August 28
Beloved of Good Shepherd Church,
Grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
From the very moment I arrived at Good Shepherd Church I had a clear and certain sense that the Spirit of the living God runs up from the deep here and spills out wonderfully all over the surface of things drenching the place with love. The 100 year anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of our worship space has given me occasion to dive into our history a bit to see if it has always been this way. Good Shepherd member, Michael Griffin, sent me a Lexington Herald Leader article from November 15, 1926 which offers an account of the opening of our worship space for the first services. In the article it is reported that at the first service in the new space Bishop Burton offered this prayer that Father Settle, the rector at the time, adapted for our church:
“FATHER of all mankind, we pray that to this Church ALL Thy children may ever be welcome. Hither may the little ones love to come, and young men and maidens, to be strengthened for the battle of life. Here may the strong renew their strength, and win for their lives a noble consecration; and hither may age turn their foot-steps to find the rest of God and light at eventide. Here may the poor and needy find friends. Here may the tempted find succor; the sorrowing find comfort, and the bereaved learn that, over their beloved, death has no more dominion. Here may those who fear be encouraged, and they who doubt have their better trusts and hopes confirmed. Here may the careless be awakened to a sense of their folly and guilt and to a timely repentance. Here may the oppressed and striving souls be assured of the mercy that triumphs over sin, and receive help to go on their way rejoicing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
When we adopted our five core values a number of years ago, I remember thinking and saying that we didn’t create the core values out of nothing, rather we unearthed values that were already in operation at Good Shepherd. I can now see that indeed those values were in operation at least 100 years ago. Jesus is Lord, Love is all, All are welcome, Principles undergird practices, and Equip, Empower, Enable have long been guiding lights for the people of our church. I am delighted to see All are Welcome in the very beginning of Father Settle’s prayer. In the early days, Good Shepherd was known as “the little church on the corner.” This nickname was borrowed from a church in New York City which was known as “the little church around the corner.” The New York church was referred to in this way because it had a reputation for taking in and welcoming people who no one else would help and welcome. Folks would say, “I think that little church around the corner welcomes people like you.” The community knew Good Shepherd to be a place where all are welcome, so we were referred to as “the little church on the corner” in the same spirit. I believe we’re still that church!
The newspaper article goes on to describe Father Settle and the people of the parish as sincere, kind, deeply spiritual, and devoted to the teachings of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We are heirs of that foundation and called to build on it with our own lives. You are carrying on in the spirit of our founders with such exquisite beauty and grace. I am humbled, honored, and inspired to be with you in such a long line of our Lord’s followers. Thank you so much for the way you continue in the direction our people set for our church 100 years ago. The future is bright!
Remember this always - God loves you, and I love you too!
Love is all,
Hendree+