From the Rector

From the Rector

January 2024

 

Dear Church,

As I write we’re just beginning a five-month study of the book of Hebrews.

Drawing on numerous characters, situations, and themes from the Old Testament, Hebrews asks the central question: who is Jesus? And in doing so, narrows down the possible answers to a second question like it: who am I?

These are the two biggest questions we could ever ask. So Ben and I are thrilled to be in a maturing congregation like this one, with people who are keen to dig deeper into some of the most important questions and more complex books of the bible.

We started to notice this trend during the pandemic, as people took stock and rearranged many of their priorities. But we noticed it especially last year during our study of Revelation in the Fall. It’s not an easy book by any means, and it’s even one that believers tend to avoid sometimes, but our largest Adult Forum meeting and our most popular Podcast study were both on the hardest part of that book. Accordingly, the staff, vestry, and other leaders in the church started asking themselves what this might be telling us, about what the church needs in the next season.

Last year we did a lot of work to the church grounds, and in (maybe) 2025, when the money has come in, we’ll be working inside again, renovating our parish hall or sanctuary. That means 2024 is a great year to focus on the things that matter most: people!

At our annual meeting in January we celebrated the successes of our service team, mission partners, small groups, and children’s and youth ministries. We also announced the launch of a new prayer ministry team, and shared a vision for more church mission trips and even a church retreat away together.

These things matter because they all flow from those central questions, about God and people: who is Jesus / who am I? And they strike at the heart of what we think we are here for in Fox Chapel.

In Genesis we read that people were made for three primary things: (1) relationship with God; (2) fellowship with each other; and (3) meaningful work. But the fall introduced division and pain into all three spheres. Something I have seen especially acutely in our local community.

Commit
As a result of the fall, we worship all sorts of things that are not God. They become our priority, and ultimately, they consume us. Many, especially our youngest generations, express a sense of listlessness, distance from God, and lack of purpose. And so the primary business of the church is preaching who Jesus is, and who we can become in Him.

Connect
Likewise, the more we use social media, and network with each other in business or online, instead of loving each other in person, the more we feel alone, and adrift from any real community. We live as isolated individuals, and competitors, in little tribes, mainly comprised of people we believe agree with us, but that we never in fact meet, or people that we think might be useful to us, that we never intend to serve. And so the second business of the church is preaching what it looks like to know Jesus together, as a community being transformed and healed by Holy Spirit as one body.

Contribute
Finally, many people hate their jobs, or can’t find one, and many of find themselves toiling, instead of enjoying their rest. What’s odd, is that even when we’re away from our jobs, many of us still feel like we have too much to do. We are busy, and our constant campaigning, addictions to screens, fretting about money, and obsessions with beautiful bodies, and academic certificates, and perfect homes seems to have obliterated any sense of the deep sabbath rest for which we were designed.

And so the third business of the church is studying, confessing, grieving, and feasting together all year long. We are meant to hold each other up when times are hard, and party when they’re good. But you can’t do that, without people who are willing to carve out the time to serve the coffee, open the doors, prepare the table, read the word, operate the sound, any many other things besides.

So what does it mean to be a community church preaching the gospel?

I would argue, it means all the things that come up in the book of Hebrews, and all the groups and teams we celebrated at the annual meeting. It means finding our identity in Christ, and then committing, connecting and contributing to the life of the church together.

2024 is all about finding even more ways to do that.

Love in Christ,
Rev’d Alex

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