New Beginnings

Penetcost Sunday is a "New Beginning". It is the time when the Spirit is sent to the children of God to give them the courage and strength to share, spread and live into the love, forgiveness and Grace that God has offered to us through the selfless giving of his Son Jesus.

This weekend, Memorial Day weekend 2010, also known in the "church world" as "Trinity Sunday", we have a conglomeration of newness going on. We remember those who have served this wonderful land we call the United States of America. We have many "new" names in which we add to the list of those who have died in service to our country. No matter your political stance on the wars in Iraq, Afganistan, and Pakistan, we must stop, give thanks and remember those who have served the USA to the point of death. We must remember the burden on the families that those deaths have left behind: the spouses now widowed, the children now orphaned, the parents who have now outlived their children, all so that we might still have a "free" life.

Yet, there is more going on this weekend in our "world"...at least the world of the Kenny and Tania Miller world and the world of St. Paul's Church, Smithfield. We have a new beginning. This past week I announced that I had accepted a call to serve as the Rector of St. Boniface, Mequon, Wisconsin. This sparks the "memories" of the past three years of my ministry in Smithfield. There have been many successes and, yes, my share of failures. But the ministry that has occurred has been in concert with the fine and wonderful people of St. Paul's.

This announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter in my ministry, the life of my family, and the life of the parish of St. Paul's. It brings with it a lot of uncertainty. IF we are not careful, the uncertainty can bring fear. However, we must stand firm in our faith and trust that we are surrounded by God's love and grace, and more importantly, we are surrounded with the Holy Spirit of God who will give us the strength to take the necessary steps forward on our Spiritual Journey.

One thing we must be aware of in this is that not only does this announcement mark the new beginning for the Miller family and for the parish of St. Paul's, but it marks the beginning of a new chapter in the life of St. Boniface. They, too, have been faithful, yes, maybe blindly, in calling a new Rector. Like me and St. Paul's, they have their successful moments as well as their failures, yet in their call, they trust that they and their new Rector is surrounded by the Holy Spirit.

My prayer for all of us, St. Paul's, St. Boniface, and my family is that we not dwell on the shortcomings of the past, but learn from them. My prayer is that we focus on the positives and build on them. My prayer is that we all find our passions and serve God faithfully, building the church, seeking Christ in everyone, and respecting the dignity of every human being.

Remember, when parishioners have had their disagreements or even some may have left, the church is a place of reconciliation. When one is truly, humbly and openly repentent and forgiving, it is our duty as followers of Christ forgive. When one seeks to find God and they look, act, smell, or have a different outlook on life than we do, it is our duty to respect their dignity and welcome them into the household of God. As the hymn says, "Let us build a house where all can dwell...all are named...and from floor to rafter we proclaim, all are welcome in this place." That is my prayer.

My family, St. Paul's in Smithfield and St. Boniface in Mequon will forever be connected, if not by interstate or balance sheet, then by spirit and in my heart.

God's peace be with you all,

Kenny+

Sunday, the first week of Advent, 2009

Today's readings:
AM Psalm 146, 147; PM Psalm 111, 112, 113
Amos 1:1-5,13-2:8; 1 Thess. 5:1-11; Luke 21:5-19

By your endurance you will gain your souls. Luke 21:19

As we enter into Advent, we enter a new beginning where we are to listen to our God as we wait with anticipation the coming of our Lord, our Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Fortunately for us, we get this new beginning to try these things again, because heaven knows we have failed miserably at listening to our Lord. In the world in which we live, we have become so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle that we have lost sight of what the word “wait” means. And“coming of our Lord”? We know exactly what He will look like and how He will act and who He will accept! In the world in which we live, in the culture in which we as citizens of the United States of America live, move and have our being, in the consumerism of the secular Christmas season, we do much to create and facilitate the coming of the Lord in our image. We forget that we were created to live, move, have our being and love in God’s image.

Thank God, that Advent brings to us a new beginning so that we can try once again to live into the reality that we are here to serve God, instead of being served by God. Thank God, that Advent brings us a new beginning to try once again to live into the reality that we are here to anticipate the Nativity of our Lord and Savior into our lives and into the world in which we live. Thank God, that Advent brings us an new beginning to try once again to live into the reality that we as Christians have a hope-filled future if we live into the hope that “when we see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory, we can stand up and raise our heads because our redemption, our salvation, is drawing near.”

We need a new beginning because in the end, we can't do it. God, through his love and mercy offers to us a new beginning, another chance, or shall I say, forgiveness for where we have fallen short. It is in the hope of a new begining and the joy of Advent that we can find the endurance of our faith, through ups and downs, through trials and triumphs, so that we will gain, or at least rediscover, our souls.