Behold, I am doing a new thing
No, I’m not recycling an old blog - just thinking about this old phrase.
“Behold I am doing a new thing” is on my heart a lot these days, which is usually God’s way of telling me to say something, or learn something, or pay attention. We’ve made it into year two, welcome. We are at the start of a new church year, welcome. We have regular in-person masses, welcome. We have a new home, welcome. We are still doing new things through God’s inspiration and God says “Welcome my beloved. I’m glad you are here.”
Rev Colleen and I have had many conversations where we are aware of the remarkable place that is Holy Presence. We are so awed (or as the Irish say “gobsmacked”) by what has happened over the past year, we can hardly believe it - let alone keep up! It was on neither of our bucket lists to start a church at this point in our lives. We weren’t certain how we were going to do it, but we were very certain God was leading us to do so. And immediately, you all started coming to Zoom masses - did you ever think that would be a thing? You engaged in prayer with us and we began building new relationships as a church, a church that ran itself through phone calls and on video. As our technological wizzardry grew, we found ways to pray together 5 days a week. We found out how we could gather and play BINGO. We were able to gather together in the middle of a pandemic, build community, and laugh, hope and cry together, all from the comfort of our living rooms, because we couldn’t leave them. Wow. In what could have been a recipe for loneliness, isolation, depression, grief - a living hell; we created a community that focused on God’s will for us, on God’s inspirations, and God’s love. You are a remarkable people, Holy Presence, remarkable. To have a whole group of people following God’s lead to “do a new thing” is priceless not to mention miraculous.
God didn’t stop with just a virtual church however. God laid a new church home in our lap. God inspired a reporter to find our more about our story, which led to an article in the newspaper, which led to more people joining our community, and still, after all of that God is continuing to build our relationships. Some days, Colleen and I don’t have the words to describe what we’re seeing except to say ‘WOW’ and" “thank you Jesus”.
As we continue to figure out what God wants us to do next, I urge us to remember what we were called to do a year ago, as those needs are still prevalent. We need to pray together, learn together, praise God in all we do. We need to learn to be in the same building together and incorporate those on our computer screen, because we, together, from the pew to our living room chair are the community of Holy Presence. We need to continue to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit’s guiding and share with others this new way to be church and invite them into our community. Because, come on, did you ever expect to be in a Catholic Church with 2 women priests and is run by the community? “Behold, I am doing a new thing”, says God. Indeed this is so.
So on behalf of Rev. Colleen and myself we say THANK YOU. Thank you for being God’s presence in this bizarre world. Thank you for praying together - wherever you are, for there is no greater way to serve and love than through prayer. Thank you for your continued ideas of ways we can be. And most of all, thank you for your patience with us, and your steadfast love. Holy Presence you are God’s new thing - learning and growing each day, deepening the roots of faith with each passing day, and bringing comfort to those of us who (which is really all of us) need it during these unusual times. At no time in my life have I been more certain that “all will be well, all will be well, all matter of things will be well.” Thank you.
May God continue to do new things through us and with us. May God’s grace and tenderness and mercy fill us. May God continue to use us as God’s hands, feet, and breath in the world so we may all find peace and justice. And, may we always give praise to the One who created us and made us beloved children of Love. Amen.
Rev. Joan
