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Message from the Rector
By The Rev. Dr. Vincent Joseph Kopp
Dear Good People of St. Stephen’s,
Paul’s words from this coming Sunday’s Epistle—2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18—struck me hard when I read them.
To Timothy he wrote:
“I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
I do not presume to be righteous as Paul was righteous, by any stretch of the imagination. What speaks to me here is not Paul’s sense of future reward but his sense of a present ending.
The image of being “poured out like a libation” captures how weak and finished I have felt at times as I have sought a diagnosis and a plan to address my uncertain medical condition. Now I at least have a plan to obtain a diagnosis. And this means soon I will be leaving St. Stephen’s for a season of uncertain duration to find out what it is.
Certain, in my mind, is that you, the Good People of St. Stephen’s, will carry the work we have begun together going forward. Yes, supply priests from the Clergy Order will be here on Sunday’s to celebrate Holy Eucharist. But it will be you, the Lay Order of Ministers (BCP, p. 855), who must be the Church to each other. As one people united by one faith and one Baptism, you will love, support, and teach each other, inspired by Scripture, preserved by traditions, and protected by the God-given gift of reason, as you are guided by the Holy Spirit in all that you do.
Let Us Pray:
61. A Prayer of Self-Dedication (BCP, p. 832)
“Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”
In Christ,
Vincent+
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