It has been said that nobody likes change. I don’t buy it. As the weather turns a bit cooler, I hear fellow walkers remark how nice it feels. That’s change. As roads were resurfaced in my neighborhood last year, my neighbors noted how nice the roads had become. That’s change. As some restrictions from Covid have been lifted, many have enjoyed returning to well-loved activities. That’s change. And so, I don’t buy it. People, I believe, tolerate change, even relish change, if that change is something that makes their lives better.

People, however, also like their ruts. They like to do those things that they know how to do. Indeed, many people would more often choose to do something with which they are familiar than to try something that is unfamiliar but which may prove to be better. A classic example is McDonald’s. When on a road trip, many people, perhaps most people, prefer to go to the Golden Arches which offers moderate but consistent quality food rather than to take the chance on a local diner, which albeit an unknown, might have much better food. Sometimes we like our ruts because we are lazy and cautious, as when we choose McDonald’s to an alternative. At other times, however, we like our ruts because the ruts are actually beautiful and life giving. Our continued use of the good old Book of Common Prayer is a prime example of that!

As we begin a new program year at St. John’s, you will notice a number of changes. We are moving from three services to two. We are offering only one occasion for Coffee Hour Fellowship. We are trying a new time of Prayer and Praise for folks who want a more intimate setting to lift their concerns to God. We are experimenting with “Children’s Chapel” that will give our younger members an opportunity to experience the Word of God in language and format that makes sense to them. We have taken a few pews out on the lectern side of the church to accommodate a “Pray-Ground” for children. The clergy of St. John’s will be offering a weekly opportunity called “Clergy Forum” to dig deeper into what it means to walk in the Way of Christ. And these are simply changes that will happen on Sunday morning!

Simultaneously, much of what we will be doing at St. John’s is as it has been. Indeed, the Eucharistic Prayer that we will be using through the autumn is Prayer A, the prayer most commonly used by our church and most others in the Episcopal Church. We will be using the same vestments. We are once again recruiting and employing laity to lead as much as possible in our services of worship. Our adult Bible Study will occur once again on Wednesday evenings and our adult Topics Unlimited study will occur once again on Sunday evenings. Food and Fellowship will once again be offered in the Parish Hall. These are, I believe, good and life giving ruts that have sustained our parish family for years.

My expectation is that with this balance of change and rut, our parish family will be nurtured and strengthened in these challenging days. My hope is that we will all be willing to embrace both rut and change as we come together as the Family of God gathered at St. John in the Wilderness. Come to church this Sunday for Rally Day; be nurtured by the ruts and be pricked by the changes. May God’s Spirit move us forward together and may God be glorified by it all.

~Father Art