Eyes to see by Mary-Anne Rulfs
While I need my glasses to read anything these days, I feel like I’m seeing more than I ever have. Seeing the world – and especially people – with greater clarity. That doesn’t mean I understand what’s going on I the world. I don’t. There’s so much that’s crazy – the media makes sure we hear and see that, often to our detriment. It’s difficult to ‘unsee’ what we would have been better off not seeing.
At the same time, I recognise that there’s so much that’s amazing, good and life-giving happening in the world too, everywhere, and even right under my nose. I see these things when I choose to open my eyes and pay attention.
During this season of transitioning from a parish role to the Anglican Schools Commission, and therefore moving from working alongside one team to another, I think I’m particularly aware of seeing where grace, kindness and possibility are hidden in full view. I want to acknowledge the grace, kindness and possibilities that have been a gift to me while serving alongside Stewart over the past 4 ½ years. Stewart’s generosity of spirit, and willingness to hear me and see me, even when I’ve respectfully disagreed with him on only a very few occasions, have allowed us to develop a working relationship grounded in trust and respect that I truly treasure. I hold him in high regard and hope he knows that I ‘see’ him.
Along with Stewart, Andrea, Anne and Bowen have been the constants in the team at Robina during my time in the parish. I feel very privileged to have worked alongside each of them. I have seen their humility, their wisdom, their deep care and their giftedness (along with their capacity for having fun) focused on the flourishing of our parish and wider community, and the people of God who comprise that community.
The beautiful community at Palm Beach has grown with me I feel, finding new ways to see each other, see themselves, and see possibilities that God is inviting us into together so that others might come to know the welcoming, healing, redemptive love of God as the lived experience of being church together.
It brings me great joy to see the dozens and dozens of committed volunteers at Robina serve faithfully across so many ministries – while I won’t name them all, I particularly think of our small group leaders, craft group, community connect and op shop teams – and really ‘see’ the people to whom they are ministering.
The team of women who hosted the afternoon of spiritual refreshment at Mudgeeraba a few weeks ago are a stunning example of a group of people who have come together from all kinds of backgrounds and chosen to work at really seeing each other. It has been an enormous privilege for me to look on and see each of these women grow in their confidence to share what God has placed in their hearts, borne out of their life experience and their experience of God’s love and grace through times of heartache and confusion, joy and peace.
On a personal note, a while ago I caught up with a friend of nearly 30 years who has journeyed with me and I with her through some harrowing life seasons. She recently disclosed some traumatic events from her childhood, and as part of her journey to wholeness and peace, described what it’s like to become free of the burden of fear and shame. She said ‘being seen for the woman she is’ has been a gift of our friendship. When she looked me in the eye and said, “all those years ago, I remember you saying to me ‘I see you’, and it made a world of difference”. While I don’t remember saying those words, I do remember seeing her – her courage, her groundedness, her capacity to face challenges, her commitment to the wellbeing of her family and her friends. She is so beautiful, and her loyal friendship has been a great gift to me. ‘Seeing her’ was my gift to her.
Opening eyes is a great theme of scripture, including the gospels. Jesus self-commissioning in Luke 4 includes ‘the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring … recovery of sight to the blind …’. Jesus was pretty focused on inviting any crowd he addressed to have eyes to see, along with ears to hear. Through his miracles he gave sight to the blind, both literally and metaphorically. And when people ‘see’ in the gospel narratives, the kingdom of God is present.
In a few weeks, the Anglican Schools Commission in our diocese will welcome Dr Beth-Sarah Wright for a residency term to work alongside staff and students in our schools to better appreciate how we can live and lead through the lens of dignity. Her work will assist us to better understand not only what we see, but importantly, how we see. To see others (and ourselves) more like Jesus sees us. It will be an exciting time for our schools to live more deeply into the gospel imperative to have eyes to see so that we are better placed to truly love our neighbour.
As I transition from my role as Associate Priest at Robina and Locum Priest at Gold Coast South, thank you to everyone who has not only wished me well, but seen me and encouraged me. I am very grateful, and look forward to continuing our journey in life and faith together as I continue to worship close to home and help out where I can.
To close, every morning I receive a Daily Prayer in my inbox as a member of Coomera Anglican College council. It’s something I started when I was Chaplain at CAC –emailing a prayer to every staff and college council member and every secondary student every school day. That tradition has been continued by the lay chaplains who continue to provide chaplaincy at CAC, including this year’s Chaplaincy intern, Imogen. Her prayer today:
God of mystery,
Why do mountains stand so tall?
Rivers run so far?
Universes expand so greatly?
Have you given us the gift of scale purposefully?
Let us be reminded of them,
To be small in their presence,
Yet significant in our connection to them,
Allowing us eyes to see how our place is woven into this large web of reality.
Amen
Grace and peace,
Mary-Anne