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A WORD FROM THE RECTOR
Greetings in the
Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!
The 76th General Convention of
The Episcopal Church meets from 8 through 17 July, in
There are elements within
the Church at both ends of the theological spectrum on many issues. Labels are being thrown between camps, labels
like “revisionist,” “orthodox,” “fundamentalist,” etc. The labels themselves bespeak of our need to
remind ourselves always that, in St. Paul’s words, “There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call, one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all
and through all and in all” (Eph. 4.3-6).
When we are tempted to use labels we also need to remind ourselves that,
as written as early as the first century (in the letter of the martyr St.
Ignatius of
The use of labels also is
redolent of the possession of agendas.
Whatever change any party may seek in the Church and/or in the practice
of the the faith, and whatever the merits of any
agenda, it is important to “keep the main thing the main thing”: We are called to be Christ-centered, not
focused on any agenda or driven by any issue.
When we are Christ-centered we participate in one Body by one Spirit,
and then our only “agenda” is to do the Lord’s will.
To do the Lord’s will we have to listen
more and speak less. We need to be
attentive. In the stories of Abraham,
Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Isaiah in the Old Testament,
and Ananias in Acts 9, each time God calls, the response of His servant is
“Here I am”. This phrase “Here I am,” is
one word in Hebrew, hineni, and it indicates
readiness, alertness, attentiveness, receptivity, and responsiveness to
instructions. In other words, it
indicates that the prophet or disciple is available to God because he is
listening to God, and available to God’s will because when he hears it, his
concern is to do it, not to debate it.
As a Church, as a diocese, as a parish, and as clergy and people, our
call is to seek God’s will and to do it, and when we speak loudest in favor of
our own position or agenda, when we claim a prophetic voice for ourselves, our
own voice can prevent us from listening and hearing.
So let us each focus on
listening first, then on hearing (internalizing the message), before we can
claim to say how we are to live God’s will.
When we center our lives and worship on Jesus Christ, when we can say to
our Lord “Here I am,” and in saying this make all of ourselves available to
receive and do His will, then the words we use will not be labels but may in
fact contain wisdom; wisdom that will allow us to live as “Christians”–as those
centered on Christ–and to remember that our call in all times (good and bad) is
to be faithful.
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About the only thing that we can say with
certainty about General Convention is that positions will be stated (and
inflated by the press) and actions taken which are bound to upset people at
various points on the theological spectrum.
But if you are tempted to get upset over something, ask yourself the
question, “What is changed in my faith and how I live it by this
statement or action?” The answer is
obvious: nothing. The faithful follower of Jesus; the one who
denies self to acclaim Jesus as Lord, and to proclaim the Good News of salvation
that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, is not changed in his or her
faith by the theological cavils and lapses in behavior in others. Indeed, if words or actions are problematical
they are also words or actions which call the faithful believer to action, that
he or she might witness all the more to the Good News, to the “faith once
delivered” to the apostles. That will be
our focus in the parish, to continue to preach and teach the Gospel, inviting
all and welcoming all to join in worship and in spiritual transformation.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Vestry Highlights:
There is a balance of $14,457.23 in the
Operating Account; $14,113.91 in the Capital Account. The Rectory note has been retired, and the
$650 assigned to the note will be paid monthly on the line of credit.
The Vestry approved the purchase, framing
and installation of a ceramic/metallic white board to be used as a information center and pamphlet holder. It will be located on the wall outside the
office.
The Vestry concluded its second quarter
review of strategic initiatives. The parish
activities defines in the 2009 review (under Service,
Worship, Education, Evangelism, Pastoral Care) will continue. A Fall clothing
drive will be added as a Service initiative.
Grace Notes
Holy Days: The Church calendar prescribes an
optional special observance for Independence Day. An observance was first proposed in the draft
Prayer Book of 1786, but General Convention in 1789 voted this down, based in
large part on the intervention of Bishop William White (Pennsylvania), who
argued such an observance to be inappropriate in a church in which the majority
of clergy had been loyal to the British crown throughout the War of
Independence. The Fourth of July was not
included in the church calendar until the 1928 Prayer Book.
On 11 July, Benedict of Nursia is remembered.
Benedict was a sixth century abbot who is considered to be the father of
western monasticism. The Benedictine
Rule for monks and nuns is observed in all of the monastic orders of the
Anglican tradition. Bishop William White
is remembered on 17 July, as the chief architect of the constitution of the
Episcopal Church. At the first general
Convention of 1789, Bp. White was the first Presiding Bishop.
Other notable observances in
July include those for prominent anti-slavery compaigners
on 20 and 30 July, Mary Magdalene (22 July), St. James the Apostle (“James the
Greater,” brother of John), and William Reed Huntington on 27 July.
William Reed Huntington was
the sixth rector of Grace Church, New York City. He worked tirelessly from the mid-nineteenth
century until the eve of World War I to promote Christian unity, and was
responsible (largely through his 1870 book The Church Idea) for
promoting Anglicanism as a “middle way” around which Christians could come
together.
(1) The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the
revealed word of God;
(2) The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the
Christian Faith;
(3) The two Sacraments–Baptism and the Supper of the
Lord–ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of insti
tution and of the elements ordained by Him;
and
(4) The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of
its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity
of His Church.
Each one of the saints we
remember has much to teach us. If you
are interested in more information about the life and witness of these
spiritual giants, a good source can be found in the hagiographies written by
James Kiefer, which can be found at the Daily Office website maintained by the
Mission of St. Clare, http://www.missionstclare.com/english.
Music:
The first Sunday of this month falls one day after Independence Day, and
so a patriotic note obtains (recognizing that all true patriotism reflects that
the greatness of this nation is a blessing of God). Our first hymn is God of our fathers
(no. 718). This hymn was written
specifically for the Centennial Celebration in 1876 (set to an adaptation of a
Russian melody!), and adopted by General Convention in that year. The spirit of Huntington’s The Church Idea
was very much in the air, with The Episcopal Church being mooted as a
unifying force in America (hence the building of an Episcopal cathedral in
Washington, D.C. as the “National Cathedral”).
The “patriotic” theme
continues with no. 608, Eternal Father, strong to save. Why the quotation marks? It’s because, while this hymn is associated
very much with our Navy and Marine Corps (and the Royal Navy), it was written
as a comfort to a student of the author (William Whiting) who was about to sail
to
An “old chesnut”
beloved by most is sung on 19 July, this being no. 525, The Church’s one
foundation. The music is by Samuel
Sebastian Wesley, from the musical side of the famous preaching family. The author (Samuel John Stone) stated that he
was moved to write the hymn by his “... admiration for the noble defence [sic] of the Catholic faith by Bishop Gray
...,” referring to the a dispute then raging over the
authority of Scripture. This dispute
came to a head in 1863 in the “Colenso Affair,” in which the bishop of
The Wesley family (the famous
Charles) contributes the words to no. 493, O for a thousand tongues to sing
(sung to an old German tune), complimented the following week by the equally
famous Isaac Watts’ I sing the almighty power of God (no. 398). Wesley,
Men’s Fellowship: The Men’s
Fellowship will meet on Monday, 13 July, at 6:30 p.m., at the Rectory.
Beverages and side dishes are provided for cost. Bring your own steak, or something else to
grill. Please confirm attendance by
Friday, 10 July.
E.Y.C. (Episcopal Youth
Community) Kick-off: On Sunday, 23 August, Alexandra Fowler
will join us as Youth Minister. In
recognition of the kick-off of our youth program, we are exploring a trip for
the weekend of 29 and 30 August (a week before Labor Day) to the Passion Play in
Attendance:
We are going to track attendance in the monthly newsletter, as one
indicator of parish health. In observing
numerical trends, however, it is necessary to look a little deeper. How many families are worshipping
together? When all members of a family
worship together this is one of the best indicators of spiritual health.
Year to date 2009:
1711 Year to date
2008: 1431 Trend: +19.6%
Fall Initiatives:
You will hear more about these matters before September, but be aware
that program changes are planned for the Fall:
§ Adult Education:
Every Sunday at 9:15 a.m. we’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall to discuss
the lessons which will be used in the service of Holy Eucharist that day. This will be an opportunity for informal
fellowship and inquiry, as we follow the Lectionary on a systematic basis using
a format similar to that found in the Bible study summaries now posted on the
website, while also relating the lessons to issues current in the world and in
our lives.
§ First Wednesday: The first Wednesday of each month
we’ll continue to have Holy Eucharist with a healing service (at 6 p.m.), but
after the service we’ll have a pot-luck supper in the Fellowship Hall which
will include informal discussion of The Cross of Christ by John R.
Stott.
Medical
mission to
staff are welcome). This annual mission
provides critically needed primary care.
Cost is $1,200 per person, sub-
ject to parish support.