God is doing a new thing here

In the 11 years I’ve been a member of St. Stephen’s, I’ve gone through many life transitions, as we all have. I’ve gotten married, changed jobs, changed homes, gone through a very painful period of infertility, and ended up having children. Through it all, St. Stephen’s has been that soft place to land for me, and I’ve been able to come to church when I am in the depths of being brokenhearted, and when I am bubbling over with joy and gratitude.

– Mary Ashburn Pearson

God is the source of this abundance, and we express our gratitude by sharing it with others.

What are some of the ways you have experienced abundance through St. Stephen’s Church—through our village green, our twenty-first century abbey, our healing community? How has this church been a source of comfort and support to you during these anxious times? We would love to hear from you.

We want to share your experiences of inviting, grounding, and serving with others in this community of faith.

Send your brief reflection on how St. Stephen’s has touched your life to sbartenstein@ststephensRVA.org.

…You are in this time of interim Where everything seems withheld. The path you took to get here was washed out; The way forward is still concealed from you. “The old is not old enough to have died away; The new is still too young to be born.” You cannot lay claim to anything; In this place of dusk, Your eyes are blurred; By the Rev. William S. StanleyAnd there is no mirror. Everyone has lost sight of your heart And you can see nowhere to put your trust; You know you have to make your own way through. As far as you can, hold your confidence. Do not allow your confusion to squander This call which is loosening Your roots in false ground, That you might come free From all you have outgrown. What is being transfigured here is your mind, And it is difficult and slow to become new. The more faithfully you can endure here, The more refined your heart will become For your arrival in the new dawn. FROM ‘FOR THE INTERIM TIME’ BY JOHN O’DONOHUE I am so excited! I am excited that this edition of Seasons of the Spirit includes the call of St. Stephen’s vestry to the Rev. John D. Rohrs to be our next rector, and his acceptance of that call. I am excited that “this time of interim…where everything seems withheld” is coming to a close. You and I have been through much over these past months and years. Indeed, our city, our nation, and our world have been through so very much. Sociologists and cultural observers are just now beginning to reflect upon how this time of pandemic and its “hangover” effects will affect us for years and years to come. And we at St. Stephen’s have lived through both simultaneously. Even so, I am excited…because I know in my bones that God is doing a new thing. I offer this portion of John O’Donohue’s blessing for the interim time. I hope it is a helpful tool as we each begin to do our own reflecting on this multi-layered experience of the past years. Whether we want to or not, that is part of our society’s work in the coming year (or more). We deny its “breadth and length and height and depth” (Ephesians 3:18) at our own peril. Indeed, the “hangover”—for lack of a better term— will absolutely be harder to break if we do not believe it is real in the first place. One of signs of spiritual maturity is to be able to hold seemingly conflicting realities at the same time. Indeed, our very nature as human beings is this: each of us has the capacity for both joy and pain…we are both sinners and saints. Even as I am so excited about the future, I know that I must also begin reflecting on the ways in which the pandemic years have affected me, and continue to do so. It is not a zero sum game, but rather an invitation to receive the new dawn with truth. For indeed: The more faithfully I can endure here The more refined my heart will become For my arrival in the new dawn. May this be true for you. May this be true for our beloved St. Stephen’s Church. And may this be true for our world, which “God so loves” (John 3:16).