It’s been a busy day. Perhaps tomorrow will be more reflective, more suitable to the occasion; but one story stands out from the day as particularly apt to this first anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood.
This morning, at a community meeting, I introduced myself to the young woman sitting next to me with my name and the organization I was representing. We exchanged pleasantries, then she asked, “What is your role at the church?” I replied, “I am their priest.”
Her eyebrows rose. “That’s cool!” I had to smile. “Yes, it is really cool.”
What sort of church, she wanted to know, so I told her, and she had heard a few things about the Episcopal Church, and she wondered … Can they… Could I…. Did they…
I waited, still smiling, because I was confident that the answer would be yes.
It turned out the question was could I be a priest and be married? Yes, I told her, for twenty-one years and with three children.
“Wow. That’s awesome.”
Well, yes. Yes it is.
Thank you Florence. Thank you Nancy. Thank you Katie, and Mark, too.
And thanks be to God.