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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Birmingham, AL is a welcoming and affirming congregation of diverse Christians who are committed to Jesus' command to love and care for our neighbors, whoever they may be. You'll find posts on this blog by our Rector, and also by our parishioners. During the season of Lent, there will be daily meditations on the readings. At other seasons of the year, there will be sporadic postings. Thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Leap of Faith

 There is an innate, inherent yearning in each of us for something more, to be what our Creator means for us to be. In order to attain that oneness with Christ, being filled by the Holy Spirit, we must be drawn outside of the person we believe ourselves to be, to do more than we believe we are capable. This truth of taking a leap of faith and the resultant fulfillment is beautifully articulated by John Neville Figgis, English historian, political philosopher, and Anglican priest and monk:


               “You can never win any kind of peace or self-possession unless you have risked all to get it. Ask yourself for one moment what have been your feelings on the eve of some act involving courage . . . have you not felt something like this? ‘I cannot do this. This is too much for me. I shall ruin myself if I take this risk. I cannot take the leap. It is impossible. All me will be gone if I do this, and I cling to myself.’ And then supposing the spirit has conquered and you have done this impossible thing, do not you find afterwards that you possess yourself in a sense that you never have before, that there is more of you? . . . You know you are something different from what you were before, and something more.”


I challenge you, in this new year, to prayerfully consider your leap of faith and let God weave the magic that he placed within you to fruition. Where does your deep gladness meet the world’s deep need?



Bridget Tytler

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