Weekly Reflection, Sunday, July 14, 2019
By: Ashley Cameron
The Episcopal Church and the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry are inviting all to reflect, discern, and commit to The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life. It outlines six practices to engage and live “the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial, and redemptive love.” These practices are Turn-Learn-Pray-Worship-Bless-Go-Rest which don’t need to be followed in that order but are there to provide guidance, rhythm, and inspiration.
The “Go” practice was fully witnessed a couple weeks ago through St. Mary’s VBS On-the-Go camp. The practice is written in the title! St. Mary’s rising 4th and 5th graders were tasked with going out to go beyond their circles and comfort to witness the love, justice, and truth of God with their lips and their lives.
This camp sends them out to new places in our wider Richmond community. Two weeks ago, they went to Peter Paul Development Center to pack snack bags for our hungry neighbors to take home; to Pony Pasture to clean up along the James River; to Shalom Farms to harvest organic, healthy food for those lacking access; to GoochlandCares to assist in the food pantry and clothes closet; and to Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church to serve lunch to the homeless.
“Send them into the world in witness to your love,” the Book of Common Prayer says. This was being lived out throughout the week, but it was the most evident on Friday at Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. St. Mary’s group of 17 was broken into small groups to rotate throughout stations of preparing lunch, creating sleep mats out of plastic bags, sorting out clothes in the closet, serving lunch to over 100 homeless people, passing out new t-shirts, and then cleaning up the space afterward. It was a long day for these nine and ten-year-olds but they completed it with eagerness, enthusiasm, and joy!
At one point, two kids were “missing” from a group activity. I wandered into the parish hall to check on them only to find them diligently going around to make sure the last remaining few still eating lunch received their allocated two pieces of candy.
How are we showing compassion for one another? Brother Curtis from SSJE speaks of the generosity of spirit in everyday life and how simple kindness is continually found in the Gospels. This was never clearer than the simple kindness of a ten-year-old passing out candy to an elderly, homeless man and embodying Christ’s love in the world and to our neighbors.
“We GO to listen with humility and to join God in healing a hurting world. We GO to become Beloved Community, a people reconciled in love with God and one another.”