace you today. The whole of your life is in the shadow of the empty tomb. Don’t forget that amazing, crazy, profound truth.

See you this weekend.

Casey+