Sent

John 20:21 is a mantra here at Saint Paul's.

As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.

Sometimes we are sent to far away places like Haiti or Kenya or General Convention.
Sometimes we are sent to not-so-far away places like Birmingham, New Orleans, or the Diocesan Office.
Sometimes we are sent to nearby places like the Family Promise Day Center, a Habitat Build, or Camp Beckwith.
And sometimes we are sent next door.

Truth be told, and despite what we may come to believe over time, God's sending never stops. We have 85 year old members who help their "elderly" neighbors with yard work. These folks hear the Spirit moving and follow her lead. Others don't. Other's choose to act like the disciples by shutting the door, drawing the blinds, and sticking close to home.

I guess they just choose not to listen. That has to be it, because the Spirit is always moving, always calling, always leading. If we find ourselves comfortable and complacent, then we have tuned the Spirit out. Maybe it is time to reinvigorate our mantra. Time to pick it up again. Time to speak it, as a community engaged in God's work of restoration.

As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.
Amen.