Letter from Amy: April 23, 2025
- Amy Rowe
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Dear Incarnation,
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
What a joy to celebrate with you over the breadth of Holy Week. From the raucous percussion of Palm Sunday; to the table fellowship of Maundy Thursday; to the descending darkness of Good Friday; to the quiet waiting of Holy Saturday; to the feasting, flowering, bell-ringing, joyful exuberance of Easter morning — I am still slowly processing all of the beautiful and poignant moments of the week. What were your favorites?
So much of the work of a priest is simply to "prepare the environment" (to use Atrium/Montessori-speak) and then get out of the way so that all of us can encounter God together in the power of his word and sacraments. At the Easter vigil, as I sat in the pew behind the lectern and listened to reader after reader proclaim God's great works — readers whose own lives each bear such powerful witness to God's great work! — I was caught up in the story of redemption that we are living together. It is such a privilege to witness his work in your lives. Thank you for a wonder-filled week together!
***
Yesterday was Earth Day, a fact that might have escaped my post-Easter brain if it weren't for my environmentally aware teenagers. With youthful zeal, my son decided to go without electricity for the day (he allowed himself to benefit from the secondhand electricity of others; i.e., we did not unplug the fridge!) — he hauled his typewriter to school and brushed his teeth by candlelight. I found all of this amusing, until I reflected on the fact that I just spent a week hauling around buckets of rocks so that I could announce that a man rose from the dead. So perhaps the zeal doesn't fall far from the tree!
Earth Day on the heels of Easter is a helpful reminder that Jesus' resurrection isn't just a promise for humanity, but for the whole earth. God is renewing all things — the green shoot hidden in the dead branch from my Easter sermon. Along those lines, I loved this short article from Easter Monday: "Easter is God's Great Yes to Earth." And here's a collect we prayed yesterday at midday prayer (lots of great earthy collects in the BCP!):
For Stewardship of Creation (BCP p. 652)
O merciful Creator, your loving hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence, and give us grace to honor you with all that you have entrusted to us; that we, remembering the account we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Happy belated Earth Day!
***
Finally, I was grieved to read of Pope Francis' death. I will miss his humble voice for justice and peace, a voice that feels so urgently needed in our world. And I particularly admired his eschewal of papal finery in favor of shabby shoes, old cars, and a small apartment.
I highly recommend reading Francis' final Easter sermon, preached the morning before he died. This part especially resonated:
“In the Lord’s Paschal Mystery, death and life contended in a stupendous struggle, but the Lord now lives forever. He fills us with the certainty that we too are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more.”
I also appreciated this reflection on Francis' life by the theologian James KA Smith, who calls him "a pastor to the world."
***
The world needs pastors. Not just ones who wear the title of pope, priest, deacon, bishop, pastor, etc. — but Christians willing to listen, pray, wait, weep, serve, accompany, and speak words of hope to those around them. This summer, I will be on sabbatical, and Incarnation's pastors will be spread a bit more thinly than usual. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to strengthen our pastoral muscles as we care for one another and grow as a community.
So I'll be devoting a few of my upcoming letters to some suggestions for how to pastor one another in my absence (or any time!). You're already SO GOOD at looking out for each other and offering support, this almost feels unnecessary. But it never hurts to shore up our strengths before a season of change. If you have questions you'd like me to address, please drop me a text or email, and I'll try to cover them!
I love being your pastor. I'm going to miss you all this summer. AND I have complete confidence that this community has everything it needs to support one another and to flourish in my absence. Alleluia!
With love,
Amy
