From the Rector…
Last month marked my seventh anniversary as Rector of this beloved community. I still vividly remember my first day here, when I gathered with the staff in the chapel to pray and celebrate Eucharist together. The Gospel passage I read that day was Luke 8:43-48—what some call the story of the “Hemorrhaging Woman.” However, I believe it could be more fittingly titled The Fringe of His Cloak.
In the story, we meet a woman who has suffered from a chronic bleeding disorder for twelve long years. She has exhausted all her resources in search of a cure, yet nothing has worked. With her last bit of strength and hope, she pushes through the crowd and reaches out to touch just the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. In that moment, healing power flows from him, and her bleeding stops. When Jesus asks who has touched him, the woman admits her actions, and he responds, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
As I spoke with the staff on that first day, I shared a thought: If Ascension is like the cloak of Jesus, then we—each of us—are the fringe. We have a responsibility to serve as an entry point to the healing power of Christ. Our very presence was to be one in which people might find security, comfort, and peace, so that others might feel brave enough to reach out and “touch” Jesus themselves. Seven years later, I still believe this is who we are and what we are called to be at the Church of the Ascension.
In a world that can often feel dark, brittle, and anxious, we are called to be a healing presence. Our role as Christians need not be complicated; it is simply to be a presence of comfort, hope, and peace. Jesus doesn’t ask us to prove him to others—he simply asks us to show him to others. And sometimes, that means being nothing more than the fringe of his cloak—the place where those who are frightened or desperate—at the end of their hope—can turn and experience healing.
The word salvation comes from the same root as salvos, meaning healing—think of a healing salve applied to wounds. Understanding salvation as healing deepens our understanding of what it means to be the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. We are called to be extensions of his healing power in the world, offering comfort and restoration to those who are suffering. To be the fringe of the cloak is to be willing to meet others with compassion and without judgment. It means being resilient and adaptable, offering encouragement to build one another up rather than tear each other down.
When I shared these words with the staff seven years ago, I was met with tears. There was much pain among us then, as there is in many places. But there has also been much healing, both within this community and beyond. Jesus calls us to participate in his healing work—not only here in the church, but in our homes and in the world. I pray that, as we move forward, we continue to be the fringe of his cloak, offering the healing touch of Christ to all who reach for it.
Light and Life,
Candice+