“I have decided to follow Jesus.” – Indian Folk Hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing #136
Dear People of St. David’s,
Recently, my wife Marissa and I have been going for walks along the Radnor Trail with our dog, Leia. Leia has loads of energy and tends to get distracted easily. However, we have found that the Radnor Trail helps her stay focused because it is a paved pathway with little room for exploration. Except, the other night she strayed off the path a few times and I found myself getting upset because there are signs along the pavement saying, “Please stay on the trail.” I did everything to try and get her focus back onto the walk, but she kept on wanting to explore.
Leia’s need for exploration made me think about the Christian need to explore our relationships with God. It reminded me of the hymn, I have decided to follow Jesus.
The lyrics say, “Though no one join me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back!” Following Jesus and exploring our relationship with him requires us to get off the trail. It requires us to explore a little.
Over my first three weeks here at St. David’s, I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with a lot of you. I often ask questions like, “How long have you been at St. David’s?” or “What brought you here?” Many of you respond by telling me about an experience you had or a moment in your life that brought you into the building of St. David’s and in turn brought you into a relationship with Jesus. Through that relationship, many of you got involved with the women’s & men’s fellowship groups, joined the altar guild, or you started participating in an outreach ministry. At St. David’s, there are opportunities for spiritual growth for everyone. It’s been nice hearing what you all are passionate about. Following Jesus brought many of you into a new path.
In life, we may feel as though we need to stay on the trail. However, following Jesus requires us to get off the trail. It requires us to go places we didn’t think we would travel. If Jesus is calling us to get off the trail, I suggest we do it. It is good to explore places we have never been. During that exploration we may meet God in one another and in the work we are doing.
Many blessings,
The Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Jr.
Associate Rector