Advent Letter
Saint John's Church

Advent 2004

Dear Members and Friends,

Welcome to a new year of life in the Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days. No, we aren't becoming Mormons, we are being reminded that the Church does not belong to us, but that we belong to it, or more accurately, to Him.

As I have reflected over the state of the Church recently, I have been thinking about the Church's past encounters with new ways of thinking, and wondering if ever since the first Advent there has been a time when some part of the "official" Church has not opposed or obstructed the honest labour and conclusions of new ways of thinking or science. I actually got angry thinking of how often, while purporting to conserve truth and morals for succeeding generations, at every significant turn of thought in her history some official part of the Church has ranted, condemned, burnt, blunted, persecuted, held back and quashed whenever and wherever she could. It often appears that the Church, in the name of God and of preventing evils, has not been able to see the possible good, and, dare I say, the work of the Holy Spirit Himself. Let's face it. Where would the world be today if the Church had been able to have its unfettered way throughout history?

The Church has displayed a tragic lack of faith in her children, a lack of faith which Christ did not share. He entrusted to us His truth, and His ministry of reconciliation. More troubling than that lack of faith, however, is that the Church has displayed a staggering lack of faith in the Holy Spirit, preferring to believe in the greater power of evil to corrupt than the power of Almighty God to sanctify.

Whatever then are we to do with the Church?? Reject her? Abandon her? No. As one cynic brazenly put it, "She may be a whore, but she is our mother." No, we may not despair of her. Why? Despite all of her fear of change and her obstructionism she is, literally, the world's best hope. As Peter said to Christ, "To whom else shall we go, Lord. You alone have the words of eternal life."

No doubt about it, the Church has a chequered history of following the Lord who came in an humble Advent so long ago. But she is distinguished far more by the light of her martyrs than the darkness of her reactionary frowardness and sell-outs. From her earliest beginnings, at this time every year she proclaims anew the Advent of the world's true Light to a rising generation. From these new generations will come the new saints who will overturn this era's blindness and hardness of heart by the light of their love, their humility, their insight, their suffering, and in some instances, their martyrdom. They will have been nurtured at the same bosom of Christ as all those in every preceding generation, His Church. They will be the Church, Christ's light in the world.

What you and I need to be sure of, is that we are fighting on the side of the angels. The rebuke of Christ to Peter, who would stand in his way, should ring in our ears, "Get behind me, Satan!". Christ will come again this Christmas in a new Advent for anyone who has the heart to receive and hear Him. In following Him, each of us can make real reparation for the evils in the Church's past and present by 1) learning from them, and 2) by vowing in the Holy Spirit not to allow them to be repeated. Most effectively, we can undo the evils of our day by our own concrete actions in building a new world of faith, hope, and love together with the Saviour. Here are just a few examples of how: One of our parishioners saw a desperate need for an appreciation of history among Baltimore City school children and is taking an active part in teaching them, and is arranging trips to Annapolis and other historic sites. As a means of helping the Church to have spiritually grounded, compassionate, and intelligent priests one of our members has undertaken a special ministry of support to the seminarians we help sponsor. Another person has made a special ministry of making sure that minorities are welcomed here, and that gays and lesbians are reassured that they, too, are indeed welcome in Saint John's family and at God's Altar. Another has seen a need for help in strengthening local families and so joined the board of the Waverly Family Center, and another has seen the need for help to the homeless and has volunteered at the Franciscan Center. All these things address issues in our past and present, from ignoring history to ignoring the poor. Were Christ to return in his second Advent, what would He find you doing to build His kingdom?

As we engage new ideas and even challenging or shocking ideas, through all the debates and confusions today, we must not relinquish to any backward-looking part of either the Church or the world the deeper truth the Holy Spirit is leading us into through the suffering of His people, a hard chastening to embrace. To do so would be to blaspheme the Holy Spirit yet again. I, for one, want to make my work with those who press on into the future God has promised us and we pray for: His kingdom.

A blessed Advent to each of you, and may His kingdom come!

(The Rev'd) Jesse L. A. Parker
Rector of Saint John's Church in the Village
Baltimore