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Lately I have been musing on a passage from Luke,
Luke 5:5-6
Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night
long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say
so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done
this, they caught so many fish that their nets
were beginning to break.

Every time I am with a church in transition, I think of this and hear so many things in Simon Peter — weariness at being asked to do more after a long and hard day, despair that what used to work might no longer, sadness or even grief that what worked for so long is changing, resistance to changing what is already know to what is unknown, and, in the end, obedience to Christ’s instruction.

What a beautiful illustration of the feelings around a time of transition. Grief, loneliness, resignation, frustration, a feeling that everything is changing and its hard to make sense of it. All these and more come into play as one beloved leader moves away, and the church tries a variety of things in a new way.

In a transition, our goal isn’t just to change for change’s sake, but to try on new ways of doing liturgy, new ways of formation, new leaders or new fellowship. The point of trying on is to be ready for the changes that will inevitably be introduced by the calling of a new Rector. No two priests have the same liturgical style, or voice, or musical choices, or even theology. It is the uniqueness of each new leader and each new call from God that is the catalyst for the transformation of the church.

And transformation is always our call from God. When God chose to live with us in human form, the choice was not to come and be with us exactly as we expected. God came in new and startling ways to transform us. In fact, Christ came to change us, and change us often and unexpectedly.

The Good News is that we are also always being invited to move into deeper water–deeper commitment, deeper giving, deeper relationship with one another and with God. Going deeper, we begin to see the abundance of God’s love and grace in new and surprising ways.

Transitions are hard. Change is hard. Casting our nets into deeper water is hard. But, oh, the abundance that follows–abundance to break our tiny nets and bring fruitfulness beyond our wildest dreams.

Dear Christ Church friends,
Transitions bring to light new needs, as old norms may no longer be useful or needed. As changes surface, they reveal hidden diversities and perspectives. Complexity increases, especially for groups like the Search Committee, whose work is not only to produce as accurate a “snapshot” of the parish as possible, but also to discern the overall viewpoint and desires of the entire gathered community — a tall order! Of course, as the Church, we have an advantage that secular groups do not—the love and care of God, the certainty of belonging through Jesus Christ, and the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

In all of perplexity and complexity, our task as God’s people is to slow down and to listen and discern God’s direction.

The following was brought to me by Becky Sheble-Hall of Chaplains on the Way:

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability—
and that it may take a long time.

And so I think it is with us;
Our ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within us will be.
Let us believe that God’s hand is leading us
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

The Rev. Rebecca Black

Moving On…A Story by Jaime Bonney

Dear People of Christ Church,
Many of you have now heard that I will be moving on at the end of the summer. Come Labor Day, I will begin a residency at MGH, where I will serve as a chaplain throughout the year. I anticipate that my last day at Christ Church will be August 30.

I have been so fortunate to get to know many of you in the course of supporting the ministries of the church, some in person, and many just by email or phone! In looking back at the past three years, I have been taking stock of all the changes in the office and the church. But for me, what’s most remarkable is the stability, continuity, and care that have caused me to feel grounded in my work with the parish.

I have joyfully felt and responded especially to the pastoral dimension of my role here at Christ Church. Good administration is pastorally sensitive, and here at CCW, that dimension of my work has been nourished. It was a pleasure to work with Rev. Sara and learn from her, and it has been important to me to be able to stay until Rev. Rebecca’s arrival as the interim priest. Both have helped me to grow in my pastoral calling. Now I will be continuing to grow my pastoral skills by serving as a hospital chaplain for an academic year at MGH! While I have no idea where God may be leading me in this next journey, I am grateful to be bringing with me the experiences and connections that have been a blessing to me in my time at Christ Church. I am so excited to be transformed again in that work and to experience the presence of God in that place.

I see in the timing of these changes, a strong sense of God’s timing. Much of what I hoped to accomplish when I took on the challenges of managing the office at Christ Church is now done. We have laid down many systems that will continue to serve the parish after my departure, and my leaving now opens the door to bring a new person who can see the parish through the next phase of welcoming a new rector, responding freshly to the ongoing transformations unfolding now.

I am excited to see where the future will take Christ Church! I will continue to be a friend to the parish, and a nearby resource. Please do be in touch!

Warmly,
Jaime

Dear People of Christ Church,

I have been praying about transitions in the life of the Church. Transitions are a fact of life in the church of Jesus the wandering Christ. There’s the transition from one Rector to another, the ways we move and translate our Sunday worship to the workaday world, the consistent prompting of the Spirit that moves the people of God from whatever was to whatever will be.

As a parent who has walked through a gender transition with my child, I understand a few things about transition.
We tend to pin our hopes on the new. Like many churches, my daughter had a vision of how life would be “after transitioning.” We spent a lot of time talking about this. Transition would NOT mean she was suddenly new—her life experiences, her character and personality didn’t change. And while changing her outward appearance to match her inward self was a relief, I think she was a little disappointed that she didn’t magically morph into a supermodel. Which shows you the power of magazines and media in setting expectations! Like my daughter, churches sometimes believe a transition will bring more newness than it really will—for good or ill. What we hope and pray for is transformation, rather than mere change.
We all participate. When my daughter decided to begin her social and medical transition, I think all of us in our family thought of it as her change. But that is not the reality. People and situations are particular, and cannot be neatly plugged in for one another. Although my child remained essentially herself—both the person she always was and the person we always thought she was — our way of thinking about her, knowing and understanding her changed as well. I look back now on old photographs and, despite the much shorter hair, I see my girl, the girl she always was, even if the outside didn’t match that. Likewise, a church grows and changes with each new person, and especially with each new leader. Being church will not remain the same. And there is much reason to celebrate that, and also…
There is grief and “looking back.” It is very natural that we long for a safe resting place to look out at a turbulent world. Often for us, the seemingly slow changes of church life provide that sense of safety and permanency. But that is not really Christ’s way. Christ’s life was about changing and challenging and moving from one place to the next. Although my daughter is exceedingly happy in her new way of being in the world, there are of course regrets—people who were unable to understand and had to be left behind, even old ways of coping with stress are being made new. Grief and stress and change cause discomfort—where is there a stable place to stand in the midst of shifting change? God has consistently told us to stand in faith.
As we move forward together in the faith that God is with us, may we find ourselves able to share in one another’s anticipation, participation and grief as important markers of transition. We are being made new!

In the Name of Christ,
The Rev. Rebecca Black

Dear People of Christ Church,

It is my honor and pleasure to journey with you in this phase of your congregational life. Our time together will be a time in which to say goodbye to Rev. Sara and give thanks for her time with Christ Church; then look deeply and honestly at what gifts God is giving now, and dream and plan for the future. We will together look at what we do well, what systems needs improving, and what we can gratefully set aside as no longer necessary.

Although it may seem like a time of disruption, the truer reality is that a life following Christ is a life spent in journey; we are always on the Way, never arrived. Our human grasp of time leads us to believe that what we do today is permanent and fixed, but the greater reality is that we are always in flux, always moving, always arriving in new places with new understandings.

“All shall be well, and all shall be well; and all manner of things shall be well.”

This quote from Julian of Norwich, written after she received a vision of the loving Christ, is one I find reassuring. God assures us that when we seek to align ourselves with God’s will, we will be following the Way. And, though we may experience temporary bumps along the way, all indeed shall be well.

I look forward to praying with you, laughing with you, discerning with you, and together coming to a greater understanding of who God needs Christ Church Waltham to be at this time in its life as Christ’s body.

In the Name of Christ,
The Rev. Rebecca Black

Dear People of Christ Church,

Since I announced on Sunday at the annual meeting that my ministry here will be ending on March 5, I’ve had occasion to talk with many of you about the joy and sorrow of a time like this. (My letter of Sunday afternoon is also on our website.)Transitions are, inevitably, hard. It’s hard to trust to what feels like an uncertain future. It’s hard to figure out the dividing lines between blessing and grief.

In church, we are in the business of death and resurrection, bearing witness to new life. This isn’t a death, but it is a time of entering into a liminal, in-between space that can feel a little ghostly. This is where what-has-been nurtures the seeds of what-will-be. That takes faith: faith in God’s promises to lead God’s people forward, faith in parish leaders and the diocese, and, most importantly, faith in the love of Christ that brought each of you here. A church isn’t just any organization; it’s the Body of Christ! You were called into this community because you have something to share with the world and God’s people here in this place. That calling is much, much broader and more important than any one clergy person who might serve in your midst at any given time. In the months after my departure, you will need to focus on the work before you, on nurturing your community and discerning your future. During that time, best practices require that past clergy not maintain contact with the parish (either in person or via social media, etc). That can feel difficult, but it’s also not forever.

And I’m not gone yet! Over the next six weeks, will have plenty of time to meet for coffee, dream, and pray together. Please let me know if you would like to sit down one on one to talk: that is what I would most like to spend my time doing for the rest of my time here! Rev. Norm will be leading an adult ed series for three weeks beginning on February 5 on social justice movements and the church, with a particular focus on Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ll have a good party to celebrate our work together, and your wardens and vestry will share information about what’s going on as you move into the interim period. As Sasha said on Sunday, it’s crucially important to remember that Episcopal Church polity allows for a great amount of autonomy for parishes in transition. You will be in charge of the search committee and you will be in charge of who is eventually called to be your clergy. And, above all that, remember the power of God’s love that lead you to Christ Church will lead Christ Church and all of you forward into a brilliant future.

Blessings,

Sara+