Why I Do what I Do (And, Why We’ve Done what We’ve Done)

These past few weeks have been filled with much personal reflection on my five years serving the good people of Grace in Houston.  I have also pondered considerably on my calling into this wild and unpredictable life as a priest in Christ’s Church.  Now entering my final week of ministry at Grace, I want to share some thoughts on the remarkable road to renewal and growth we have traveled together.

Since the first time I was ever asked the “why” about God calling me to the particular vocation of priest (almost 14 years ago now), I have been able to sum it up in one word: reconciliation.  

The letter of First Corinthians contains words that have guided me for much of my life and ministry: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…” (First Corinthians 5:17-18, NRSV).

I love that this beautiful thing God has done--resurrection, new life, new creation--is the grounding of the ministry God has called all Christians to engage. Since God has made all things new and has overcome the sin that isolates and divides us, the work now belongs to us: bringing people to God and together.
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This ministry of reconciliation, given to all Christians, has been the foundation of everything Grace has become in the past few years.

• The sacrament of marriage is now offered to everyone, including folks who are LGBTQ. 
• Our chancel is renovated with the altar rail brought to the floor level, affording equitable access to Holy Communion for all expressions of physical mobility.
• We offer a Spanish-language Misa (Mass) each Sunday at 5:00 PM, and we also regularly include bilingual singing and prayers in the morning service to overcome a language barrier.
• Our church and school have overcome difficult historical tensions to operate with a sense of shared ministry and mutual support.
• The Sunday worship bulletin is now reformatted according to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) for the blind and differently sighted.
• Both parking lots have been renovated for safety and ease of access into the building.
• Music in worship and special events reflects a wide array of cultural influences to reflect our multicultural character as a parish.
• In COVID, we embraced technology to facilitate continued connection while kept physically apart. Now, weekly services, special events, and gatherings are livestreamed or facilitated in hybrid format (Zoom) to include seekers and those of our community who are traveling or homebound.
• Interfaith ministries, like the Dance on the Labyrinth and Annual Iftar with the Turkish Cultural Center, help to foster understanding, love and respect with our Muslim siblings.
• The list goes on and on!

Together, we have embraced and enacted this ministry of reconciliation that God began in new creation and calls us to continue in our own renewed life.  As a result, people across many spectra of diversity – politics and race and generation and sexual orientation and gender identity and physical abilities and religion – know Grace as a safe place, a loving people, and a spiritual home.

Thank you, friends, for accepting this ministry of reconciliation with me.  Thank you for living out the witness of new creation in Jesus Christ.  Thank you for becoming the loving, embracing, inclusive, and faithful people you are.

With gratitude and affection,
Scott+

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