A Weekly Reflection, Sunday, January 7, 2018
By: Weezie Blanchard
I am terrible at saying goodbye. In fact, I’m writing this at noon on Friday because I had a total mental block that I had even agreed to write this, which was meant to be my written goodbye reflection. And as the staff is laughing and shaking their heads outside my door, I’m wondering why that is…
Perhaps one reason is that I don’t feel like I’m really saying goodbye. Yes, we are moving to Denver. Yes, I will no longer be the rector of St. Mary’s. But at the same time, you all have become so much a part of my life that you are now part of who I am, no matter what the future holds for me.
You all welcomed me warmly from the time that I started here in January 2015, and we have been on a wonderful – if not always easy – trajectory ever since. Through John Miller’s retirement, through the discernment process, through the “longest job interview ever,” as Al Rider describes the time leading up to when I became rector, and especially through the last 16 months when I have been honored to serve as the third full-time rector of St. Mary’s, we have worked together to figure out how to be the Body of Christ at St. Mary’s and the world. What a blessing!
I believe that St. Mary’s is something that has been entrusted to each of us. It is both a holy and a happy place, and I love that those two things are not mutually exclusive. God’s presence is so strong in the affection and respect that we have for the history of St. Mary’s, our pride in its mission church sensibility, and the commitment to a common life in the Body of Christ that is so essential to a healthy, striving church. Never have I known a church where those attributes were so integral to its DNA.
And it has been a delight and privilege to see the evidence of God’s presence become an ever-increasing part of our life together. That is a tribute to you all – parishioners and staff. You all make the love of Christ come alive here and in the wider world. I carry that with me with the deepest gratitude, humility, respect, and love. Thank you all.