Did you ever get a tune stuck in your head? That happened to me yesterday morning and it is still happening, although to a lesser degree. It is really a fragment of a tune, along with its corresponding lyric. Be thankful you can’t hear me sing it, but here it is in written form: “Well, it’s a new day, think new thoughts.” The phrase is not particularly poetic, or eloquent, but it is great advice and theologically solid. Be thankful for today and its many blessings. Be thankful for the opportunity God has given us daily to be renewed, restored, reconciled, forgiven. We are not bound by a pattern of unhealthy habits, failure of imagination, or the weight of sin. With each new day, we can begin again. Jesus calls us to new life. Jesus calls us to think about the present, not obsessing about the past, nor being anxious about the future. In the prayer he has taught us, we pray for “our daily bread.” Every day the Psalmist invites us to rejoice, “for this is the day that the Lord hath made, and we shall be glad in it.”
As we enter into a new year at St. Paul’s, and elect a new Vestry class at our Annual Parish meeting on Sunday, we give thanks for the ministry of our retiring Vestry members, Joe Farri, Steve Haughey, Jan Vick, and our Senior Warden, Keith Calder. We thank them because, day by day, they prayed and worked, and gave generously of their time, talent and treasure, so that the Kingdom of God came closer to fruition in this place. Now the new Vestry class, Layne Dupree, Matt Langley, Steve Martin, Tom Sramek, and Merry Ann Wright begin a new day in which to advance the Kingdom of God, shaped, in part, by the ministry that takes place on this sacred ground at 16 N 16th Street called St. Paul’s.
God is calling St. Paul’s to a new day, every day. Each day is filled with endless possibilities. Each day is filled with folks eager for a new day—ready for healing, for faith, for spiritual support, for formation that shapes the heart and mind, for music that stirs the soul, for youth ministry that grounds our children in faith, for fellowship that feeds the body and the soul, for worship that sanctifies the day, for mission that feeds the hungry and clothes the naked, for hospitality that welcomes the stranger, for resources of treasure and talent to support the work of ministry through people and facilities, and for acts of repentance that lead to healing and reconciliation. To which new ministry are you called? Remember, “it’s a new day, think new thoughts”
Speaking of new, we will be adding an outdoor service of Holy Eucharist in the garden/parking lot area at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays beginning on the first Sunday in Lent, February 21. Folks are invited to bring their own chairs, wear masks, and be at least 6 feet apart. Specific details and more information is coming soon.
Keep the faith! Be safe. Pray daily.
Peace,
Ray