Come Holy Spirit!

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  

— From the Book of Common prayer, pp. 280 (Good Friday), 291 (Easter Vigil), 515 (Ordination of a Bishop), 528 (Ordination of a Priest), 540 (Ordination of a Deacon)). 

This evening at St. Mark’s we have the sacred and joyful task of participating in the ordination of Meredith Rogers. Please note that I said we are participating. While this is a wonderful day for Meredith, it is also a wonderful day for our parish and the church as a whole. We don’t do anything as individuals in the church. We act as a body, and we pray as a body.   

The Bishop will lay hands on Meredith, but it is an extension of countless hands that have brought us to this moment. Meredith makes vows this evening, but we also make vows. We promise, after presenting her, that we will uphold her in her ministry. We made vows to her at her baptism and confirmation as well. And she has made vows to our community as we have baptized and confirmed others all along the way. Most of us probably haven’t been present at each of these stages for individuals, a few have—and what a wonderful witness that is for a Christian life. But it doesn’t matter which individuals have gathered each time nearly as much as it matters that the Body of Christ has gathered. That Body is the one who must be present for the Holy Spirit to show up for the community vowing. The fire of Pentecost didn’t descend in private, but powerfully in community. 

The prayer we say this evening is not the only prayer, but it is an important one. It follows our presentation of Meredith, her willingness to undertake this sacred work, and our willingness to support her in her ministry in the church. It is also not the only place this prayer shows up. It is a prayer that is said on Good Friday and at the Easter Vigil. It is a prayer that Meredith will embody in her life as a deacon and a priest, and one she has already embodied as a disciple of Christ. Our ability to make our own commitment to her is because we too follow this path.   

Our lives follow a cruciform pattern. Things are cast down and raised up. People are cast down and raised up. Things which have grown old are made new. Our lives are but a marking of this holy pattern, and this holy pattern is a sacred mystery we do together. Sometimes, we are the ones making the vows, and sometimes, we are part of the assent that makes the living of those vows possible. All of this is done with God’s help and presence. Thanks be to our loving God who sends the Holy Spirit among us. This is holy work. It is not for the faint-hearted, and still we say, “Come Holy Spirit!’ 

Peace, Beth +