A Window into Our Faith - August 31
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 26, 28; PM Psalm 36, 39; 1 Kings 8:65-9:9; James 2:14-26; Mark 14:66-72
Today’s Reflection
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. –James 2:14-18
Last evening, 11 people gave up 90 minutes of their Monday evening to share a conversation about getting to know one another—and about working together on something larger than themselves. Five of those who gathered are parishioners from Saint Stephen’s, four are parishioners from Christ Church in Fairfield—throw in a priest from each parish and you have eleven people brought together in their mutual interest in starting something new that is grounded in the foundation of something very old—our faith in following in the Way of Christ.
Earlier in 2021, a few things happened that laid the groundwork for our gathering on Zoom last night. One is that our Diocesan Bishop Glenda Curry shared her vision, in the context of her address to Diocesan Convention in February, that partnerships would develop between parishes small and large. This hope then began to be discussed among the Diocesan staff and leaders and began to take form as a pilot program the Diocese is calling Parish Partners, which are described as being “relationships of shared ministry and mission.”
Independent of that vision, another development that unfolded earlier this year is that Christ Church in Fairfield was looking for financial help to repair the floor of their parish hall, which was damaged in a fire. It would have been straightforward for the outreach committee or vestry to approve the expenditure and then send a check across town to Christ Church. Instead, our rector John and our senior warden Leslie met with their rector Paul, their senior warden L.C., and longtime parishioner Ruthie over lunch, when they began to share ideas of what more we could do together. That lunch led to other conversations about how helping repair the floor would be the entry point into a more lasting, substantive relationship between the two churches. Then the next thing we knew, John, our outreach chair Chandler, and I were driving across town to deliver the check in person and take a tour of Christ Church and in the process get to know their senior warden LC and vestry member Talitha.
Not long after that, the Diocese sent out a formal call for congregations interested in piloting the new Parish Partners program, and we all knew that we wanted to be a part of it. Alongside all these developments, our parishioner Raymond, who runs a food pantry elsewhere in Fairfield, connected with John, as well as with Paul at Christ Church, about the possibility of moving the food pantry across Fairfield to their campus. Over the summer, we continued to have conversations amongst our clergy and outreach committee, and I shared conversations with Raymond and with our colleague Paul from Christ Church to continue to be curious and begin to think more concretely about what we might be able to collaborate on between our two faith communities. Chandler invited LC and Talitha to join our Holy Hike to see the Cahaba lilies in June. Christ Church hosted a couple workdays on Saturday mornings and several people from Saint Stephen’s decided to attend, including Connie, who grew up in Christ Church as a young child but now is part of Saint Stephen’s.
All these conversations and connections laid a foundation to build something new. The Zoom conversation that 11 of us shared last evening allowed us to invite more people into the process. We have formed this working group to develop the vision and plans for how our two parishes can continue to grow together in our shared faith in Christ. I am grateful for Leslie, Connie, Raymond, Conley, and Michele, who have committed to representing Saint Stephen’s in this partnership. Together with our counterparts from Christ Church, we had a creative and productive conversation. So many ideas were voiced for sharing worship and meals together, for the possibilities of working together on relocating the food pantry, and for sharing more workdays together. And then we began to wonder: Could we do a Habitat for Humanity build together at some point? Could we go on some more Holy Hikes together? Could we share expertise on beekeeping and work together to add an apiary to their church gardens?
The ideas became more and more creative as the meeting went on. And as we shared all these ideas, we acknowledged that these ideas have the potential to do more than just check off boxes to show “a positive, measurable effect on both parishes.” In all these potential collaborations, anyone who takes part will be likely to find that their faith is continuing to be formed as these interrelationships with one another are formed—that as we get to know people from across Birmingham, we will learn more about ourselves, our faith, and all that we share as people of faith.
As James the Just (the brother of Jesus) wrote in the passage we read for today, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (James 2: 18). Rather than arguing about which is more important, faith or works, it’s more important is to consider how our works are a window into our faith. Our works (or accomplishments) do not save us, but our work together does give us a tangible sense of what it means to share faith together in something (and someone) larger than ourselves.
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Can you recall a time when you collaborated with others in a way that restored your faith not only in your fellow humans but also in God? What about that collaboration felt life-giving and hopeful? How can you imagine recreating that spirit of collaboration and community in a new endeavor?
Daily Challenge
In a time when many people seem divided, now more than ever it’s important to look for evidence of what we share and what we can accomplish together. Read more about the Diocese of Alabama’s Parish Partners initiative here. Learn more about partner parish, Christ Church Fairfield by visiting their website or like and follow their Facebook page.