Last Sunday, we launched into our time of transition with the Reverend Peter Thompson leading us as our Vicar and Interim Rector. Transitions mean change, and in his announcements, Peter talked about some of the changes that are already happening, including enhanced titles for Zack and me. These new titles reflect our current and ongoing ministries, as we go from having four full-time priests to three.
My new title is Senior Associate Rector, but rest assured that even though the words “pastoral care” are longer in my title, it will still be a central part of my ministry. Pastoral care is integral to the work we do together at St. Bart’s and it is offered by all of the clergy, regardless of our titles. Pastoral care is and will always be a primary focus because our care for each other is one of the ways in which God is known in the world. Our pastoral presence with each other witnesses to the love and compassion of God in Jesus Christ. That is one thing that we can be sure will not change.
There is a beautiful description of the way God cares for us in our Gospel reading this Sunday. As Jesus mourns over Jerusalem, he yearns to gather God’s children together “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” The image of Jesus as a mother hen may not convey the majesty and stature we expect from the Son of God, but if we look deeper we can see why he chose this particular bird as his model. In gathering her chicks under her wings, a mother hen not only provides them warmth and safety, but also protects them from danger and defends them from predators. Without her, the chicks are completely helpless, so the hen will boldly stand her ground to defend them even against a much larger and seemingly more powerful adversary. As the chicks follow her around, they learn from her example, and she will teach them everything she knows. There is nothing quite as fierce as a mother protecting her young, so don’t mess with a mother hen!
We can imagine God working in our lives in any number of ways, but our care for each other is one way that we immediately recognize. As we enter this time of transition, let us follow Jesus’ example to care for each other as fervently as he cares for us, and let us move forward together as boldly and courageously as that fierce mother hen.
