Mtr Margaret Babcock
Jesus rebuked (the unclean spirit): Silence! Come out of him! After throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed so that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
—Mark 1:25-27, NET
(Peter said) And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptizing with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God? When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles.”
—Acts 11:16-18, NET
Dear Friends,
Some of you may not be aware of how contentious the renewal of our prayer book was, back in the seventies. I was in my teens when these controversies arose and remember clearly how impassioned those for and against the process were.
Our Church wisely published several versions of services for congregations to use and comment on, but ultimately the vote to adopt the 1976 BCP was up to General Convention. I recall someone saying, “Keep in mind, the prayer book was always meant to be revised. When the 1928 edition passed, the Standing Liturgical Commission was established to keep thinking about how worship should evolve.” What a revelation! And then, when it passed, some people left. That was a revelation to me, too. Change is never without loss.
Early followers of Jesus also had to deal with the challenge of change. In the Gospel today, Jesus teaches in a new, shocking way. In Acts, Peter’s closest friends are appalled that he broke the purity codes. In both cases, people are invited to change their minds about things they thought were set in stone.
I wonder why change is so hard.
Maybe we’re confused about the goal of change. We’re comfortable with what we know and afraid something different might be wrong. But the point of change, especially in our relationship with God, isn’t about right or wrong. The call is to grow, to engage in a continual movement of opening more to God, so we can participate more fully in God’s will.
How do we know we’re at least on the right track, as individuals or Church? The new authority of Jesus restored a broken man, shunned by his community, back to belonging. Peter’s vision helped others see that the new Life Jesus brought belonged not just to them but to everyone in the world. The hallmark, exemplified in these readings, is a widening of our perceptual lens to include more people, more of creation, in God’s grace and mercy and to make room for that expansion in our own hearts.
It’s inevitable: we will need to change again and again, and we’ll never get it perfect. But that’s also part of our salvation. God calls us to grow towards the Life we’re created for. We can trust that little by little, God’s love will show us the Way.
Blessings,
—Mtr Margaret