Greetings!

I hope that you are endeavoring to apply the Easter message to the daily exercise of living. Even if like me you encounter more stops than starts, believe me, to persevere in walking this path, is the best gift you can give yourself.

Last week, our diocese held its annual synod; many good things happened, including the election of a new bishop for the region of Kingston, an erudite and humble man, whom I pray will be open to and so led by the Spirit of God, to perceive and so embrace his role as a leader, in a manner akin to that of Jesus, viz. collaboratively. There is a sense in which the Anglican tradition of top-down leadership is a most difficult habit to break, so entrenched it would seem to be, within a mind-set that is at heart, colonial.

We have somehow, either not fully understood or internalized the wonder-filled significance of our uniqueness as Caribbean people with an uncommon capacity for resilience. Having come through the ravages of slavery and colonialism, there is a specialness to our being, which transcends those pain-filled realities, especially within the context of Church, where the liberating Gospel, is its raison d’etre. In this season therefore, my fascination piqued, and my heart was challenged yet again, by Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances: the fact that in and by them, he enjoins new and unique ways of being, love for God, God’s people, and all creation, becoming a guiding principle.

Recently in one of my morning’s devotions, I came face to face with the two words forming the topic of today’s post. They were spoken with reference to The Great Commission [Matthew 28: 18 – 20]. The commentator alluded to the fact that for many, sharing one’s faith has somehow become duty of the kind that has obscured, even obliterated delight. That latter thought sent a chill up my spine, as it speaks with unbridled clarity to my current vocational dilemma.

In a conversation with a sister-friend now retired, we reminisced about that initial fire in our bones [cf. Jeremiah 29:9], the zeal that accompanied us those early years, as we exercised the ministry to which we knew we were [and still are] called. We spoke of our excitement at prospects and possibilities, of how almost thirty-six years on, although grateful for the ways in which God has blessed and used us, there remains a certain sadness. As I look back, it is a sadness, occasioned by the ways in which zeal and initiative seemed to have been sacrificed, upon the altar of conformity, to expectations, foreign to our experiences and the expressions thereof, that we believed we were being led to give.

To be sure, in my naivete, not wanting to be branded a disrupter of the peace [though there were occasions when I was], I tried to toe the line. I allowed Institution rather than my sense of the Spirit’s leading, to have the upper hand. I was after all a priest, vowed to respect and be obedient to those set over me in the faith. Today, as I look back, I am even more convinced that a significant contributing factor to our denomination’s decline, both numerically and in spiritual fervor, remains fear – of going to those unusual places, engaging those different yet delightful ways, which required letting go of the control we felt it necessary to hold on to. Duty became and remained our default position, as we stoically persevered in the maintenance of Institution, failing to or unafraid of exploring what it would mean, what it could look like, if we gave into the inebriating effects of the Spirit’s presence and power.

I hasten to say that I would never describe myself as cynical, regarding the Institutional aspects of Church; at this stage of my life however, I no longer have the appetite for its strictures. As I approach the evening leg of the journey that is my life, I am more than inclined – I am committed to being inspired by and led towards experiences that are filled with wonder. I want/need, for wellness’s sake – body, mind, and spirit – to allow the Holy Spirit to blow wherever She wills and blowing, transport me to new heights of joy-filled delight, as I seek to honor God, using the gifts and skills with which I have been so graciously blessed.

So, I pray that this Eastertide, you will join me in listening, that individually and together, we may hear and respond to the further call, being lovingly issued by none but our resurrected Lord, Jesus. May we rediscover delight in following Him, along paths that lead to God’s glory. Mind you, those paths will be strewn here and there with rocks, even boulders; they will include treacherous terrain, requiring skills we are yet to acquire but when we acknowledge the wind at our backs as that of the Spirit, and the guide up ahead, the flame of God’s love, I am willing to bet, O yes, I am, that all will ultimately be well.

Until next time, stay safe and well as you remain in His grip, allowing delight to inspire and drive duty.

Grace+