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I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Psalm 122:1
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And he shall direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5
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Rector's Study
HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY?
Jesus made a promise to his disciples, which been of encouragement to believers in him throughout the ages" "In my Father's house are many rooms... I go to prepare a place for you... where I am you may be also..." (John 14:2-3). At times of mourning, we may hope for our departed loved ones to be with our Lord. In moments of turmoil, we may be comforted to believe that he who died for us and rose again has not abandoned us.
But at times we find it difficult to hope. Too often our doubts and anxieties challenge or belief, our faith in him who is "the way, and the truth, and the life." In the Gospel record of the words of the Savior we are considering, even one of the Twelve, St. Thomas, responded: "Lord, we do not know where you are going: how can we know the way?" And this, long before anyone ever thought of dubbing that faithful Apostle "doubting Thomas." Maybe this can help us understand that when we believe a promise, we trust despite uncertainty.
There is much uncertainty in our lives. At this time in history, we do not know what will become of the denomination with which we are affiliated, nor even of the worldwide communion that we have recognized as our branch of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Closer to home, we may not see how we at St. Mark's are to fulfill the vision to "Build in the Beauty of Holiness." If we are to be genuinely faithful, we will trust in spite of all uncertainty and insecurity.
Again, Jesus promised: "Truly , truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it" (John 14:12-14).
In the Name of Jesus, pray with me for strength to trust in him so that we may follow the we are to go in order to accomplish the challenge before us. In Christ, let us seek to glorify the Father through what he does in and through us so that we may continue to bear witness to his love in this and succeeding generations.
The way for us to build is through trust in our Lord. The truth about our challenge to build is that we are to do so for the glory of God rather than out of our own desires. The life of this parish will be strengthened in the present and continue into the future as a testimony of faith in the Lord, as we build, not only a new church, but as we build up our life of faith together in the name of the Son of God who loves us and gave himself for us.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Timothy P. Perkins  , SSC
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