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This Lenten season, I’ve been on a journey, thinking about where I’ve been and where God might be calling me; for this reflection, I want to share a little of that journey.
It began with the Litany of Penitence on Ash Wednesday, when we confessed “all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives.” I’ve since tried to understand the link between impatience and unfaithfulness.
The dictionary tells us “impatience” is “restless or short of temper” or “intolerance of delay.” I can confess this sort of impatience visits our family. Sometimes it comes in the questions: “are we there yet” when on vacation or “what are we doing next?” while in the middle of a fun activity. Other times it is present when I lose sight of helping my kids with homework and focus instead on the time it is taking. In each case, we stop being fully present in the moment and miss out on the blessings of time and experiences together. I also have the added loss of not keeping faith with the call of being a supportive parent.
From these examples, the link between unfaithfulness and impatience seems clear, and this was where my journey had taken me as I began to write this reflection.
But I realized this simple answer ignores how calls for patience are often used to perpetuate injustice. For the first 85 years of our nation, African Americans were told to patiently wait for slavery’s end; for the next 100 years, they were told to be patient with the loss of their civil rights under segregation. Until the early 20th century, women were told to patiently wait for their right to vote. Well into the 21st century, LGBTQ citizens were told to patiently accept they would not be allowed to openly be who they are or love who they choose. Workers and employees are often urged to be patient amid layoffs and financial instability, even as their wages increasingly fall short of covering their families' basic needs. And, today, we are all told to be patient while some in power push to go backward, violate norms, justify intolerance, and spread fear and uncertainty because things will “get better” if we only allow them to “move fast and break things.” Patience in such instances does not seem remotely faithful to God. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. noted in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, faithfulness should demand a “legitimate and unavoidable impatience” to speak out and challenge injustice.
How then to reconcile this legitimate, faithful impatience with the words of the Litany? I found Dr. King is again instructive in his call to “use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Faithfulness may be therefore found in appreciating each moment that we are given and actively using those moments to fulfill God’s purpose. We can be patient in our everyday moments and faithfully impatient in striving for justice — God wants us to do both, spending the time we are given both wisely and well to serve the Kingdom of God.
This is where my Lenten journey has taken me as I reflect on what God has given me and consider the work that He would have me do. I hope your Lenten journey brings you moments that you are able to fully experience and also opens paths for you to engage in faithful action.
Jeff Kelsey, Senior Warden
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HELP WELCOME OUR NEW INTERIM RECTOR
Please wear nametags on Sundays!
Especially as we prepare to welcome our new interim rector, let’s make St. Paul’s as warm and inviting as possible — please wear nametags on Sundays. Nametags help foster connection and hospitality, not only for clergy and staff but for newcomers and longtime members alike. Whether you’ve been here for years or are just getting to know St. Paul’s, wearing your nametag makes it easier for everyone to feel at home. If you need a new nametag, please create a temporary one or drop your name in the box in Burrows Commons — we’ll be happy to make one for you! Please click here to email Laurie Pierce with questions.
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ADULT FAITH FORUM
Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago
10:15-11 a.m., Parish Hall
Join parishioners Jan and David Carlson to hear about their experience walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a modern-day journey along a centuries-old pilgrimage route. Learn about their time of transition and awakening, where they embraced a slower pace, the beauty of simplicity and the deep sense of community among fellow travelers.
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ADULT FORMATION
Symbols of our Sanctuary
10:15-11 a.m., Meet in St. Paul's Chapel
Curious about the symbols woven into the art and architecture of St. Paul’s? Join the Rev. Beth Scriven for a brief pilgrimage through our sanctuary. Together, all will explore the sacred signs and symbols that tell God’s story in our space.
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SUNG MORNING PRAYER
11:15 a.m., Sanctuary
The morning companion to Choral Evensong is Sung Morning Prayer, offered on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at St. Paul's Indy. The service contains choral canticles, responses and psalms, and congregational hymns. Music is by Henry Purcell, Annabel Rooney and more.
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HOLY BAPTISM
Register for April 27 baptisms by Thursday, April 3
Baptisms are offered next on Sunday, April 27 at 9 a.m. Baptism is the sacrament by which we are adopted as God’s children and made members of Christ’s body, the Church. Please click below to learn more or to request to be baptized. The deadline to register is April 3.
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EASTER DAY MUSIC & FLOWERS
Tributes are due on Monday, March 31
Thank or honor loved ones by sponsoring music or flowers for Easter Day; names will be printed in Easter Day bulletins. Donations of $40 for music and $50 for flowers are appreciated. Please click below or text SPONSOR to 97000 to submit payment and provide the name(s) of those you wish to honor. Thank you for helping to beautify our worship space and supporting the St. Paul’s mission in their name(s). Please click here to email Liz Hoffman with questions.
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SWARENS MEMORIAL-HIGHER GROUND ALL-DAY SINGING
Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Parish Hall
All are invited to join Swarens Memorial-Higher Ground All-Day Singing. Singing will be from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for gathering and registration and a “Dinner-on-the-Grounds” potluck at noon. Tunes will be called from both The Sacred Harp (1991 revision) and The Shenandoah Harmony; loaner tunebooks will be available. Click here for details and click here to email Sarah Ward with questions.
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SPRING & SUMMER VOLUNTEER TEAMS NEEDED
Looking for a short-term way to get involved at St. Paul's? Three teams are forming soon:
- Parish Retreat Planning Team - Serve from April-September, meeting once/month, and participate in the Parish Retreat at Waycross, Sept 19-21
- Mess Fest Planning Team - Serve from April-August, meeting about four times, and participate in Mess Fest, on a Sunday in August
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MLK Cooking Club Team - Serve between April-June, with one-two meetings, and plan and lead one cooking session with MLK students and adults
Please click here to email Laurie Pierce for more information or with interest in serving on one of these teams.
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Please click on red links for available details
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Tuesdays, 12-1:15 p.m., Tuesday Study Group at Broad Ripple Brewpub
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Sunday, March 30, 10:15-11 a.m., All-Parish Coffee Hour
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Starting April 8, Mindful Yoga with Carrie spring dates
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Palm Sun., April 13 - Easter Sun., April 20, Holy Week & Easter Day Worship
- Sun., May 4, Celebrate St. Paul's: Picnic with a Purpose
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Sat., May 10, Habitat for Humanity Build, St. Paul's parking lot
- Fri.-Sun., Sept. 19-21, Parish Retreat at Waycross
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