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Rector's Blog, Conversion

This blog is also available as a podcast

I remember my final year of seminary when I found out where my first job was going to be. I called up one of my mentors, a priest who had overseen my work at a local church, and I said, “I know where I’ll be working after graduation!” He asked the name of the parish. “St. Margaret’s in San Juan Capistrano,” I said. His reply came swiftly and joyfully: “Great! Pray for their conversion!” This might sound like a backhanded compliment toward that particular church – like he knew that they were a bunch of heathens in need of prayer. But that’s not what he meant. My friend believed that all churches were in need of constant conversion.

That word conversion is not used much in the Episcopal Church. Our tradition often shies away from this language. But conversion is an important concept for us as Christians, and I’d love to see us embrace it. Conversion is the transformation of the heart brought to bear by the Holy Spirit. That’s it. We believe that the Spirit of God is at work in our lives and is transforming our hearts in such a way that we are more fully able to live into the love for which we are made. Conversion.

Perhaps one of the reasons Episcopalians don’t talk much about conversion is that we’ve bought into the common narrative that conversion is about a moment in time. That moment perhaps when you were baptized. Or maybe the moment you realized you actually believed in God, or that time you decided to actually commit to identifying as a Christian. But what my mentor knew, and what I am beginning to understand myself, is that conversion is not a single moment in time: Conversion is a lifelong reality for Christians and for our churches.

“Pray for their conversion,” he said, because a church is a community of people who have gathered together in Jesus’ name, who are committed to following Jesus. To seek to follow Jesus is to be transformed. To dedicate ourselves to the love that creates and redeems and sustains the world is a dedication to transformation. That’s conversion. And it is ongoing. We don’t ever want to stop being converted. To pray for the conversion of a church is to pray that they keep following Jesus. It’s a prayer that we actively remain open to ongoing transformation.

Understanding that conversion is ongoing is a game changer. It undercuts any unspoken belief in an easy answer, a quick fix, instant solution. You and I were born to love and be loved. And at the same time, our lives are filled with obstacles and barriers – things that keep us from living into that beloved reality. So we yearn for a moment, an instant, a blink of an eye where the obstacles just disappear. Many Christians have been sold the snake oil that if we just believe the right thing, pray the right prayer, act the right way – if we just “convert” or “get saved” – the barriers to belovedness will be banished.

This is not real. And when we acknowledge that our conversion - the opening of our hearts to the presence saving love of God in the world – is a lifelong process, we begin to embrace the reality of Christianity as a practice rather than a set of magical escapist beliefs.

When I got to this church, there was an old man here named Chet. Many of you knew him well. He was a leader, a rabble rouser, a prayer warrior, a seeker, a smart-ass, and a true patriarch of our community. I loved him instantly, and I was not alone in that. One Sunday, when I walked into the room for our Adult Education hour, he barked, “Hey, there’s that guy who talks about love all the time!” I said, “That’s me!”

“When are you gonna talk about something else?” Chet asked, and I said, “When you all actually start believing that you’re loved no matter what, I will start talking about something else.” Chet nodded. This was an acceptable answer for him today. The trick, of course, is that I don’t think we’ll ever fully believe that we’re loved no matter what. I think we keep needing to be reminded. To be Christian doesn’t mean you always know you’re loved. To be Christian is to engage in trying to accept your belovedness a little more each day.

The last time I shared a meal with Chet before he died, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and slid it across the table for my perusal. It was the Lord’s Prayer. Well, it was Chet’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. He had been working on his own translation for a while and he wanted my feedback on what he had so far. I say “so far” because this man who was well into his nineties, did not at all feel like he was done trying to get his arms around the enormity of the love that was found in that prayer. He had to keep working on it, had to keep trying to grasp at understanding what God was doing in his life, in this world. Chet was still working on his own conversion.

We are not done being transformed by God. We are not done following Jesus. We are not done learning how to believe in Love. Pray for your conversion. Pray for my conversion. Pray for the conversion of our church.


Tags: Rector's Blog

Sermons

  • Mar 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    The Present Past
  • Mar 12 | Tym House
    Direct Access to Grace
  • Mar 6 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Being Righteous
  • Feb 27 | The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
    Two Sides of the Same Coin
  • Feb 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Superman Transfigured

Rector's Blog

  • Mar 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, When God Feels Like It
  • Mar 17 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, But Through Me
  • Mar 10 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 2
  • Mar 3 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 1
  • Feb 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Better Not Easier

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2944 Erie Ave. · Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 321-6700
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The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
2944 Erie Ave.
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Welcome Children Service Times Membership Contact Us

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer! We invite and welcome ALL to join us in worship and community. In addition to worship, we have a vibrant music community, a fun and welcoming community for children and youth, plus offerings for everyone from young adults to seniors, covering many varied interests.

The Rev. Philip DeVaul, Rector

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We love children, and children love Church of the Redeemer!

Children are at the heart of life at Church of the Redeemer. Children learn about the word of God through our Children's Christian Education programs; they are involved in worship services, they play music in our services, and they form lifelong friendships with each other through their experiences.

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On Sundays we have an 8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I service, a 9:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II service (which is also livestreamed), an 11:00 am Banquet Eucharist service and a 5:00 pm Celtic Eucharist service.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we offer Morning Prayer on our Online Worship Podcast.

On Wednesdays, we offer Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 6:00 pm in the Chapel.

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The community of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer welcomes you! We are glad that you have chosen to explore your faith here and hope that this document can answer some of the questions you may have about Church of the Redeemer. We seek to be an open, inviting community. Our invitation to you is to join us as we grow in faith and reach out in love to others. At Church of the Redeemer we are always seeking to know Jesus and grow in love. We hope that in whatever ministries you undertake will strengthen your relationship with him through your ministry and fellowship here.

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PARKING: Parking is on the street. Please pay attention to the signs indicating proper parking zones. Handicapped parking is available in the front on Erie, in the back parking lot, and on the south side of Raymar.

ACCESSIBLE REDEEMER: The front entrance has a ramp and there is an elevator inside the back door and to the left. Accessible restrooms are located in the Lobby inside the front entrance.


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Flowers in our holy worship spaces are a beautiful gift to God and those who attend services at Church of the Redeemer as well as those being honored or remembered. A contribution to the Flower Fund is a meaningful way to honor or remember a loved one for special life events such as birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, confirmations, thanksgivings, or in memory of a loved one.

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