After my article last Saturday I received a very gracious message from my former Bishop, who retired during pandemic, making reference to me talking about being part of the Diocese of Islands and Inlets; Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and Kingcome Inlet. Bishop Logan explained to me that any mention of Kingcome Inlet should also talk of Gilford Island, Wakeman, and Hopetown, as these four places are intimately connected in culture, families, and stories. My first thought was ‘Thank you Bishop Logan’, my second was ‘I am so glad I have good people willing to teach me this stuff and to call me out when I fall down’.
It wasn’t always the case, when I was much younger I was convinced that I had the answers and had nothing left to learn. There was, I must confess, a certain arrogance in the earlier part of my Christian journey, a sense of superiority to other Christians who were less theologically educated than me, or who saw things a different way.
Which caused me to think about how and why I moved from that place and that attitude? It would be lovely if I could credit it to my growing maturity and willingness to learn as I moved forward in ministry. Perhaps I have grown in wisdom as the years have gone on?
Or perhaps it’s not about me.
I realize that through my years on this journey, I have been gifted by many people who have gently shared their wisdom with me, who have guided, challenged, inspired, and taught me. Early on in my journey a wise old priest said to me, “I have some good news for you, there is only one saviour for the Church, and it’s not you.” Words I needed to hear!
I have been a part of many different Christian communities whose collective experience has blessed me and formed me, and above all, has held me to account. Just this evening I received a mail which expressed concern about the way I had communicated something and I had to consider whether it was my lack of clarity, the expectation of those who had received the communication, a mix of the two, or what. I had to own my part in this miscommunication, and apologize.
I believe we all have our own spiritual journey we are on, it is unique and personal, it is created by our own experiences and understandings built up over the course of our lifetime. And I also believe that such a journey is one that is best taken with companions and in community – with people who will surprise, disturb, uplift, support, challenge, and call us to account.
My community has over many years called me to account, it continues to do so, and I hope will do so as I continue on in this journey. Many people, young, old, and in between, have been a part of this, some of the encounters have been uncomfortable, most have been gracious, some have been life-giving.
St Paul, in the Christian Scriptures, describes the Church as a body, with each part tied to each other by ligaments and tendons, intimately knit together, with Christ at the head. That’s how close and inter-dependent the Church is called to be. We fail, and sometimes fail badly, but we still come back to this image, the body of Christ.
It’s not only the Church that is a place for learning, challenge, healing, and accountability – various spiritual traditions balance the calling of each individual to take responsibility for their journey of faith with the calling of the community to support and guide on another in this endeavour. In the West we have particularly individualized faith, though I think to do so loses much of the richness and learning, love and wisdom we can experience together in this journey - this dance, this experience.
With this shared sense of searching for meaning, for community, for connection, we are also encouraged not just to look inward, at what we can do for one another – but to consider the world beyond our walls, to reach out with compassion and love to those around us, and to make a difference beyond ourselves. This is so much easier to do when it’s not just ‘me’ but when we together seek to transform the world around us with love, to serve the world around us with grace, and to be open to the world around us with compassion. Our spiritual communities are at their best when they are open to any who come, and affirm all people for who they are. I am grateful for being a part of such a community, it’s not perfect, but working hard to be the hopeful, caring, affirming people we are together called to be.
The Ven. Alastair Singh-McCollum is Rector of St. John the Divine Anglican Church in Victoria and Archdeacon, Diocese of Islands and Inlets. He has a passion for the Gospel, motorbikes and bike culture, worship, philosophy, theology, guitars, single malt whisky, real ale, cinema and all things French. You can find Alastair at the church website: www.stjohnthedivine.bc.ca and on his blog: fracme.blogspot.ca
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, at https://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking
