This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy fall! I have to admit that after the heat of the summer, I get a rush of exhilaration when I can sit outside on my porch, enjoy my morning coffee, and write my e-Messenger. Decoy is curled up on one of our pool lounge chairs while I am writing this. It may seem silly, but in this moment, all feels right in the world. I know a day is coming, and stress will play its part, but in this moment, I give thanks. I pray that you enjoy similar moments. For the weather, the quiet, the time, and all of you, I give thanks. Gratefulness is a practice. I hope you will join me in it.

This week our collect of the day is "Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen". 

It is one of my favorites, and it is one of the older prayers in our tradition. Thomas Cranmer translated it himself. I found myself reflecting on this prayer this week. What would it have meant for a traveler on the road in 1662? Little protection, counting on the kindness of strangers and your own wit, ingenuity, and instincts. What would it have meant during the Revolutionary War, for members of the Church of England, fighting on both sides? What would it have meant during the Civil War and Western Expansion? What would it have meant during World War I, World War II? I wonder what it meant to a young Jonathan Daniels, the seminarian who sacrificed himself for a young freedom rider and was shot and killed. It's a prayer that has meant a lot to a lot of people over time.

For me, it is both a prayer of protection and guidance. It is also a prayer that calls us to right action in the face of adversity. Being continually called to "good works" bids us to care for the wounded on the side of the road, like the Good Samaritan, just as it calls us to clothe the naked, just as St. Martin did when he cut his cloak and covered the beggar. Cranmer translated the prayer. He did not write it; it was older than him. I wonder what it means to us today.

Walking wet in the waters of baptism calls us to be continually open to good works. The Bible tells us what these good works are. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the stranger, the neighbor, and the enemy alike. In doing these things, we ask God to shield us, front and back, that we may walk as children of Christ. For well over a thousand years, Christians have prayed this short but powerful prayer, and we have over a thousand years of examples of people who have done this. I pray we can continually do the same. Over the next few months, we will have ample opportunities to serve. Lord, may your grace precede and follow all of the people of St. Martin's as we seek to dedicate ourselves to good works. The works of Jesus and the works of the saints, known and perhaps known to just you, who have shown us the way.

Peace,

Mitch