News from the Congregation December 11, 2020
‘Ask What is Needed’; ‘Casting Stones and Little Miracles’; | CCC - Christmas Dinner Donations, Coat Drive; Paul Daniels’s Ordination; Cathedral Choir Sings Outside; OPUS Christmas Sing-Along; Sunday Programs (9:45 am Visit with the Vicar, 10 am Genesis Bible Study, 11 am Worship Service, 11:45 Vicar and Friends, 12 pm Coffee Half-Hour); Weekday Programs (Wednesday: Visit with Vicar, Bible Study — Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Compline Service, Thursday: YESS Bible Study, EfM Class, Friday: Midday Prayer and Meditation).
Canon Lee
Before I came to the Cathedral, I was the seminarian at a small, financially-strapped parish here in New York City. The priest who hired me decided to retire a few months after I started, so for a time, I was the only “clergy-type” person around. I did everything. On Sunday mornings, I would unlock the front doors of the church, turn on the lights, set the altar, check the microphones, light the candles, and so on. When it snowed, I helped shovel snow off the steps and off the sidewalk in front of the church. (The church’s sexton was too old to do it.) The church administrator worked only a few hours per week, so the two of us would take turns answering emails and the office phone.
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in my first year there, I was in the office printing bulletins for the Sunday service. It was early afternoon. The phone rang.
“Hello? Hello? I have a donation I want to make to the church. Several members of my family can’t come to Thanksgiving, so I have an extra frozen turkey I’ve started defrosting. It’s going to go bad if it’s not eaten soon. When can I come by to drop it off?”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“I have an extra turkey to give away. It’s defrosting. I don’t need it anymore. I’m sure there are people who need it at the church. When can I come by to give it to you?”
“Our church’s Thanksgiving meal for the community was this past Friday…”
“What do you mean? You don’t want it?”
“I’m sorry. We’re about to close the church office for the holiday. Even if someone were here, I don’t know what we would do with a partially defrosted turkey.”
“Unbelievable.”
The person hung up.
This week, a few members of the Congregation discussed how to use the remaining Thanksgiving outreach funds to help our community for Christmas. None of the ideas discussed in the meeting felt compelling. Later that afternoon, one person from the group ran into a staff member of Cathedral Community Cares. When he asked her about CCC’s needs, she immediately replied. CCC needed 50 more $25 gift cards for their Toy Drive to give to older children. We jumped into action, ordered the gifts cards online, and delivered them two days later.
It's so easy to forget this lesson. To be truly helpful, we must focus on what the person (or institution) needs, not on what we have to give away--whether that is our money, our ideas, our time, or our partially defrosted turkeys. We start by asking the question: What do you need?
The Cathedral’s annual budget is approximately 15 million dollars. The Congregation’s contribution to that budget is $142,000. So, financially, the Congregation contributes about 1% to the Cathedral's operation. (These numbers do not include the Cathedral School, a separate legal entity.) By comparison, the Congregation at the Washington National Cathedral, which started in 2007, contributes 2 million dollars to their Cathedral’s 17 million dollar budget.
The Congregation’s influence at the Cathedral, however, is far greater than what a 1% financial contribution would suggest. This is because the Congregation approaches our Cathedral and our neighborhood in the spirit of Jesus Christ. This means, we approach our Cathedral and our neighborhood by asking the question, “What do you need?” rather than "Here is what we think you need." Each time we do this, we make visible our commitment to being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. As our Lord teaches, “if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
Marsha and Tim
Our Junior Warden Timothy Dwyer writes this week:
After long months of isolation, stress, and staggering loss, is that light we see at the end of the Corona tunnel? Many have pointed out how appropriate it is that the first real glimmers of hope have appeared during the season of Advent, our time of anticipation and promise that the Light is near. And in many ways it probably will feel like Christmas morning when we can once again hug an old friend, shake a hand at church, or be part of a live audience.
While Advent is a lovely metaphor, I fear it may be a bit too optimistic for the times we’re in. Perhaps I have become a bit too cynical, but the metaphor that springs to mind for me is not Advent, but deplaning: the desperate logjam of people that forms in the plane aisles the instant that the “fasten seatbelts” sign is extinguished. After sitting patiently during the flight, sometimes for many hours, folks just lose it in the home stretch, and seem determined to selfishly maneuver and push their way up the aisle so as to be the first out the door.
To the extent national tragedies of the past had a bright side, it was that they seemed to bring us together, if only briefly, and remind us of our shared humanity. In many ways, this time feels different. While there are so many examples of heroics and kindness and humanity on the individual level (including several from our own congregation), as a nation we seem to have failed. The politicization of public health, the failure to care for the most vulnerable, the death of civility in our public discourse…. When we finally emerge from this pandemic, it will be as a nation that seems more divided, more broke, and more broken than ever. I can see folks once again pushing and shoving their way up the aisle, this time to be first in line for the vaccine.
While the politicians in Washington have the temporal power to do things on a big scale when the spirit moves them, the rest of us don’t have nearly as many tools in the shed. But if we are going to have any hope of climbing out of the mess we are in, we must each continue to act both as individuals and as part of our Cathedral community. This doesn’t mean throwing stones for our side, but it does mean engaging and listening and leading by example, because those are some of the tools God has given us.
I guess it’s useful to remember that when Jesus performed miracles, it was usually in a pretty low-profile setting: not in front of Herod Antipas or Pilate or throngs (loaves and fishes aside…), but most often in front just a handful of people. Maybe it was a way of telling us that acting locally, making a difference one person at a time, really can change the world.
CONNECT
Saturday, December 12 | 2:00 PM - Ordination of Paul Daniels
Note from Paul: It is with pleasure that I extend this announcement and invitation for virtual attendance to my ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests on 12 December 2020 at 2pm Though we remain friends from afar, serving and praying with you has been a great privilege and blessing. And I hope that you’ll be able to join my family and I on this special occasion.
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 | 7:00-7:30 PM OPUS Retirees and Seniors Meet and Greet 7:30 PM - OPUS Christmas Sing-Along!
Put on your favorite Christmas wear, and join OPUS’s Christmas Sing-Along. There will be Carol singing and readings from classic Christmas favorites. (Please bring a candle to light when we conclude singing “Silent Night”)
GIVE
This Holiday Season, the Congregation and Cathedral are providing several ways to give back to our community.
HOLIDAY CARDS FOR AMSTERDAM HOUSE
Our neighbors at the senior care facility at Amsterdam House across the street from the Cathedral appreciate the Congregation's offer to write holiday cards for their residents. If you would like to bring holiday cheer, please address cards to "Dear Friend" or "Dear Neighbor." Cards can be dropped off at the front desk or mailed to Jay Virella at Amsterdam House, as below: Attn. Jay Virella, Amsterdam Nursing Home, 1060 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025
CCC CHRISTMAS MEAL DONATIONS
CCC will have their Christmas dinner on Sunday, December 20th and will accept cooked turkeys, chickens, hams, cookies and pies. A table will be set up in the driveway to accept donations by 9 A.M. so that volunteers can package individual meals by 10 A.M.
CCC CHRISTMAS CLOTHES DONATIONS
CCC requests warm hats, gloves, and coats for their Clothing Closet clients. The Clothing Closet accepts gently used, freshly laundered clothes. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, clothes MUST be laundered before donating. Drop-off Hours Monday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
THIS SUNDAY, December 13, 2020
9:45 AM - Visiting with the Vicar
Join the Vicar fifteen minutes before Bible study to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
10:00 AM - In the Beginning: A Study of Genesis
Join the Vicar for a study of the first book of the Bible. Discover Genesis, not as a collection of ancient mythological stories, but as the Word of God addressing our fundamental and deepest needs. This Sunday will focus on Genesis 6 under the heading: "Semi-Divine?
11:00 AM - Congregation Watch Party for Cathedral Worship Service
Watch the Cathedral worship service on Zoom with other members of the Congregation. As a way to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, we will be turning off Zoom chat for the duration of the service.
You can also watch the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
11:45 PM - Vicar and Friends
Join the Vicar and occasional guests right after the service for a brief time to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
12:00 PM - Digital Coffee Half-Hour
Join us at this week’s Digital Coffee Hour to meet members of the congregation.
3:00 PM - Cathedral Choir Sings Christmas Music on Steps
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine presents the Cathedral Choir in concert as a gift to the people of New York City on Sunday, December 13 at 3:00pm. Amplified from the steps of the Cathedral, the choir (masked and distanced, but in festive spirit) will sing carols of the season. Directed by Kent Tritle.
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Wednesdays | 7:15 PM - Visiting with the Vicar
Join the Vicar fifteen minutes before the Wednesday evening Bible study for a brief opportunity to say hello and check in with the congregation.
Wednesdays | 7:30 PM - Wednesday Bible Study
Join the Vicar for a study of Paul's Letter to the Romans. The source of so many changed lives and pivotal moments throughout Christian history, Paul's greatest epistle invites us to transformation in our own lives and time. This Wednesday will again focus on Romans 1:1.
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline
Fridays | 12:15 PM - Midday Prayer and Meditation
The Angelus and 10 minutes of silent meditation. Stay afterwards to connect with the Vicar and others in the parish.
Thursdays | 6:30 PM - Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry is designed for lay people who want to delve more deeply but are not necessarily interested in ordination; EfM classes provide a more formal study of scriptures and the history of the faith. Current Topic: “Living into the Journey with God”
Thursdays | 6:00 PM - YESS Bible Study
The Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour continue their Bible study of the Gospel of Matthew.
Reminder: you can find a directory of weekly programs with links to each program’s Zoom by clicking here.