The nest and the tree

12 July Tuesday proper 10

Acts 12:1-3
King Herod had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.

My church is named for St James. So I'm quite used to pointing people toward this passage. It explains why a sword is one of the symbols used to identify St James in art.

After I had been here about five years, a two hundred year old oak on the front lawn of the church died. I hired a carver to turn the remains of the tree into a statue of St James. Of course we have no idea what he looked like, but we know his symbols -- the scallop shell of the pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela and the sword of his martyrdom. The statue, carved with a chainsaw, is fourteen feet high, and has come to be a kind of landmark for the church.

Writing this reminds me how young the children were when we moved here. They were 2 and 3 then, now they are 18 and 19 years old. They have really grown up in St James. They have been the priest's kids (PK's) who have been a fixture of the parish for almost their whole lives. Or, to look at it from the other direction, they have been here for the parish for nearly sixteen years -- longer than half of the congregation's active members.

I wonder if there's a bit of an empty nest thing happening for the parish too? No more dependable back-ups for acolytes, youth group, set-up for events, and the multitude of behind-the-scenes other ways they have helped me and St James' over the years. It will be different coming to church alone...

God, you weave us together in so many ways. Help us support one another through times of challenge and change, even as our connections make us rejoice in our shared blessings.
Amen.