Dear People of St. David’s,
It has been my joy to spend these past nearly three years of ordained ministry with you all, the good people of St. David’s. You continue to be a means of grace to so many people around the world. You stand with each other in times of great joy and celebration and moments of grief, illness, and loss.
My wife and children are waiting to see if my fourth attempt at retirement will be any more successful than before. I assure them it is.
Thank you for these years together. You were very gracious. As noted by Rick, Rachael and I will continue to worship at St. David’s and sing in the choir.
I was ordained to the Episcopal transitional diaconate on June 30, 1979, in Mt. Savage, MD in the parish my father served so my mother could attend. Then Rachael and I traveled to Billings, MT for my first post. During these 46 years I have learned the following in no particular order.
- I/We are beloved of God.
- God’s steadfast love never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning.
- God is slow to anger.
- In times of upheaval, we need others to carry us, pray with/for us until we discover the grace of God that has been working all along.
- We are invited to trust in God and believe his steadfast love especially when all appearances are to the contrary.
- Suffering is the frontier where we begin to know God. Our trust and faith in God empower us to weather the accidents, incidences, and failures of life. Joy in the Spirit can meet us in the turmoil and heal us, so that we become healers for others in similar moments.
- The worst moments of our lives need not define us. We love a Savior who suffered and died so that death and failure lead to new life and surprising hope.
- Priesthood is a call to love the people committed to our care which involves friends and enemies. All denizens of Earth are beloved of God whether lovely or unlovely to us. As God’s children we are on a lifetime journey of seeing them through the eyes of Christ.
- People need love, patience, and understanding most when they are the least lovable. Seeing them as Christ does enables us to sit with them. It is very helpful to know that most of the time it is not about “me.”
- In our deepest pain we lash out at the people we love the most, because on some level we think they can take it; they can’t always. Good therapists and spiritual directors are incredibly helpful in enabling us to heal from wounds and harm done to us in the first half of life that we may be ready to embrace the beloved Trinity who directs us joyfully in the second half of life.
- A faithful community in which we are well cared for and called by name is an essential part of our healthy journey to God.
- Do no harm to each other. Focus not on what irritates us, but on what our sisters and brothers do well, learning to speak only words of grace and the language of love.
- There are few avenues to God that teach us the values, purposes, and vision of God than daily sustained prayer. Listening/centering prayer opens us to God who loves us and wants to share life, love, and guidance with us—just as a beloved parent does. Praying one of the Daily Offices (Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, Compline) from the Book of Common Prayer is a wonderful way to learn to pray and gain understanding of Scriptures.
- Similarly, we find God fully revealed in the pages of Scripture. There is a progress of understanding that grows to fullness over millennia. We observe a band of slaves gradually transformed into a beloved community. Our observations about God mature day by day, year by year, millennium by millennium until we finally see God as God is, and we become like him.
- Discernment is almost always known in community. We hear what we think God might be saying to us and we check it in community. When we seek discernment for the life and ministry of the church, we do it together. We share with each other no one holding too tightly to our own perspective but honoring the voices of our siblings in Christ until we see together the path we are to take, and we are at peace with one another.
- Our prayer and action together speak of the maturity of our faith. We love a God who does justice, loves mercy, and asked us to walk humbly with God. God envisions that justice will roll down like water and righteousness (right relationship with God, creation, and with other) like the everlasting sea.
Here is a starting point of things I learned and offer to you, my beloved siblings.
In Christ’s love,
Peter +
The Rev. Dr. Peter B. Stube
Priest Associate
Editor’s Note: You can read the Rev. Rick Morley’s announcement of the Rev. Dr. Peter Stube’s retirement. Don’t forget to join us on Sunday, August 31st following 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. worship for a celebratory coffee hour on the narthex porch in Peter’s honor.
Published August 14, 2025.