Redeemer Review
The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
September, 2007
From the Vicar
August 26, 2007
Dear Friends in Christ,
If you have ever worked in an interfaith community, you will know that at just about any point in the year,
except summer when everything’s lazy, someone is celebrating a New Year. From Christians in December to
Buddhists in April and Jews in the changing days of autumn, almost every month offers the chance to affirm that
we are always new, always being reborn, always growing in ways that can surprise us. To be open to the New is
what makes all learning and all spiritual life possible. Sometimes, the gift of the new is a joy. At other times, it
is, in the words of my friend Sally, who teaches Godly Play, a “hard” gift. In this letter, I want to share some
thoughts about newness and gifts, both sweet and hard.
We’ve been together long enough that you know I am a teacher. I cannot resist poking around in our sacred
stories for new meaning, connecting Christ and a traffic jam, finding a metaphor for Christian community in a
birch forest in Alaska. While the rest of my young Redeemer friends are off kicking a ball around, or mountain
biking, or wading in the streams that water our county, I have my head in a book. Clearly this is what God is
calling me to do.
Three years ago, we embarked upon an adventure of learning, of constructing an innovative, neighborhood
community of faith, where young and old might come together in life, memory, hope, love and truth. We wanted
to see what such a thing might look like, and we did it well. We married, buried, partied, founded two youth
groups, celebrated holidays and had a blast with the community at the Pancake Breakfast and Kids’ Karnival.
But if you have ever lived in time, you know that times change, people change, the nature of being a faith
community changes. Children grow into young adults. Elders move into retirement communities or go home to
God. Husbands and wives retire from jobs, grandchildren are born and the world cries out to be explored. These
are the beautiful rhythms of life. These are the whispers of God. Nothing, except God, is forever.
As you have grown, so have I. I have come to realize that I cannot live without children in my classroom. And
so, after a great deal of prayer and discernment, I realize that the time has come to return, full of the gifts the
Redeemer family has so kindly bestowed, to full time teaching. I have therefore accepted a call back to St.
Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland to serve as Chaplain and Director of their Service Learning program. I will
have a chance to spread some of Redeemer’s wealth around, to do the best of what we did in Alaska and the best
that we did in Bible Study and Dream Group. I will be coordinating an interfaith chapel every Friday morning.
In this strange and troubled world, I believe that our future lies in interfaith conversation and learning. I need to
be Professor McGonagall again, to bring dreams and creativity into the classroom. I feel blessed to be offered
the chance.
My last Sunday at Redeemer will be on September 9, to open a new season of Kids’ Church and to help Sallie
and Chuck Wood celebrate 40 years of marriage. I celebrate my three years with you. You have taught me
things that no one else can. The Diocese will be sending you a wonderful new priest. Happy New Year.
Blessings,
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