By Father Casey
This week is an exciting… and stressful… week. We have finally reached the day we’ve been talking about for months, when we move out of the sanctuary and sacristy to allow long-planned maintenance and renovations to begin. This weekend we begin worshipping in Roper Hall, and to get that space ready, an army of volunteers and staff are right now busily at work – relocating all the contents of the sacristy, moving the altar, hanging art, arranging seating, and installing A/V equipment, among other things.
It’s a hive of activity up here this week, all in the hopes of being ready when you come for services this Saturday and Sunday. It has been a herculean effort, as members from all over our community gather together to transform Roper Hall into a place of worship for the coming weeks and months. Our leaders on facilities, altar guild, acolytes, and many other teams have put their hearts and souls into making this transition as smooth as it can possibly be.
We’re doing all we can to be ready…but it will not be perfect. There will be things we forget to consider, things that aren’t quite “right,” things that frustrate or disappoint us. Roper Hall will be made holy by our presence and prayers, but it won’t be exactly like being in the sanctuary. So I’m going to ask you to do something important for me this week and in the weeks and months to come. I’m asking you not to allow perfection to become an obstacle to praise. Be patient as we worship in a new way. Bring a spirit of generosity and curiosity to this experience. God never asks for our worship to be perfect; God does ask for us to bring our whole hearts, and those we can offer anywhere, at any time.
For the coming months, I want to propose a three-sided covenant: between each one of us, God, and the rest of our Transfiguration community. The Lord will be us in the breaking of the bread, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And while it may be a bit different, I promise that Transfiguration’s worship over the next few months will still be reverent, beautiful, and prayerful.
So I’m asking you to covenant to attend church every week that you’re in town and able. Don’t let perfection be an obstacle to praise, but instead come week by week to lift up your heart to the Lord. Help us fill our Roper Hall Church with prayers and music and friendship and love, so Transfiguration will continue to thrive. Make a promise to yourself, and to the rest of our community, that you’ll be there, with us.
For this season will be a big, fun adventure – it will be wonderful, as long as we stick together, rise above the stress, and keep on living out our mission here in this holy place.
Father Casey+