Dear St. John’s community,

This is my final Chalice article and I wish to express to you all my deepest gratitude and love for all of you. It has been a wonderful two years of being your curate and I have been honored and blessed to journey alongside you. As I move on from here, I exhort you as Paul exhorted the Colossians in this weekend’s reading, “continue to live your lives in Jesus, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith…abounding in thanksgiving.”

St. John’s is a special place and as we near the 300th anniversary of its founding, I know that it may seem like the next 300 years is near impossible to fathom. I can’t predict the future, but the church universal has continued to exist for the past 20 centuries that I trust that our Lord will bring the church along in the coming centuries as well, if He doesn’t return before then. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. He will provide for the church, whether our local parish or the universal church, “for everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

As Christians, we are to know Jesus Christ and make Him known to the world. I pray that this church continues to have the passion and clarity for preaching Christ crucified in a world full of human philosophies and deceits that lead to distractions, sufferings, and longings. We are to be the place where people come seek solace, peace, and hope. The love and care you show the neighbor as well as the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are both key to a flourishing Christian community. Remember, it is the Holy Spirit that guides and grows the church. I pray that you continue to live your life guided by the Holy Spirit, giving all thanks and praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

In Christ,?

Fr. Zach