Rector's Rambling - August 28, 2011

Yes, we are still here. Last week when I discussed in this column my family’s upcoming three-week trip, many people seemed to miss the opening line “Three weeks from tomorrow I leave…” We will be leaving Monday, September 12.
Today is the last Sunday in August, and the cooler nights and more temperate days let us know that fall, and the school year, are on their way. In a week or so, kids will be heading back to school, and the activities of the new season get back under way.
The Church (and I would guess most of society) operates on a school calendar. Activities and programs begin in the fall, continue through the winter, and end late spring, with a hiatus in the summer months. Although in years past in my ministry (here and at previous parishes) we have had some summer programming and activities, for the most part they are not as well, or regularly, attended as those during the school year. And worship attendance also declines due to vacations, etc., and generally increases in the fall as well.
Now is the time to fix certain things on your calendar: Sunday worship every Sunday, Sunday School and Adult Education every Sunday, involvement in a church organization or two (Daughters of the King, Episcopal Church Women, Armitage Men’s Club, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Altar Guild, Ushers, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Social Fellowship Group, etc.), and involvement in other activities like a weekday Mass, or newly forming weekly small group gatherings.
But more importantly, be renewed in your heart and mind, in your faith, by prayer and sacrifice. Put Jesus first, first thing in the morning, and keep Him front and center in your thoughts throughout the day. And of course thank Him at the end.
And share The Faith with others.