The Sins of the Fathers

Yesterday I was shocked at the loss of life to the east of us, as storms tore through Alabama and other states. I saw video of crumpled cars along an interstate. A weeping lady stammered, "One minute you are there and the next minute you are gone." Her pain was palpable. We were also hammered by endless storms, but our threats were proven wrong. We were spared.

Much of yesterday was spent dealing with the exccessive rain. It flooded our streets and courtyard. It also filled the basement with a couple inches of muddy water. Electricians were called to fix the problem with the sump pumps. As of 7:00 this morning there is still standing water and I am not sure when the problem will  be completely taken care of.

The decision, some thirty years ago, to build a parish hall in the basement, was a bad idea. I have been here ten years and the consensus throughout that time remains the same: back a concrete truck up to the windows and start pouring! We have had numerous less radical "solutions" over the years and have spent endless hours debating the issue. Many hours have been spent constructing first one, then another, mode of correction. As I waded through the water yesterday I was clear that if it rains long enough and hard enough we are going to have trouble. Mopping up the basement is frustrating. It is probably never going to be completely fixed.

The people who designed this building thought they were being good stewards. They did the best they could with limited resources. It is a problem of a small parish. Few people with little financial backing have to make decisions on what to do within the limits of the situation. The decision to make a basement was a bad one. Ever since then other people have also paid the price for this mistake. Innocent people, who had no voice or vote, will gather and mop and clean. More time and more money will be spent.

The word "sin" in Hebrew means "to miss the mark." It is a broader word than simply moral evil or breaking a commandment. It includes errors. We make decisions every day which will impact others for years to come. We may not intend harm, yet other people may pay dearly for our choices. Too often in our individualistic culture we ignore that fact. We act like sin is a personal, private affair. It isn't. This is why in the ancient church confession, repentance and reconciliation were publicly celebrated. We owe it to the community which suffers from our sins. Yes, we owe it to each other, as well, of course, to God.

I read the reflections of the Underground Pewster the other day. He shared the statistical decline of our church. From 2002 to 2010 the average Sunday attendance has dropped from almost 870,000 to under 725,000. His analysis can be found at http://lowly.blogspot.com/.

Our Easter attendance this year was fifty less than it had been the last two years. The good news is we have seen about one hundred more folks this year. So we are better than last year. The not so good news is we still have not made up the loss from the year prior (we have seen about fifty less than 2009). So what? Well, churches need people to do ministry. Churches need people to make a difference in the world. There was a time when we had to add chairs and make people stand. We were growing and it was pretty excited. Then the Episcopal church chose to ordain Gene Robinson. Within two years we saw a fall off which has continued pretty much to this day. Young families no longer come to our church as they once did. We still have a healthy parish (well over 225 in attendance), but the days of 270 are long gone. Choices made by church leaders, national and local, effect the future. Things I say and do have impact, some positive, some negative.

My prayer is I am not building any "basements" for future church leaders who will serve here. My hope is that there will  be future church leaders here. Current trends are not positive. If we lose another 150,000 folks in the next eight years, the Episcopal church will be very small (under 500,000 worshippers). Based on our church's stated goals, I see no reason to think we won't continue to lose (and probably increase the rate). The fathers and mothers are making lots of unhelpful decisions. There are lots of sins (in every sense of the word) being perpetrated.

In this parish, we will proclaim Jesus is (universal) Lord, embrace the orthodox faith, focus on generous outreach, in depth bible study, regular prayer and community. We will try to build up faith, hope and love. We will listen to His word and respond. If the sins of the fathers rest on the children, it is also true that the fidelity of the fathers (and mothers) can provide a basis for blessings! I believe that God has given us responsibility in our world. I believe our choices matter. I also believe God has not abandoned us. Here is to hope!