Grandma Kay: "I knew you before you were you"

“I knew you before you were you”

When Grandma Kay addressed Saint John’s on her last Sunday with us (November 17), she shared these words with us. Father David Weyrich was an Episcopal Priest in Utah. When he began to see the writing on the wall that the Episcopal Church was leaving the historic Gospel, he was praying for and envisioning a liturgical, bible-based, Gospel Centered Church in the valley. This was a desire of his heart fifteen years ago. Grandma Kay’s words were clear. Saint John’s, this was you. This picture God placed on the heart of Father Weyrich fifteen years ago has come to pass in your very existence.

Twelve years after his death, Grandma Kay had the opportunity to see the fruit of that vision. Seventy of us were gathered from multiple generations. We had people from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Russia, and the United States in the room. There were people in their nineties and probably a dozen under 10.

We live this out by simply being the Church

I was touched when reflecting on Grandma Kay’s words. When she said, “I knew you before you were you,” I realized that what we saw was something that was both remarkably simple and profoundly miraculous. When the Church gathers to simply be the Church, we fulfill something beautiful and remarkable. I was deeply encouraged both to gratefully receive the gift we’ve been given in this church family, and to pass the gift of a formational, growing, gospel preaching church to next generations.

We can be faithful to accomplish this by simply being the church. By doing the normal acts of gathering, worshiping on the Lord’s day, serving, and giving, we are doing all that is required to ensure the continuing presence of a worshiping community. There is no perfect gimmick or sales pitch that brings about the real fruit of the kingdom. It is the people gathering, worshipping, and loving God, one another, and the world around them. It is doing this week in and week out, and refusing to become discouraged, or as Saint Paul put it in Hebrews, “Not neglecting meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25). By simply being the Church, we are doing the most important work of extending the Kingdom of God.

So, Saint John’s, thank you. Thank you for being on the journey of being a part of a liturgical, multi-generational, gospel-centered church in the valley. Father Dave never saw the baptisms we celebrated, the conversions we’ve seen, and the two ACNA priests getting ordained over the last year. However, he knew what we all need reminded of, that if there is a church simply being the Church, all the powers of hell are impotent to stop God’s work from advancing. Let’s continue the work of simply being the Church, and in so doing faithfully pass on a faith community to multiple generations.