Pastoral Message from Bishop Russell

and Invitation to an online Prayer Vigil

Link to Join Prayer Vigil on Monday, February 2, at 6 p.m. CT

Link to Liturgy

Dear friends and neighbors of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast,

Grace and peace be with you. 

“How can I serve the world when the world’s condition is so heavy?” is a question that framed a recent reflection by the Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber.  

We are living in troubled times.  Our very souls are troubled.  The world’s condition is heavy.   What do we do? Whom do we trust?  What is right or wrong? And rather than striving for understanding and cooperation, we are reduced to statistics and stances. Are you with me? Or are you against me? And for many, we are paralyzed by a feeling of being damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

One of the beautiful mysteries of our church is our diversity.  Within the Body of Christ, we are rarely of one mind about every detail of what should be done or how best to serve the world.  Some believe that prayer is inadequate, that calls for reform must be paired with immediate policy action. Others emphasize the urgent need for mercy, reconciliation, and structural change. Still others suffer feelings of frustration, fear, or confusion about how the Gospel compels us to act for the sake of justice.  What is God calling me to do?

And yet, while our perspectives may differ, we remain one in purpose: to follow Jesus Christ faithfully and to bear witness to the Gospel of love and peace.  St. Paul’s words to the Church in Corinth that we heard in church last Sunday [I Corinthians 1:10-18]  come to mind in this moment. The Corinthians were marked by division—differences in background, gifts, and convictions—and Paul urged them toward unity grounded not in uniformity in the reconciling power of Christ and His cross. In the face of division, he wrote:  “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  Cor 1:18 NRSV

Paul reminds us that the cross does not erase difference, but it reorients every difference toward love: love that bears with one another, seeks truth, pursues justice, and refuses to let despair, anger or hatred define us.

Prayers alone cannot forestall all injustice or answer every question. For some, prayer may feel insufficient or even frustrating. And yet, prayer is never just a passive act.  Prayer is the way we return to the Source of all justice and peace, the way we open our hearts for God’s wisdom and courage to shape our response.   Prayer is discernment for further action. 

In a reflection to his diocese, The Right Reverend Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota concluded his thoughts with this line:  “We are going to make like our ancient ancestors and turn the world upside down by mobilizing for love.”

Prayer mobilizes us for love.

In this troubled season, I invite you, the diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, clergy and lay alike, into a diocesan-wide practice of prayerful discernment. Let our first step be to listen—to listen for God’s call to us as we seek to follow the path of love. United in the waters of baptism, each of us in this Diocese is called to participate in God’s mission and to find our place that will bring us from heartbreak to healing.  In this troubled time, what is God calling you to do?

Moreover, our faith instructs us to do this work together.  In light of this shared calling, I encourage and urge the congregations and people of the Central Gulf Coast to join together in a time of prayer.  It seems fitting that we do so next Monday, February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, or as some know it, Candlemas, the service of light. 

With that opportunity before us, I ask that we set one hour for prayer 6:00 – 7:00 PM. CST Hold a service in your church or make time in your home. Join with your Cursillo reunion group, your youth group, and your sisters in the DOK.  And for those interested in being in community but cannot access one on Monday evening,  we will host an online time of prayer on Zoom. You can find the link to join on the homepage of our website, diocgc.org.

In this troubled time, let us present our lives once again to God.  Let us be still and pray for peace, for those who mourn, for justice, and for the courage to act as Christ’s ambassadors for reconciliation.  Let us, like Simeon and Anna, keep watch for the light of Christ to shine a path for us.  

May this time, grounded in prayer and the power of the Cross, strengthen our unity of mind and purpose.  And may it call us into further discernment and servanthood as we are mobilized for love in this hurting world.                     

+Russell