April 2008

THE FAITHFUL TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT

Dear Friends,

I am sitting next to the blazing fireplace in my office on Easter Monday, a bright, sunny, and very chilly “day after” the beginning of the Easter Season. The only signs of spring are a few hearty crocuses which are defying the cold weather and trying to bloom. This very early Easter still feels out of season and a bit unnatural.

Still, there is good to ponder. The quality of our worship and the quality of the service of so many exceptional people, who make our worship possible during Holy Week and the First Sunday of Easter, were exceptional. We have much here at the Cathedral in terms of innovative programs, a highly dedicated staff, and remarkably committed laity who perform a host of ministries with great care, love, and devotion. I am singularly blessed to play a small part in what happens here on a regular basis.

As I looked out on the worshippers at our several Easter services, I was pleased that attendance was higher than it has been for the last three years. But, at the same time, I noticed that perhaps 75% of the worshippers were unknown to me, and I have now been here long enough to recognize most of the faithful, at least their faces, if not always their names. My prayer – and hope – is that something from the Easter Gospel, the music, perhaps even the sermons, struck a cord in the lives of many of those “visitors” who were with us during Holy Week and Easter. Perhaps they will want – even feel the need – to return again before Christmas or when next Easter rolls around. But I’m not counting on them, either.

The people I am counting on are the ones who are here week after week, givers in one form (or several forms), faithful in witness, worship, and sacrifice. You are the ones who really understand the Easter message, take it to heart, and live your alleluias in service to others. You are often the ones I think about when I write my sermons as living examples of Jesus in the world around us. You are the ones on whom our Lord counts, day in and day out.

The other 75% are welcome, of course. But those who are faithful, who make the commitment to serve Christ each week in His Church (as we promised at Confirmation, at least some of us did, many years ago) are the ones who hold a special place in the heart of Jesus – and in my heart as well. You have learned and earned the joy of Easter. May God continue to bless your generous hearts, especially during the next fifty days.

Faithfully and with gratitude,

The Venerable Theodore W. Bean, Jr.