To go forward in faith

“Today is both a happy day and a sad day,” Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson remarked.

At her visit on April 28, she gave the sermon, thanking Fr. Keith Schmidt for his ministry of 24 years at St. John's. No doubt there is a sense of excitement, the Bishop continued, for both Fr. Keith and for the parish — excitement for him as he takes his retirement and begins a new chapter in his life, and excitement for the rest of us as we transition to new leadership at the church.

However, there is also a sense of anxiety. What does the future hold, Bishop Mary asked? Some parishioners have known no other Rector while at St. John's, and he will surely be missed. And as for Fr. Keith himself, what is ahead for him?

The Bishop noted how appropriate the day's Gospel was. In John 16: 5-15 (part of the 'Farewell Discourse'), there is 'emotion and confusion and uncertainty and love,' she said, as Jesus' arrest and death are foreshadowed. But despite His imminent doom and departure, God —Jesus reminds His followers — 'is on the move and has a plan for them,' as Bishop Mary put it.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.

This passage from the Gospel speaks to the current situation, the Bishop noted. Our Rector is leaving and St. John's will 'receive what's next.' We should not be afraid, but instead, accept what is to come as part of God's 'loving promise' to us — 'a challenge to go forward in faith.' We must allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten and guide us — always remembering the good lessons we have learned from Fr. Keith over the years — as we discern our way forward at St. John's.

The Bishop also spoke of her own personal experience with the Holy Spirit — how it has moved and transformed her life. She invited us all to allow God to bless us in the same way — for us to ask and accept what He has in store for us, and in doing so, to 'praise the Lord and to proclaim His love.'