Sometimes it's hard to know what we're supposed to do to follow Jesus, says Canon Clark. She commends to you two programs coming up this fall that are all about developing the "how" of following Jesus. (Time: 4:00.)
Video Transcript
Hello, this is Canon Clark in the Diocese of Newark. Happy October!
In her last message, Bishop Hughes talked to us about beginning anew, how important that is for us in the world today, and for us as a diocese this fall, and all the ways that that can impact looking at what is before us, at being creative, and seeking to follow Jesus into what's next.
If you think about it, this really is at the heart of what it means to be Christian. The first disciples had to figure out what to do, how to do it, where to go, after Easter and all the events that followed and the ascension of Jesus. This is perhaps most pointedly expressed by Thomas when he says, "Lord, we do not know the way to where you are going." And Jesus says to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." And that is true. And we can trust that Jesus is our beginning and our ending in every aspect of our lives.
Sometimes it's hard to know how to get there, what we're supposed to do. You can almost hear Thomas saying, if only in his head, "Give me the directions!" In our time, we might say, "Give me the GPS coordinates!" The truth is, though, it's not only knowing where to go, it is that question of how do we do that? What are the things that carry us along the way of following Jesus.
We have two programs coming up this fall that I want to commend to your attention. And hopefully you will be able to attend, that are all about developing practices, developing the "how" of following Jesus.
The first one is on October 22, from about 8:30 in the morning till about 1 at St. Michael's, Wayne. It's called "Living Room Conversations" and it is put on by an organization of the same name. And in many ways, it's what it sounds like. It's not about how to debate the difficult issues of today or how to make our point better. It really is about how do we have healthy, meaningful conversations in these conflicted times, including with people that we may not agree with. Even in our own families, in our own churches. What does it look like to have respectful, meaningful conversations? And how do we do that? It would be great if there was a group from each and every parish in the diocese there to learn the "how" of having healthy, respectful communication, living room conversations.
The second is on Zoom on November 10. Dr. Jessica Young Brown, a wonderful psychologist, coach, professor, spiritual leader and Christian will be talking to us about, how do I seek God's will? How do I begin and develop a practice of Christian discernment? What does that look like? What are the skills and how do I keep that in my life at all times?
Both of these events are open for registration on the diocese website. And again, it would be great if there was a group, a team, from each and every parish and community in our diocese, seeking to develop these skills. This "how" we follow on the way of Jesus, as we seek to be creative and to always begin anew in his name.
God bless you and I look forward to seeing you.
