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Rector's Message - May 2008
Sons and Daughters of Life's Longing
That title is a line from a poem by Kahlil Gibran. I used the poem this December in a sermon about our children, and it came to mind again this week as we finalize our work calling our new Assistant Rector for Children, Youth, and Young Adults. So much energy in this place revolves around our youth and children; our new assistant’s work will be to give that energy focus so that it might bear fruit in the life of our community. As I thought about our children, three pieces of wisdom came to mind—none of them mine. They were shared with me by those whose work with children had enlightened them, and I’ll share them in turn with you.
To begin with is a commonplace among youth-workers: Our children and youth are not the Church’s future; they are the Church now! I’ve heard this many times and in many places. It’s always stated with insistence and exuberance, almost a protest against those who care for our youth, but who see them as apples not yet ripe that should be stored away while the present feast is enjoyed. Children are the Church now, is the riposte. We must take them seriously for who they are, what they would tell us, how they would love us and change us. As I’ve seen these bundles of energy rushing around our facilities, or pausing thoughtfully to say hello or thank you to someone older—some slow-mover, like me—I wonder how we can take them with anything less than seriousness.
That has been a gift of this place for some time, I think. It was both learned and expressed in Barbara Everhart’s ministry. So much of St. Thomas’ joy around our children is rooted in her work. The seriousness with which she took our children was manifest so fully in her commitment to intergenerational events in our parish life; both she and others have described for me the importance of such events. We need to gather frequently the older, the younger, and all those in between. The hope, I think, is that the in-betweeners who are so busy running the affairs of the world might learn from the old and the young that life happens now, when we enjoy and appreciate each other. The old and the young can, likewise, support one another in this commitment, lest the in-betweeners (again, folks like me) distract them with anxiety about tomorrow.
What can we learn from one another when we take each other seriously? Rachel Manteuffel is working with our children on “The Awesome Playgue,” aided by the able assistance of our youth, and she shared with me the third point of wisdom regarding our children. I had thought that Rachel would just write the play, but it turns out that it will be a collaborative affair. When I asked her how the play was going, she replied, “Yeah, it is going well! I am adapting my ideas to what the kids enjoy and find funny or important, in hopes they will be more spirited. Except for the ones who are already way spirited, and the hope there is it will look like that is what is supposed to happen.” Of course, their spirit is what is supposed to happen. That’s the beauty of their gift to us; Rachel, I think, is channeling this gift.
I don’t know what wisdom our new assistant will bring us about children and youth, though I’m sure that I’ll learn from it. I also know her well enough to be sure that she will, likewise, learn from our children and youth. They bring us so much, and so I’m pleased that we made the commitment to bring a new assistant rector to them.
+ Fr. Stephen
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