June 18, 2010

Dear Parish Family and Friends,

I’d like to begin this letter with a poem by Hafiz titled: “Without Brushing My Hair”

We recently celebrated the feast day of Pentecost, and the infusion of the Holy Spirit upon the early followers of our Lord. Pentecost marked the birth of the Church. From that beginning the church would grow, and the message of the “Good News” would spread to all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike. God’s Spirit would not be contained. Can you imagine the excitement in the lives of those early followers? They must have been intoxicated with God’s love. Many gave up their possessions to live in community.  What an exciting time to be the Church!

Fast forward. Twenty centuries later it seems the excitement has worn off. We as a church have
become institutionalized. A once blazing fire has been reduced to something less than a dimly lit match. Is it time to beg for the return of the Holy Spirit to our collective hearts? As most of you know we have formed a Vision Team in the parish that has been working diligently to get in touch with the needs of our English-speaking congregation, and make plans for the future. Some of our discussion has centered on God as the “Ground of all being” (to use a term coined by theologian Paul Tillich). What this means, essentially, is that there is no separation between God and us, or each other. The great I AM is who WE ARE. As children of God, made in the image and likeness of God, we are in effect that which we seek. This ultimately binds us together as one Body in the wisdom of Christ.

This is a radical departure from the way many of us see God. Lots of us see God as a heavenly deity near to us but separate from us. This new understanding emphasizes that God and we are one in the same, we just need to look deeply within ourselves to discover this. This new understanding also calls us to a greater intimacy with God as expressed in the poem by the mystique Hafiz. The mystiques of the Church understood this unity but sadly this is a tradition that has been lost to a great extent. Ironically, as we seek to define who we are in the 21st century, we are being called back to ancient mystical wisdom.

The need for greater intimacy with God, as we seek to discover our true selves is tied into what we will be in the future, and of course this is all tied into love. Love is the essence of our communal life, not social conformity, not adherence to dogma, not institutional loyalty; love is what binds us together. If we are to attract others to our circle it can only be done through the power of love, and the discovery of our true selves.

In this process, Jesus is our ultimate teacher.  This does not exclude us from drawing on the wisdom of other traditions. As a church we follow Jesus but not to the exclusion of others who can add luminosity to the fire. I am of the belief that if religion is not liberating it loses its value, and it ceases to be true religion. The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this. He took great inspiration from a Hindu known as Mahatma Gandhi. His own Christian faith was enriched by what he learned from Gandhi. I am listing below Gandhi’s social sins:

1. Politics without principle
2. Wealth without work
3. Commerce without morality
4. Pleasure without conscience
5. Education without character
6. Science without humanity
7. Worship without sacrifice

Whether one is conservative or liberal, it is hard to argue with Gandhi on these social sins. This is a great example of the wisdom we can draw from -- sources other than Christian that completely resonate with the teachings of Jesus.

As we move forward into the summer months, and continue to discern our call as a community of faith, I invite us all to surrender to the Divine Will, and melt into the Sacred Presence. What will follow? The Holy Spirit, as it was present on Pentecost. That will be our guide.  Can we “rush to the door without brushing our hair?”  The Spirit is calling.

God has given us many wonderful surprises lately, the classical Arab music concerts along with other unexpected gifts have put us financially in the PLUS, at least for the moment. Our Latino ministry is growing not only in numbers but also in substance. The stewardship of talent among our members has increased substantially. This has been evident in the many volunteers that we had for the concerts. God is smiling on us; we should smile back at God, and invite God in. By the way, we have another fun concert
and dance coming up on the 25th, “Allegra Luna.” Please spread the word, join us, and volunteer to help.

In closing, it is safe to say that the Spirit is not done with us yet, we have much work to
do, and our Beloved is knocking at the door, thanks be to God. 

Blessings and Grace,

Wilfredo Benitez+

The Rev. Wilfredo Benitez,
Rector

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