News from the Congregation March 10, 2023

Apr 10

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘’ ; ‘Why is Good Friday ‘good’?’ ” | Dates to Remember | Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online, 11:30am All Are Welcome Coffee Hour, 4:00pm Evensong with Eva Suarez | Weekday Programs: M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

Two brief messages for this Good Friday.

First, Canon Eva Suarez will be on the Today Show this morning at 9:30 AM to talk about Holy Week and the Triduum. The live segment is called Faithful, and it will also feature a rabbi and an imam. Their interviewer will be Al Roker, a faithful Episcopalian.

Second, I hope you will take time to read Bob Deming's column this week, as he wrestles with the complexity of the "goodness" of Good Friday.

The Rev. Canon Steven Lee
Executive Director, Ministry and Vicar

Message from the Congregation

Warden Bob Deming writes the following Good Friday Posting:

Occasionally, someone at church asks me how our daughter is. She is 25, out in California, and doing well.

I have one pointed memory from her younger years at this time of year. She asked, repeatedly, “Why is Good Friday called Good Friday?” I tried my best to provide a thoughtful answer. Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins. Or, to use an animal and real-life metaphor, Jesus was the innocent lamb led to the slaughter and that was for the betterment of us all. Clearly, whatever I said was not satisfying because when next spring came around our daughter generated the same question. Indeed, I think she enjoyed asking Why-Good-Friday-Is-Called-Good-Friday because I had yet to produce a convincing answer.

Life moved on, and our child grew up. The reality was that she did not ask me that Good Friday question in the last 10 or 15 years.

Even though she no longer asks the question, I am taking the opportunity, given that “News from the Congregation” goes out this week on Good Friday itself, to take another shot at coming up with a new answer to her age-old question.

On Palm Sunday, we heard the Choir sing the reenactment of Holy Week, according to the Gospel of Matthew. I listened closely to the drawn-out story and noticed evidence of divinity as well as base humanity. I noted that the Congregation stood up when the story reached what happened on Friday. The implicit message was that was the point to show respect.

What might the story of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion have to do with our daughter in the East Bay of Northern California? That is a challenging question, and I am going to try to answer. The last two academic years she has worked in two Oakland high schools. Those settings, with the host of issues they bring, are not easy. The last two years she has also gone to a “restorative justice circle” or just plain “circle” on Wednesday evenings. It is sponsored by the nonprofit Restore Oakland which provides services for formerly incarcerated people and the Oakland community. Circle lasts an hour and a half and relies on conversation to discuss building connections with community members and developing shared interdependence in order to resolve conflict without punitive methods. That work is not easy.

Good Friday seems relevant because she has day-to-day experience with living amid the mass and mess of humanity, and she also might have the experience of being able to turn to divinity as a saving grace. The predominant image of Good Friday is Jesus Christ on the cross. Indeed, there are thousands and thousands of those paintings. But there is another reality that pertains to the latter part of Good Friday. The spirit left. Where might the spirit have gone? The eventual theological answer is heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father.

My way of thinking plays off nature. I picture the spirit of the Lord like the sun or the moon. By way of example, if a person is seated in the passenger seat of a car, bus or train and looks toward the bright light in the sky, that sun or moon seems to move along as one traverses the landscape. In my mind, Good Friday ends up being good because the spirit of Jesus Christ is off the cross and out there, potentially moving in sync with people.

NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org

DATES TO REMEMBER

SUPPORTING CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY CARES
Starting on Tuesday, April 4th and continuing through Easter Sunday, the Cathedral will be having a special collection for Cathedral Community Cares (CCC). As you come to the Cathedral for worship and to celebrate Easter, we invite you to also support our neighbors in need. We are seeking the following donations at this time:

men’s and women’s underwear (new and in the package) sizes S-XXL
unisex hoodies sizes S-XXL
men’s jeans sizes 30-38
women’s jeans sizes 8-14
unisex sweatpants sizes M-XXL.

There will also be a QR code available onsite to support CCC financially. Please bring donations inside the Cathedral near the visitor desk.

Young Adults of Saint Saviour Bible Study (Meets once a month)

All members of the Cathedral Community and Congregation in their 20s and 30s are invited to a Bible study hosted by the Young Adults of Saint Saviour. Last month we discussed the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and his call for us to change our hearts.
Immediately after the service, we gather in the nave during coffee hour and walk over to the Chapel of Saint James in the Cathedral.

No preparation or prior Bible study experience is necessary. All young adults are welcome!

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE Home - Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org)
All Singers in the Diocese Are Warmly Invited to join the Diocesan Consecration Choir for the Celebration of the life of the Diocese of New York and the consecration of the Bishop Coadjutor
Saturday, May 20, at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
Sign Up Here Deadline for Signing Up: May 1

NEWS FROM THE CONGREGATION

The Weekly Sunday Hospitality continues.

Research shows that the more you give the more you get. The more you help, the more invested you become in your church and the more it feeds you. Isn’t that amazing? Do you enjoy the coffee and the treats--the time together every week for conversation and welcoming of visitors? To keep this ministry going we need to expand the number of people involved. If you are on the list of helpers and providers of snacks, THANK YOU! If you haven’t volunteered yet— why not join the team? There is nothing exclusive about it. All are welcome to help out. If you can come once a month or every 6 -8 weeks to set up before the service and clean-up after the coffee hour, please contact Marsha Ra or Sue Sobolewski. Or talk to us on any Sunday. We will get you started on this ministry.

NEWS FROM THE VESTRY

GIVE/SERVE

Questions about Realm, the Congregation’s Online Hub for Giving, Volunteering, and Reaching Out to One Another
The Admin team would love to hear from you. Whether you need help making the shift to online donations, setting up your account, or just want to know what Realm can do for you, please contact Laura and Bob at this email address: info@saintsaviour.org

THIS SUNDAY

In-Person Worship at the Cathedral
10:00 am - Doors to Cathedral open.
10:30 am - Eucharist Service
11:30 am - All Are Welcome Coffee Hour
11:45 am -Young Adults Bible Study
4:00 pm - Eva Suarez made Cathedral Canon
5:00 pm - Eva Suarez reception

You can also watch a Livestream of the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org