Reentry

Those well-used walking shoes

I am a child of the space program. I was a child when television, in black and white, allowed us to watch the return of Mercury astronauts from our initial forays into human space travel. What followed was an intense fascination with space – something that, for previous generations, was the stuff of fantasy.

As our “mission to the moon” developed, I was there at every turn: from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo. I assembled model rockets. Some may remember those Revel model kits – while many of my peers were assembling model cars, I was busy with rockets and space capsules and creating dioramas of moonscape landings. So much so, that for a time, I dreamt about being involved in the program – maybe not as an astronaut but at least as an engineer.

Depiction of the heat shield
from the Apollo space capsule

One of the greatest challenges at every stage of the program was how we would return our astronauts safely to earth. Perhaps the most serious single problem encountered during reentry is the heat that develops as the spacecraft returns to the earth's atmosphere. Friction between vehicle and air produces temperatures that exceed 3,000°F! Most metals and alloys would melt or fail at these temperatures. Overcoming that challenge was crucial, so that the space vessel would not incinerate upon reentry.

From the human viewpoint, crews had to readapt to Earth's gravity. Transitioning from one gravity field to another is trickier than it sounds, since it affects spatial orientation, head-eye and hand-eye coordination, balance, and movement. Something so simple as walking becomes a challenge.

As I return to ministry at St. Luke’s, I am feeling a bit anxious. While I look forward to my return from sabbatical, I know there will be some “reentry” challenges involved. Some will be predictable, but many may be unexpected.

In an earlier blog post, I described some of the culture shock experienced upon entering the refreshment program at Ridley Hall (see “Shock Therapy,” July 14, 2023). Spending over two months’ leave in another county and culture has changed me – much of it for the better, I pray. But I have changed nonetheless – and so has St. Luke’s. It will be another kind of "shock" – to reenter.

The busy train station at King's Cross, London
on my journey home.

All this will require a bit of re-orientation – of getting to know one another – again. How we view the changes that have occurred will affect how we relate to one another. We might have positive or negative feelings about the differences we encounter. What I hope for us all is that during this time of reentry, we will remain flexible, open, and above all optimistic.

Just as the engineers in the space program prepared both their physical and human assets for the process of reentry, I have been reflecting, thinking, and planning just how I will overcome the challenges of reentering my role as rector – priest and pastor – for the people of St. Luke’s. If those preparations were wise, I will not get overheated and will be able to recover my “land legs” quickly. That way, the journey we mutually began over three months ago, will see us walking with one another with renewed vision and confidence. 

All the while, I ask one thing in particular throughout this process. In the words of Thomas More as he wrote to his beloved daughter, Margaret, 

“Please pray me, as I shall for thee.”