Always We Begin Again

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. — Collect for Proper 22C

One of my favorite books on the Rule of Benedict is by John McQuiston entitled Always We Begin Again. The collect appointed for this Sunday invites us to partner with a God who longs for us. God is always ready, but frankly, it is often me who gets in the way of that relationship. God is waiting with eager ears to listen. I’m the one who allows the pace of my life to distract me and get in the way of truly sinking into the deeper invitation God has for my life. Yet somehow, when I show up and pray, everything is better.

The first line of this collect is not a condemnation, but rather an acknowledgment that God is always happy when we return to patterns that most connect us to God and our community. Those practices include how we pray with one another, how we support our common ministry with our time, and our financial gifts. This collect is particularly timely as this month we begin intentionally engaging in prayer and reflection around stewardship in all areas of our lives.

If you didn’t hear yet, the theme for our common life together for the next few years is: Rooted in Christ, Living Generously. I hope you joined one of the small group gatherings hosted this fall (there are still two more chances!). We shared the ways our St. Mark’s community impacts our lives and imagined new ways in which we can continue feeding San Antonio the Bread of Life. Our stewardship committee took great care generating our “Rooted” theme and are excited to share that process with you in the coming weeks during the Ministry Minute at worship, and through small but mighty written reflections shared by your fellow pew mates.

Shortly following the receipt of your mailed stewardship package is the annual parish meeting and pledge ingathering when we collectively honor the tradition of pledging our gifts to God and one another during each worship service on October 26. At the 9:15 am hour that same day in Gish Hall, our lay leadership (Vestry Wardens and Treasurer) will present a financial outline and a look at the last year of the life of St. Mark’s. I should also note, the tradition of tasting pies and cheese straws during this meeting endures!

Finally, I ask you to listen to or watch the candid and sincere conversation some of us had surrounding how stewardship forms us as people of faith, Living Generously. I hope you take time to do so. It was deeply meaningful and an important reminder that we need spaces and places where we reflect together about the good gift of our lives.

Generosity flows from prayer, acts of kindness, and choosing how to share our financial gifts. Budgeted monetary giving is a part of our spiritual practice of stewarding our own lives. Finding that posture of generosity combats the fear-based narrative of scarcity which is so prevalent in today’s culture. Integrating prayer with the spiritual practice of generosity truly makes us God’s light in the world.

Peace, Beth +