Holy Cross 
On Holy Saturday, Andy and I went to the memorial service for The Rev. Jack Ormond at St James Church. It was a wonderful service, a packed house and a beautifully decorated church for Easter Sunday. Jack was much loved in this diocese. Donna and I have known Jack since we came to East Carolina in 1978, a long time. When we moved to Wilmington almost 12 years ago we asked Jack to bless our new home and he did. He was truly a holy man and a godly priest. In his sermon, Fr. Victor Frederiksen said that Jack’s life was like a quilt, and those of us who knew and loved Jack were a part of his quilt. I thought that was a wonderful metaphor for Jack’s life and ministry. I think it is a wonderful metaphor for us here at Holy Cross.
May 24th is the Day of Pentecost. What does this mean? It means on that day the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and the Church was born. The Holy Spirit gave those few the power to go and spread the Gospel throughout the Roman world. Saint Paul tells us that there is neither Jew nor Greek, male or female, or slave nor free. We are one in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the quilt maker. I don’t know much about quilting, but the ones I have seen and find most interesting and beautiful are those whose material comes from different sources. I believe those kind of quilts are called patchwork quilts. If you think about it that is what the Church is, a patchwork of all kinds of people. The prayer book calls us, all sort and conditions. The quilt maker for the Church is the Lord Jesus, and the means by which He makes the Church a quilt is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us the power to do our mission but it also makes us one.
The song we sing sometimes, “We are one in the Spirit”, testifies that we are indeed the Lord’s quilt and we and all are wonderfully made.
As a footnote to this reflection, if sometime out of the blue, you think about or remember Jack Ormond that is his way of sending those personal notes he would send in beautiful hand writing and on fine stationary. I believe he is missing from us, but he is with us. Think of the communion of saints as being part of the divine quilt.
Peace and love ~
Ed