Rest in the Simplicity of the Gospel

Beloved in Christ,

This past Sunday, I spent a really wonderful day with the people of St. Peter’s in Kasson. Around twenty of us gathered to celebrate the Eucharist, and then enjoyed some conversation in their newly renovated kitchen and fellowship hall. 

St. Peter’s is a great example of what we mean when we talk about our diocesan priority of congregational vitality, and the commitments we have invited every congregation to consider. They are asking questions about what God is inviting them into more than they are focusing on how to preserve what they have been. They are primarily lay-led, and are supported wonderfully by the Reverend Alice Mae Applequist. What struck me most was that when they renovated their kitchen and hall, they did so specifically to support their growing feeding ministry in Kasson. Their focus was not on how the hall would serve the congregation, but how it could serve their neighbors and wider community. Our worship together was simple but lively, they are clearly sharing their lives deeply with one another, and they are building community with their neighbors, particularly those on the margins. 

St. Peter’s is by no means alone in our diocese. I see vital congregations week in and week out on my visitations. I see communities that are alive with love, from large congregations with multiple paid staff to our smallest gatherings. As I look out across the diocese, vitality has very little to do with size or resources, and everything to do with practicing the basics of discipleship: learning to pray in a way that anchors our lives to the living God, sharing the joys and sorrows of our lives with each other in real ways, and serving those in our neighborhoods to whom Jesus drew closest. It really is that simple, and it really is that hard. 

In these days, as we hit the emotional wall of the late Minnesota winter, as we watch Europe move closer to the brink of all-out war, as we continue to carry the aches and stings of living in a broken world, I hope you will slow yourself to lay down some of your anxieties and rest in the simplicity the gospel calls us to: say your prayers, lean on your fellow disciples, give yourself for the good of another, particularly the poor, whom Jesus loves. If we can do that together, we’ll feel new life welling up inside us just as sure as the Minnesota spring will come. 

Grace and Peace,

The Right Reverend Craig Loya
X Bishop
Episcopal Church in Minnesota