Erica's Ordination Saturday @ 10

Dear Friends,

Ordinations are not exciting in the "Tom-Cruise-doing-his-own-stunts" sort of exciting (or, if one does end up being that sort of exciting, something has gone seriously wrong). But I do think ordinations are exciting. They are exciting because they are a moment when the ministry of a local congregation touches the ministry of the Church -- the big-C, worldwide, "Christ's Church" church in a profound way.

When Erica is ordained on Saturday morning, she will be ordained for the whole Church. God only knows where her ministry will take her. The echoes of our praises and celebration of her ordination may reverberate in a rural, bedroom where a migrant farmworker lies injured (Erica speaks Spanish); in a Gothic revival church with a leaky roof bearing the weight of melted snow, or at a retreat center where a small group engages in contemplative prayer. My point is that half a world away and two decades from now, Christ will act though the Church in a way that changes someone's eternity – and Erica may be the priest there as Christ's minister.

The broader Church depends on the local parishes playing their part in raising up the leaders God has called. This is holy work. I'm grateful and glad St. Andrew's is the sort of place where this happens, and I look forward to celebrating with you, Bishop Sumner, and guests from parishes and dioceses around the country, on Saturday morning.

In Christ,
Fr. Andrew