Beloved, 

Is this all there is? 

Perhaps it has been a while since you last felt a sense of spiritual affirmation. What once brought deep joy has begun to fade, and you find yourself wondering what has changed. Maybe something has shaken your conviction. Or perhaps you have lost someone dear and are now learning how to live without them. 

Whatever the reason, you may find yourself wandering in a kind of spiritual wilderness, quietly asking, “Is this all there is?”

I wonder if the disciples felt the same after they lost their master. They had left everything to follow Jesus. They witnessed miracles–feeding the multitude, healing the sick, raising the dead, calming the sea. They walked alongside him, shared meals, and listened as he spoke of the kingdom of God. They belonged to his inner circle. 

What must it have been like to journey with him through those final days–and then to watch him take his last breath on the cross? Without the one for whom they had given up everything, surely there was a profound void. Did they, too, find themselves asking, “Is this all there is?”

The Good News is that their journey did not end there–but it did change. 

They continued without his physical presence, holding on to his teaching and to the hope of his promise. Some days were marked by courage; others by uncertainty. Like us, they lived in the tension between what had been and what was yet to come. 

A life of faith is never linear. It unfolds with twists and turns, moments of clarity, and seasons of doubt. Yet even in what feels broken or stagnant, something within us is still being formed. Change is not the enemy of faith–it is often the very place where faith takes root more deeply. 

This April, we experience that truth together as a community, as we step into several meaningful changes in our shared life. 

We are blessed to welcome Joseph Reese, a member of Calvary and currently in the discernment process for the priesthood, who will be with us for a six-month internship. 

We will also gather on April 19th to receive the faithful legacies of St. Thomas into our memorial garden, joining their story with ours. This sacred moment will take place immediately after the 10:30 service, and will be followed by a reception. As St. Thomas Church on Westport Road prepares for its final Eucharist, I ask your prayers for all its members as they enter a new chapter in their congregational life. 

In all these moments, we are reminded that change is not the end of the story. So the next time we find ourselves asking, “Is this all there is?” we remember this: in Christ, our lives are not ended–they are transformed. Even in uncertainty, even in loss, even in change, God is still at work–forming us through prayer, learning, serving, and rejoicing. All that is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of resurrection. Happy Easter! 

Faithfully, 

Fr. Andrew