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Dear
Beloved Community of Saint Mark’s,
“The
next day Jesus saw John coming toward him and declared,
‘Here
is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’”
— John
1:29
In the
opening chapter of John’s Gospel, we are invited into a holy moment
of recognition and response. John the Baptist points—not to himself,
not to the future he imagines, but to Jesus—and says simply, “Here
is the Lamb of God.” What follows is not a command, not a plan,
but an invitation.
Two disciples
hear this witness and begin to follow Jesus. When Jesus turns and
asks, “What are you looking for?” they respond with another
question: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” And Jesus answers
with words that still echo across the centuries: “Come and see.”
This is
how the Church begins.
This is
how faith is shared.
This is
how communities are formed.
This
week, nearly 4,000 people joined together in prayer, and I
cannot express enough gratitude to the Episcopal Church in
Minnesota and the wider Episcopal Church for coordinating
that vigil. The pastoral messages from the Presiding Bishop
and Bishop Loya were deeply comforting, and the prayer we
shared together was Holy and healing. In uncertain times, it matters
deeply to remember that we are not alone,we
are held in a wide and faithful network of prayer and love.
We are
living in a season much like that first chapter of John—a season of
pointing, listening, following, and learning. We do not yet know all
that lies ahead. We do know, however, who goes before us. Christ is
already present, already at work, already calling us by name.
Later in
the passage, Andrew goes and finds his brother Simon and says, “We
have found the Messiah.” And Jesus, seeing Simon, gives him a new
name—Peter—signaling that God’s call often comes before we feel
ready, before we fully understand, and before the future is clear.
This is
the pattern of discipleship:
1. Someone bears witness
2. Someone listens
3. Someone follows
4. Someone invites another
The Church
moves forward not by certainty, but by faithfulness. Not by having
all the answers, but by responding to Christ’s invitation: “Come
and see.”
In these
uncertain days, many of us are asking how to live our faith more
fully—how to connect, how to serve, how to respond with love. To help
make those connections visible, I invite you to look to the Community
Engagement Communication Network, which will be live on our
website beginning Monday, January 19. This will serve as a
clearinghouse of activities and opportunities, helping each of us
discern where we may feel called to engage.
As a
Cathedral family, I invite us to continue holding one another in
prayer. And remember this: if you serve at the altar, if you are an
acolyte, lector, usher, or verger, if you help prepare or serve at
Sunday Night Supper—if you ever ask yourself whether you are doing
something to help heal God’s world—the answer is yes, you are.
Things
to Know & Community Updates
Annual
Meeting — January 25
Our
Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 25, at the Cathedral.
To accommodate the meeting and the lunch that will follow, we will
gather for one principal worship service at 10:00 a.m. that
morning.
Commissioning
of Lay Ministers
Within the
10:00 a.m. service, we will celebrate the commissioning of Lay
Ministers for the coming year. The organization of the Church is
grounded in the discipleship of Christ and the priesthood of all
believers. Lay leadership and ordained ministry together reflect a
deep theological commitment to shared life and shared work.
We will
commission the following ministries and leaders:
1. Michaela Johnson, as Send Minister, serving in community
engagement and outreach in partnership with The Rev. Clara Sanders
2. Joan Olson, as Transform
Minister, encompassing Formation and Pastoral Care, supported by Dr.
Helen Hansen, The Rev. Dr. Jay Phelan, Dr. Andy Stewart,
and Canon Community Developer Mary Lusk
3. Emmanuel Wilson and Kimberley Johnson, as Gather Ministers,
serving in the continuum of Welcome through Incorporation ministries,
supported by Mary Lusk
Commissioning
of Lay Preachers
I will
also have the privilege of commissioning two new Lay Preachers who
have completed the Episcopal Church in Minnesota’s training and are
licensed to preach: Chip Fort and Brandon Lorge. They
join a long tradition of ministers who open the Word and engage the
world with faith and courage.
Please
join us not only for the Annual Meeting, but also to celebrate these
faithful disciples and the ministries they are called to lead among
us.
As Saint
Mark’s continues to walk through this season of transition, I invite
you to remain rooted in the simple, powerful movement of the Gospel:
1. Keep pointing to Christ
2. Keep listening for God’s voice
3. Keep walking together
4. Keep inviting one another deeper into faith, hope, and
love
Christ
is in our midst!
Christ
is naming us, shaping us, and calling us forward together.
Grace
and peace,
Tim+
The Rev.
Timothy M. Kingsley
Provost,
Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral
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