Kristofer and Final Reflections on Re-Creation
Final Reflections on Re-Creation
The last four weeks of SSS videos from Kristofer have focused on sacred stories that he has shared about the ways in which God has met him mysteriously at the outdoor altar space at the Bishop Claggett Center in Buckeystown, MD over the course of the last 15 years.
Each instance has served to guide, heal and form him as a human being, a follower of Jesus, and a priest in the church. Each instance in this sacred place has served to re-create and restore him at important moments in his life.
With each sharing, you too have been invited to reflect on the ways in which God is re-creating you in and through the sacred spaces in your own life. Where and when are those sacred places and times for you? Can you picture them?
As part of preparing for this series, Kristofer has done some research in the diocesan archives to learn more about the outdoor altar at Claggett. The space was actually dedicated on Sunday, May 25 1957 - nearly 65 years ago.
On this afternoon, over 4,000 people from across the diocese gathered on the hillside to worship, to pray, to re-create and to set this place apart for God’s purposes for many years and many people to come. In articles saved in the archives, Kristofer read about how Bishop Powell invited each of the congregations of the diocese to contribute a stone to be placed in the altar - a fact that has been long forgotten. In the photos, you can see how much has changed in the landscape and you can also see how the foundation set remains the same decades later.
As St. Francis Episcopal Parish & Community Center, we are in a time of re-founding, of new beginning, of being re-created by God. Stone by stone, God is putting us in place, building us up, and making us something more. Can you see the re-building happening all around us? What “stones” are you being invited to contribute to the project? What will St. Francis look like 65 years from now? What will the sacred stories be that we tell that have helped shape us a parish and community center?
