News from the Congregation April 24, 2020
A Place to Bring Our Troubles; Finding Comfort in Morning Prayer; Sunday Programming (New Bible Study on Job, Worship, Coffee Half-Hour, Adult Formation Class - Daily Office) YESS Bible Study, Reading Group, Compline, Saying Goodbye to Rev. Canon Patti Welch
Canon Lee
About a week ago, I had a truly unforgivable thought: Surely, dying from this virus wouldn't be as bad as yet another endless day in quarantine?
I had this thought even though I know some of you have close family or friends who have died from COVID-19. I had this thought even though I know the frustrations of homeschooling 3 young boys don't compare to the risks so many of you are taking, as first-responders, healthcare workers, delivery men and women, and other essential workers.
It was just for a moment, and I don't think this way now. But I did, and it was for real.
Perhaps you, too, have had your own unforgivable thoughts during the pandemic. Moments when the despair, or fear, or boredom, or grief, or suffering, has been too much.
At such times, my prayer is that our church community not just be--in the devastating words of the playwright William Inge--"a place to go when you’re feeling good and have a new hat to wear."
That we are not just another Zoom conference call to join, where we have to pretend that everything is ok and we are fine.
That instead, our community might be a place where we can bring our troubles freely and honestly, and where we can admit our longing for that peace which passes all understanding.
To that end, I will be starting a new Bible study on the Book of Job this Sunday at 10:00 AM. In studying this strange and complicated book of the Bible together, I hope that we will be able to discover the building blocks of a resilient and comforting faith in this difficult time.
The Rev. Canon Steven Lee
Canon Pastor and Vicar
THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 26
(To access each program on Zoom, click the link in the title.)
10:00 AM - Integrity in Crisis: A Bible Study on Job
Join the Vicar for a series of classes on the Book of Job and learn how this timeless text can address our suffering in this difficult time.
10:00 AM - Digital Sunday School Materials Emailed
11:00 AM - Congregation Watch Party for Cathedral Worship Service
Watch the Cathedral worship service on Zoom with other members of the Congregation.
You can also watch the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
12:00 PM - Digital Congregation Coffee "Half-Hour" by Zoom
This week the digital coffee "half-hour" is hosted by Divine Fellowship, the Congregation's LBGTQ+ group.
12:30 PM - Adult Formation Class on the Daily Office
Sub Dean Malloy continues his class on the history, theology, and practice of the Daily Office.
***There is ONE LINK for all Congregation programs on zoom, which you can access by clicking here
GOODBYE TO CANON PATTI WELCH
SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, May 3 | 12:00 PM
Special Digital Coffee Hour in honor of Canon Patti Welch's final Sunday at the Cathedral.
SEND personal messages for Canon Welch to this email address: http://goodbyepatti@stjohndivine.org
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
(To access each program on Zoom, click the link in the title.)
Tuesdays | 6:00PM - YESS Bible Study
Starting next Tuesday, April 28, the Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour (YESS) will be reading the Gospel of Matthew together at a Bible study for young adults at the congregation. YESS members Duncan Logie and Neil Reilly will lead the group, providing background information on Old Testament references in the text and then facilitating free conversation amongst all members.
Wednesdays | 6:30 PM - Congregation Book Group
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline
Marsha and Tim
On a wall in my kitchen I have a copy of a New Yorker cartoon which I cannot share for copyright reasons. It shows a man standing at his open refrigerator drinking milk out of a carton. Behind him you can see piles of dirty pots and pans in the sink. A few unopened envelopes are scattered on the kitchen floor. The caption reads “Living Alone! It’s just fun!” Ring any bells? Some of us are really quite isolated and can easily fall into a kind of funk. No one will see how messy everything is getting. The cats certainly don’t care. I assume it may be even harder to be isolating with a spouse in a small New York apartment. I am certain that if my husband were alive we would have killed each other by now. So blessings on all the couples and families who must endure the Sartre like “No Exit”—if you aren’t familiar with No Exit, it was a play about Hell. Several people locked in a room together for eternity.
Why this confession to my friends in the Congregation of Saint Saviour? Monday morning I woke up and thought, how can I go on like this? How can any of us? I was actually very happy when “lockdown” began and even enjoyed being on my own with limited responsibility. Slowly, however, the reality of what was happening around us was absorbed: the sirens, the misery, the difficulty getting healthy food delivered, the guilt toward the staff in my building and the delivery guys. How can one make it up to those who can’t be sheltered but must expose themselves? How to overcome the guilt of being so privileged? Yet there is also the fear that this privilege may be temporary. The funk became something that threatened to become depression.
At 8:30 a.m. I zoomed into Morning Prayer which the Cathedral is offering Monday through Saturday with Evening Prayer at 5:30. I immediately felt better. These daily offices are what keep me sane and grounded. This morning there were 21 of us praying together. There is a rhythm to the offices which is best experienced once you enter into the practice of praying them together regularly. Most of us know each other from the Cathedral. There are a few people from other parts of the country who have found us and join us frequently. The work of putting these services together is done by Peter Ennis in the Liturgy department. My sister who is not Christian has been coming to Morning Prayer every day. She says she is so moved by the people she meets. She tells me she can see that Jesus Christ is part of our life, in fact is our life. Because it is interactive and intimate I get more out of it than I do of the Sunday virtual services. If you haven’t tried the offices yet, zoom into 557-741-3337 at 8:30 a.m. or 5:30 p.m. and give them a try. You will find a mixture of formal Anglican prayer and informal chatter. If you have been attending Canon Malloy’s lectures on Sunday after coffee hour, this is what he is has been talking about. It is how Anglicans have prayed for hundreds of years, yet each day feels fresh.
Blessings,
Marsha and Tim