I hope your Christmas preparations are going well, that your Advent has been a satisfying time of reflection and preparation. As Christmas approaches on Saturday, it's easy to dwell on all the prayers unsaid, all the things we might have squeezed into this time of preparation but didn't. Advent is short! Either way, though, the holiday will come, Christ will be born, and we will be joined to God.
I shared the following poem in this space a few years ago, but thought I'd sent it out again. It comes from the poet Mary Oliver (a fellow Episcopalian) from her book Thirst.
The Vast Ocean Begins Just Outside Our Church: The Eucharist
Something has happened /to the bread/ and the wine.
They have been blessed./What now? /The body leans forward
To receive the gift/ from the priest's hand,/ then the chalice.
They are something else now/from what they were/ before this began
I want/ to see Jesus,/ maybe in the clouds
or on the shore,/ just walking,/ beautiful man
and clearly/ someone else/ besides.
On the hard days/ I ask myself/ if I ever will.
Also there are times/ my body whispers to me/ that I have.
What I appreciate about the poem is that truth about the retrospective nature of so much spiritual experience. We don't always recognize the importance or power of what we are undergoing at the time; sometimes the power or profundity takes a while to filter through our consciousness. As they walked with Jesus on the way to Emmaus, the disciples just knew "a stranger;" it was only afterwards that they asked "Were not our hearts burning within us as we walked?" (Luke 24:32) We don't typically spend our days gape-mouthed at the Beauty of Creation or the Grace of Our Salvation In Christ. We don't realize our hearts are on fire. We get distracted; we are busy; we just don't see what's right in front of us. After one of my kids has had a bad night I don't even see things that are materially in front of me, much less spiritually so. Oliver points to how we still know Christ's presence even in our forgetting. As the bread and the wine become "something else" after they are blessed, we do, too-but it can take a while. Somehow our bodies know what has left the forefront of our minds.
At Christmas, as Oliver says, our bodies whisper-God has been here. God has been with us. Be silent. Remember. Remember.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Dec. 16: Grappling with hope
Dear People of Christ Church,
This weekend, we have several opportunities for celebration of the coming holiday. Saturday, we'll join together with St Peter's for a party with a Christingle service. Christingle was introduced to us a few years ago by a Christ Churcher who'd experienced in when he was working in England-it's a beautiful service of light and song (and a lot of candy, in the form of an orange covered in gumdrops-truly something for everyone). That will be at 3 pm on Saturday. Sunday, I hope you'll join us for our Christmas Play-"A Child is Born." It will take the place of most of the Liturgy of the Word (the beginning part of the service when we have Scripture readings, the sermon, the creed, and prayers). We'll open with a hymn and the Gospel, but then enjoy the play and the carols that are part of it.
This Advent, I continue to be gripped by hope. Not a "yes we can" kind of hope (though that kind is all fine, too)-but an almost argumentative, confrontational hope. I have felt a little like Jacob, wrestling with the angel. In the story in Genesis, Jacob is traveling back to Caanan, when he is attacked by a stranger, with whom he wrestles all night, and knocks his hip out of joint. Finally, the morning comes and the angel asks him to let him go, but Jacob says, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." There's something in this story about holding on to a promise of God-the promise of blessing, in Jacob's case-and contending with God that it be realized. I feel a little like the hope of Christmas is something I'm wrestling with. I want it; I want to believe in peace and justice and the kingdom where the lion lies down with the lamb and swords are bent into ploughshares, but I have such doubt, too.
Looking around our world, it's hard to see how love will win out in the end. But those are the promises of the prophets and the promises of Christ. I believe them, but their fulfillment seems so far away. I want to hold on to that hope more strongly, really to possess it and live through it. It's a palpable desire-almost like romantic love, where the beloved is the only thing you can see.
Our own experiences, though, are through earthly time, and we are bound by it. God's promises aren't confined by that linearity. As part of the Eucharistic prayer, we say "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." The divine reality isn't quite as chronological as that, though. In the resurrection, the battle is already won-death no longer has the last word. Yet wherever we look, there is death-death in our economic system that favors rich over poor, death in the abundance of war, death as we act out of fear rather than love. So we are praying for the grace to live in that hope, to act on it, to bring those promises of justice to reality, at same time as we celebrate the coming of that baby who changes-has already changed, and will change-absolutely everything.
Paradoxically, I think it's my struggle with that hope that makes it feel all the more promising; as something outside of myself, I sense its reality, even as it's something I feel I don't fully have. So I guess I am not having such a peaceful Advent after all, but I'm grateful for it. What are you being gripped by this Advent? What are you longing for?
Blessings,
Sara+
This weekend, we have several opportunities for celebration of the coming holiday. Saturday, we'll join together with St Peter's for a party with a Christingle service. Christingle was introduced to us a few years ago by a Christ Churcher who'd experienced in when he was working in England-it's a beautiful service of light and song (and a lot of candy, in the form of an orange covered in gumdrops-truly something for everyone). That will be at 3 pm on Saturday. Sunday, I hope you'll join us for our Christmas Play-"A Child is Born." It will take the place of most of the Liturgy of the Word (the beginning part of the service when we have Scripture readings, the sermon, the creed, and prayers). We'll open with a hymn and the Gospel, but then enjoy the play and the carols that are part of it.
This Advent, I continue to be gripped by hope. Not a "yes we can" kind of hope (though that kind is all fine, too)-but an almost argumentative, confrontational hope. I have felt a little like Jacob, wrestling with the angel. In the story in Genesis, Jacob is traveling back to Caanan, when he is attacked by a stranger, with whom he wrestles all night, and knocks his hip out of joint. Finally, the morning comes and the angel asks him to let him go, but Jacob says, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." There's something in this story about holding on to a promise of God-the promise of blessing, in Jacob's case-and contending with God that it be realized. I feel a little like the hope of Christmas is something I'm wrestling with. I want it; I want to believe in peace and justice and the kingdom where the lion lies down with the lamb and swords are bent into ploughshares, but I have such doubt, too.
Looking around our world, it's hard to see how love will win out in the end. But those are the promises of the prophets and the promises of Christ. I believe them, but their fulfillment seems so far away. I want to hold on to that hope more strongly, really to possess it and live through it. It's a palpable desire-almost like romantic love, where the beloved is the only thing you can see.
Our own experiences, though, are through earthly time, and we are bound by it. God's promises aren't confined by that linearity. As part of the Eucharistic prayer, we say "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." The divine reality isn't quite as chronological as that, though. In the resurrection, the battle is already won-death no longer has the last word. Yet wherever we look, there is death-death in our economic system that favors rich over poor, death in the abundance of war, death as we act out of fear rather than love. So we are praying for the grace to live in that hope, to act on it, to bring those promises of justice to reality, at same time as we celebrate the coming of that baby who changes-has already changed, and will change-absolutely everything.
Paradoxically, I think it's my struggle with that hope that makes it feel all the more promising; as something outside of myself, I sense its reality, even as it's something I feel I don't fully have. So I guess I am not having such a peaceful Advent after all, but I'm grateful for it. What are you being gripped by this Advent? What are you longing for?
Blessings,
Sara+
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Christ Church and St Peter's
Dear People of Christ Church,
This week, I’d like to share with you a piece that had intended to go in last week’s Quarterly, but just didn’t quite fit. Speaking of the Quarterly, I’ve heard from a few of you that your copies didn’t arrive intact; you should have had 8 pages (2 double-sided tabloid size 11x17 sheets). If you didn’t, please let me know and I can get it for you—or, you can download the whole thing from our website.
There are two reflections here—one from me and one from Rev. Christine, pastor ot ST Peter’s Angligan Church of Uganda, our partner here at 750 Main St.
From Rev. Sara
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting at the diocese with priests from many African nations, among them our friends Rev. Christine and Rev. Mary. St Peter’s is part of a wide tapestry of African congregations in many shapes and sizes, as are their English-speaking partner congregations. Bishop Bud Cederholm is initiating a conversation about an overall mission plan for ministries with Africans in Eastern Massachusetts, a conversation I feel blessed to be part of. We at Christ Church are part of a very important part of the work of our diocese in welcoming Anglicans from far and wide into our midst.
Part of the vision for the future is for St Peter’s (part of our Christ Church family for 2 1/2 years), to begin to discern whether God is calling them to buy their own building. They have begun a building fund to save money—at this point, their poster in the parish hall (much like our own stewardship thermometer) has a $250,000 goal for the next five years.
On one hand, it feels surprising to introduce the idea at this time, with Micah Intern Paul Hartge’s work with us and when it still feels like we are in the beginning of our relationship. There is a wonderful line from the Quran quoted by Diana Eck in the book our daytime book group read recently—“We have made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another.” We are blessed to do that work here—we are all one church, whether one building or several!
As we recently welcomed Resurrection Chapel, a Haitian Congregation, we will always have others sharing our building, both in responsible stewardship of space and in our mission to help others grow in Christ. It’s a shame to leave this beautiful building empty, and there are many, many congregations in need of hospitality. We are thankful for the opportunity to support each other in our growth and flourishing. Christine puts it much better in her piece, below.
From Rev. Christine:
We are on the move, in thought but not yet in body. We have Christ Church to thank for our progress both now and in the future. Daughter to Mother. That is St. Peter’s to Christ Church. And what a relationship we have! Now two years of nurturing us, nay, more than two! Thank you Christ Church! We are doing well, growing and maturing.
You know how we crawled, stood up, and then walked. What a marvel! And Christ Church has been with us all the time; you have backed us to this very day. You are awesome Rev. Sara and all the saints at Christ Church. And now, St. Peter’s has come to a point of daring to peep into the future and have seen ourselves moving away from mother’s home to our own place. But of course this is still in the far distant future. Never the less we are venturing to set in motion the initial baby steps in that direction. And what maturity for Christ Church and the Episcopal Church at large, will have engendered!!
On my own behalf, and that of my colleague and associate priest Rev. Dr. Alex Kasirye-Musoke, and the entire St. Peter’s family I extend to each of you our deep gratitude for your big, magnanimous hearts. Together we move on representing God in the world.
We continue to marvel at the mystery of the gospel and to allow it to impact our lives. Our desire is to develop gospel shaped lives. We are far from the goal to be sure, but we are working at it; we are tenacious, resolute, definite, steadfast and resilient. Please continue praying for us. Maranatha! (Aramaic for “Come, Lord Jesus!”)
This week, I’d like to share with you a piece that had intended to go in last week’s Quarterly, but just didn’t quite fit. Speaking of the Quarterly, I’ve heard from a few of you that your copies didn’t arrive intact; you should have had 8 pages (2 double-sided tabloid size 11x17 sheets). If you didn’t, please let me know and I can get it for you—or, you can download the whole thing from our website.
There are two reflections here—one from me and one from Rev. Christine, pastor ot ST Peter’s Angligan Church of Uganda, our partner here at 750 Main St.
From Rev. Sara
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting at the diocese with priests from many African nations, among them our friends Rev. Christine and Rev. Mary. St Peter’s is part of a wide tapestry of African congregations in many shapes and sizes, as are their English-speaking partner congregations. Bishop Bud Cederholm is initiating a conversation about an overall mission plan for ministries with Africans in Eastern Massachusetts, a conversation I feel blessed to be part of. We at Christ Church are part of a very important part of the work of our diocese in welcoming Anglicans from far and wide into our midst.
Part of the vision for the future is for St Peter’s (part of our Christ Church family for 2 1/2 years), to begin to discern whether God is calling them to buy their own building. They have begun a building fund to save money—at this point, their poster in the parish hall (much like our own stewardship thermometer) has a $250,000 goal for the next five years.
On one hand, it feels surprising to introduce the idea at this time, with Micah Intern Paul Hartge’s work with us and when it still feels like we are in the beginning of our relationship. There is a wonderful line from the Quran quoted by Diana Eck in the book our daytime book group read recently—“We have made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another.” We are blessed to do that work here—we are all one church, whether one building or several!
As we recently welcomed Resurrection Chapel, a Haitian Congregation, we will always have others sharing our building, both in responsible stewardship of space and in our mission to help others grow in Christ. It’s a shame to leave this beautiful building empty, and there are many, many congregations in need of hospitality. We are thankful for the opportunity to support each other in our growth and flourishing. Christine puts it much better in her piece, below.
From Rev. Christine:
We are on the move, in thought but not yet in body. We have Christ Church to thank for our progress both now and in the future. Daughter to Mother. That is St. Peter’s to Christ Church. And what a relationship we have! Now two years of nurturing us, nay, more than two! Thank you Christ Church! We are doing well, growing and maturing.
You know how we crawled, stood up, and then walked. What a marvel! And Christ Church has been with us all the time; you have backed us to this very day. You are awesome Rev. Sara and all the saints at Christ Church. And now, St. Peter’s has come to a point of daring to peep into the future and have seen ourselves moving away from mother’s home to our own place. But of course this is still in the far distant future. Never the less we are venturing to set in motion the initial baby steps in that direction. And what maturity for Christ Church and the Episcopal Church at large, will have engendered!!
On my own behalf, and that of my colleague and associate priest Rev. Dr. Alex Kasirye-Musoke, and the entire St. Peter’s family I extend to each of you our deep gratitude for your big, magnanimous hearts. Together we move on representing God in the world.
We continue to marvel at the mystery of the gospel and to allow it to impact our lives. Our desire is to develop gospel shaped lives. We are far from the goal to be sure, but we are working at it; we are tenacious, resolute, definite, steadfast and resilient. Please continue praying for us. Maranatha! (Aramaic for “Come, Lord Jesus!”)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Advent
Dear People of Christ Church,
Today or tomorrow, our Quarterly newsletter will find its way to your mailbox (or you can download it). The articles in its pages lead us into different reflections on what Advent means-Advent, as well as its broader theme of "prophecy." In observing Advent myself I've been thinking about how there's so much tension in it. Advent is a season of paradox and antonym (whether real or perceived as such).
Light, dark, power, weakness, anticipation, resolution. Living in this "in between" time of Jesus' ministry and return, we live in a world in which we know that the battle has already been won, that God's embrace of us can never be alienated. The resurrection is a sign of death's loss of ultimate power. At the same time, incompleteness, lack, and need are all around us. In the words of Paula Tatarunis' poem in the Quarterly, "There is no lack of lack." Even the beautiful weather today seems to highlight the darkness; seeing the sunshine outside my window now, I know that when I leave for home this evening it will be dark.
Still, there is this light-light in the Advent wreath, light illuminating houses, light in the faces of those who love us. And, always, the True Light-as the Gospel of John so beautifully proclaims, the coming into being of "life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1: 3-5). It is not overcome, but there is still plenty of dark.
Just this morning, I heard of one person's brother dying, another having been diagnosed with cancer. All of those sweeping categories of Light and Dark aren't abstract for long. The biggest mystery is that we are each part of this cosmic drama, personally and palpably. Jesus Christ was not born for another people at another time-he was born for us, in all time and beyond all time. The Word, the logos which is the light of the world through whom and in whom everything came to be is our mother tongue. In the words of writer Caryll Houselander, "We are only syllables of the Perfect Word." We are part of all of this; each of us, created in the image of God, through this Word of God, through this Christ-"who was, and is, and is to come."
This cold clear day, take a moment to ask yourself what your paradoxes are this Advent-where is your light, your dark? How are you holding the tension? How does Christ inhabit that tension with you?
Blessings,
Sara+
Today or tomorrow, our Quarterly newsletter will find its way to your mailbox (or you can download it). The articles in its pages lead us into different reflections on what Advent means-Advent, as well as its broader theme of "prophecy." In observing Advent myself I've been thinking about how there's so much tension in it. Advent is a season of paradox and antonym (whether real or perceived as such).
Light, dark, power, weakness, anticipation, resolution. Living in this "in between" time of Jesus' ministry and return, we live in a world in which we know that the battle has already been won, that God's embrace of us can never be alienated. The resurrection is a sign of death's loss of ultimate power. At the same time, incompleteness, lack, and need are all around us. In the words of Paula Tatarunis' poem in the Quarterly, "There is no lack of lack." Even the beautiful weather today seems to highlight the darkness; seeing the sunshine outside my window now, I know that when I leave for home this evening it will be dark.
Still, there is this light-light in the Advent wreath, light illuminating houses, light in the faces of those who love us. And, always, the True Light-as the Gospel of John so beautifully proclaims, the coming into being of "life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1: 3-5). It is not overcome, but there is still plenty of dark.
Just this morning, I heard of one person's brother dying, another having been diagnosed with cancer. All of those sweeping categories of Light and Dark aren't abstract for long. The biggest mystery is that we are each part of this cosmic drama, personally and palpably. Jesus Christ was not born for another people at another time-he was born for us, in all time and beyond all time. The Word, the logos which is the light of the world through whom and in whom everything came to be is our mother tongue. In the words of writer Caryll Houselander, "We are only syllables of the Perfect Word." We are part of all of this; each of us, created in the image of God, through this Word of God, through this Christ-"who was, and is, and is to come."
This cold clear day, take a moment to ask yourself what your paradoxes are this Advent-where is your light, your dark? How are you holding the tension? How does Christ inhabit that tension with you?
Blessings,
Sara+
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Litany for Thanksgiving - From the Book of Common Prayer
Dear People of Christ Church,
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to our fifth annual (!) Thanksgiving basket project. We are distributing 19 Thanksgiving dinners to families and 2 of our local homeless shelters. This outpaces all our previous efforts!
In that spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to share with you the Litany from our prayer book. Everything we have has been given to us--reason for us to give thanks, and reason for us to share.
S+
Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play, We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.
Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To Christ be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to our fifth annual (!) Thanksgiving basket project. We are distributing 19 Thanksgiving dinners to families and 2 of our local homeless shelters. This outpaces all our previous efforts!
In that spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to share with you the Litany from our prayer book. Everything we have has been given to us--reason for us to give thanks, and reason for us to share.
S+
Let us give thanks to God for all the gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play, We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.
Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To Christ be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Community and Diocesan News
Dear People of Christ Church,
This week it feels as though every last possible task is trying to be completed before Thanksgiving-Advent bulletins created, worship calendar finished, newsletter articles done. None of them will be quite finished, and yet God is still with us. No matter how stressed or anxious we are, God is present and we are loved. [deep breath]
On Tuesday, a few of us attended the City of Waltham's Community Preservation Committee meeting to answer questions about our application for funds through the CPA act's historic preservation category. The Community Preservation Act was adopted in 2005 to create a fund for historic preservation, open space, and affordable housing. The money comes from a mix of property tax surcharges and state matching grants. The CPC Committee approves the initial application, and then the wider city council group approves it. On Tuesday, Shawn Russell, our treasurer, and I went before the committee to answer questions about our application, while our cheering section sat up front and prayed for us. With few questions, we were approved! Those funds will be spent on restoration of the tower and windows, in tandem with a capital campaign project which you'll hear more about soon. Special thanks to everyone who worked hard to complete the application (particularly Shawn, Jonathan, Cindy, and some last minute editing by Mike)-and especially Bill Fowler, whose knowledge of city politics was instrumental in getting us in front of the committee as soon as we did and who fielded many contractor visits.
In other news, this week Bishop Suffragan Bud Cederholm announced his retirement. I saw him at a meeting last night and told him I was happy for him, but sad for us! Fortunately, we still have a year together and he will continue to be involved in the diocese after his retirement.
I'm pasting the announcement from the Episcopal e-news below. To read the full letter, visit diomass.org.
Blessings to all of you who are expecting guests or who will be traveling for the holiday.
peace,
Sara+
This week it feels as though every last possible task is trying to be completed before Thanksgiving-Advent bulletins created, worship calendar finished, newsletter articles done. None of them will be quite finished, and yet God is still with us. No matter how stressed or anxious we are, God is present and we are loved. [deep breath]
On Tuesday, a few of us attended the City of Waltham's Community Preservation Committee meeting to answer questions about our application for funds through the CPA act's historic preservation category. The Community Preservation Act was adopted in 2005 to create a fund for historic preservation, open space, and affordable housing. The money comes from a mix of property tax surcharges and state matching grants. The CPC Committee approves the initial application, and then the wider city council group approves it. On Tuesday, Shawn Russell, our treasurer, and I went before the committee to answer questions about our application, while our cheering section sat up front and prayed for us. With few questions, we were approved! Those funds will be spent on restoration of the tower and windows, in tandem with a capital campaign project which you'll hear more about soon. Special thanks to everyone who worked hard to complete the application (particularly Shawn, Jonathan, Cindy, and some last minute editing by Mike)-and especially Bill Fowler, whose knowledge of city politics was instrumental in getting us in front of the committee as soon as we did and who fielded many contractor visits.
In other news, this week Bishop Suffragan Bud Cederholm announced his retirement. I saw him at a meeting last night and told him I was happy for him, but sad for us! Fortunately, we still have a year together and he will continue to be involved in the diocese after his retirement.
I'm pasting the announcement from the Episcopal e-news below. To read the full letter, visit diomass.org.
Blessings to all of you who are expecting guests or who will be traveling for the holiday.
peace,
Sara+
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