Beloved Community

Dear friends,

In my late 20s, I joined a parish in Greenfield, Massachusetts.  After arriving, I asked a priest if they had a young adult group, and she said, “No; but you could start one.”  (Clever priest!)  So I sent out a survey:  What ages do you think should be included?  Single folks only or couples, or families with children?  Should our activities be outreach, fellowship, or Bible study? 

To my amusement, when the results came back, people wanted everything.  So I ended up starting The Get-Togethers, a group for folks of all ages that cycled through different kinds of activities so that everyone could participate in whatever most interested them.

Only one survey-taker indicated an interest in Bible study—a young mom a few years older than I was.  We decided to tackle the book of James together.  Every week Lisa would climb the steps to my second-floor apartment with a baby basket in one hand and a Bible in the other.

Since that study, I have always loved the book of James, and I greatly enjoyed our foray through it in September.  During the bishop’s visit we heard James 5:13-20, which begins, Are any among you suffering?  They should pray.  Are any cheerful?  They should sing songs of praise…  James gives practical instruction to the Christian community, telling them how members are to care for one another:  praying for the suffering, rejoicing with the cheerful, anointing the sick, confessing their sins to one another, and forgiving each other.

I thought about this passage while attending a recent diocesan event called Gathering on Sacred Ground.  The conference was offered to help participants think about next steps on the journey of Becoming Beloved Community, our work together to respond to racial injustice.  The keynote speaker, author Canon Stephanie Spellers from the Presiding Bishop’s office, gave a description of beloved community that I want to hang onto:

Beloved Community:

The community where your suffering pains me,

your hope becomes my hope,

and your flourishing makes my heart sing.

The community where I am willing to take risks

and to give up some preference or comfort,

if it means we will all finally become whole.

I think Beloved Community was what James had in mind for the church.  More importantly, I think it’s what Jesus has in mind for the church.  I look forward to continuing our work together to become Beloved Community here at St. Andrew’s and beyond our doors, and I am so grateful that I get to participate in this crucial practice with each of you.

- Blessings.  -Anne