It seems fitting that I write my last rector’s message to you at the start of Eastertide. For me, the time immediately after our Lord’s resurrection in Scripture is tinged with sadness and poignancy. The disciples are dealing, at first, with loss and confusion. But they soon come to realize that the loss of their Lord’s earthly presence doesn’t mean that their Lord has gone away. He is simply present with them in a new way—less obvious at times, but just as powerfully nonetheless.
The aftermath of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead—the time in which we still live—is a time characterized by presence in absence. The poet R.S. Thomas writes beautifully of this in several of his poems, noting the difficulty of physical absence, along with its lingering doubt and questions. And yet, this absence is not absence at all. It is a new mode of knowing our Lord’s presence. It is, in fact, a presence that equips the Church with great power, with power to proclaim the Gospel not just locally but to the ends of the earth. It is a power that enables the disciples to do even greater works than their Lord, as he told them in John 14.
This week is a poignant one for me and, I suspect, for you. We must say goodbye in the midst of Easter joy, concluding a pastoral relationship of nearly six years. But as the prayer book says about grief at funerals, the celebration of resurrection life doesn’t mean that grief itself is unchristian. Quite the contrary. Our grief at changed relationships and departing presences means that something profoundly good and true is underneath it all.
It has been my privilege and joy to serve as your priest for nearly six years. When I look at Good Shepherd now in relation to where it was in August of 2020, I am rendered nearly speechless at the power of almighty God to make all things new. While I sensed there was real potential for growth and flourishing when I came to Good Shepherd, what has happened has far surpassed what I could have imagined. This, of course, is what God does all the time, since God “whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). I’m convinced that God will continue to do such things at Good Shepherd.
As I entrust the pastoral care of this parish to my successor, I leave you with some encouragement.
During this time of transition, even and especially when there is grief, sadness, and confusion—even doubt—commit yourselves even more to life at Good Shepherd. Show up for Mass weekly. Rather than pausing your involvement in ministry, become more involved and deepen that involvement. The parish needs your presence and gifts.
Love and care for one another. Assume the best in each other, trusting in your parish leadership, which is strong, healthy, and mature.
Remember, as our bishop has said, that God has already chosen your next priest. You simply need to pray and discern whom God has selected for you.
Know that your new priest will be different from me and will need to be different from me. Give your new priest your trust and love, knowing that God will support you and your new priest.
Times of uncertainty breed anxiety, but do not accept the offer of anxiety. It only likes to give itself away, and you don’t need to take it!
Scarcity mindset is rampant within our culture and the church, but Good Shepherd has grown and flourished because we have trusted in God’s abundance. God still provides abundance, even when naysaying voices sow fear and doubt. Assume God’s abundance, and all shall be well. Take a chance on generosity.
And finally, thank you, for your support, love, and encouragement. You are in my prayers as you navigate the next period of transition. I will follow from afar the astounding works that God will do among you. May God richly bless you in the years ahead, and I will look forward to celebrating the Mass with you on Sunday, when we have the great joy of welcoming a new child, Charles Eric Mahoney, into the body of Christ through Baptism.
Yours in Christ,
Father Kyle