Reverend John Branson's Return to Emmanuel
As members of Emmanuel read this edition of The Epistle, the Bransons will have returned to the lovely rectory and exquisite little church tucked into the east-facing slope overlooking the little village of Dublin. We rejoice each time we return to Emmanuel, full of gratitude for the vision of the founders of this lovely summer chapel, and for all whose generous support and faithful commitment has sustained this place in which and from which God’s radiant light shines into the world.
God’s radiance shines bright as Jesus’ disciples commit themselves to serve the Kingdom in sacrificial ways: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, binding up the wounds of the least and the lost, living not for our own sakes but for the sake of those who will come to know God’s overflowing, never-ending love.
The world gives us many things; many things for which we yearn, many things for which we work hard, many things we crave. We assume that the more things we have will make us happy. Things, unfortunately, as many of us have learned, cannot produce happiness. Those of us who have many things still find ourselves feeling empty, bereft for that which would fill our unquenchable hunger and thirst.
Jesus once said that those who seek the secrets of life must lose their lives. And he further indicated that those who lose their lives for the sake of the Gospel will gain all things. One way of losing your life is to sacrificially serve others in the name of Jesus. Those serving in Jesus’ name come to depend on a love and faith found not in the world, but realized only in and with God. Those leaning this this direction understand their need for worship, their need for church and their need for a community in Christ that that all be fed, lifted up, prayed for, forgiven and sustained for ministry in the world.
We who worship God and who follow Jesus as our guide and companion on the Way recognize that Jesus frequently stepped away from the everyday pressures of ministering, teaching, healing, and preaching to renew his relationship with his Father. So often when the disciples went looking for Jesus, they usually found him in prayer: by the lakeside, on a mountain, in a place apart from the crowds.
For this reason, we who “lean in” toward Emmanuel in the summer months come searching for something deeper, profound, something we find difficult to name but without which our lives would not be as full and gratifying. We come in search of solace and peace, to contemplate the blessings, abundance and wonder of our lives, to give thanks for our many blessings, to pray for others in need.
I am particularly grateful to Gideon Pollach and his family. Even as he and his family have found Dublin—the lake, the mountain and its environs a place of respite, renewal, and peace, so too, has Gideon been a wonderful guide, spiritual director, preacher and counselor to this congregation these past weeks. Many have found his words, demeanor and heart a source of comfort. He has radiated the light of Jesus through his whole self; whether in church, on the beach, or wherever you have found him. He knows, as we all do, that the source of hope, the source of all that is good, the source all that is worthy is found in worship—communion with our God in whom we live and love and have our being.
This is why we Bransons so love coming to Emmanuel. Here where we step away from the everyday pressures of the world, we come into a deeper stillness at Emmanuel. Here we “lean in” and listen to God. Deo Gratias!
