News from the Congregation September 18, 2020
Make a Chapel of Your Heart; Healing Touch; Sunday Programming (9:45 am Visiting with the Vicar, 10 am Genesis Bible Study, 11 am Worship, 12 pm Coffee-Half Hour featuring Episcopal Charities Sunday Appeal, 12:30 pm How to Be an Antiracist Book Discussion), Weekly Offerings: Morning and Evening Prayer, YESS Bible Study, NEW Midweek Reflection and Discussion, Compline
Canon Lee
The experience of the past 6 months has taught us that we do not always need our beautiful Cathedral to stay connected to God. Digital church is capable of producing transcendent moments, as well as deep relationships.
But what if -- God forbid -- we could no longer meet together online. What if all our technology failed. How could we still remain connected to God?
Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French monk, has an answer:
It is not needful always to be in church to be with God. We make a chapel of our heart, to which we can from time to time withdraw to have gentle, humble, loving communion with Him. Everyone is able to have these familiar conversations with God. Some more, some less—He knows our capabilities. Let us make a start. Perhaps He only waits for us to make one whole-hearted resolve. Courage! We have but a short time to live.
When all else fails, we can build a chapel within our heart. We can create a center of sacred stillness within ourselves, and out of this quiet center, we can press into our chaotic world that peace which passes understanding, that peace which comes from a relationship with God.
But where do we start? What materials do we use to build this chapel of the heart? Where are the blueprints for this chapel?
To help us answer questions like these, I invite you to a new series of 45-minute reflection and discussion sessions on the Church, scheduled for Wednesday evenings this fall. For one of the functions of the church, after all, is to provide blueprints for this chapel of the heart. I hope to see you there.
The Rev. Canon Steven Lee
Canon Pastor and Vicar
Marsha and Tim
From the Senior Warden on “Healing Touch”
Last Saturday morning I ventured out to 110th street to get a flu shot. As I approached CVS, I ran into Christopher Scott, one of Saint Saviour’s charter members, once its treasurer and for several years our warden. It was a wonderful treat. We caught up and reminisced about his dear wife Catherine who had been one of the pillars of the Cathedral and Congregation, and we shared our joy at the energy we see in Saint Saviour today. We talked about this and that, and then it was time for him to continue his constitutional and for me to go into the drugstore. When we said goodbye, I so wanted to hug him. We bumped elbows.
If I didn’t have two cats I would have no physical affection, no loving touch in my life right now. I wonder if the desire to have a haircut is in part the need to be touched by another person? As I’ve ventured out these past few weeks all physical contact has been with doctors and medical aids--the dental hygienist, the physician’s assistant drawing blood. As I underwent an unpleasant but necessary biopsy, one of the assistants stroked my back through the whole procedure. The touch of a caring medical person can be as healing as the medicine they prescribe.
It is probably not a good idea to keep writing about what I miss, what everyone misses: easy interactions with friends; singing hymns in church and receiving Communion. I miss New York at its vibrant best. I pray every day for those who are suffering most—the homeless and those threatened with homelessness, those without work, the mentally ill for whom these days must be torture. I pray also for our country as it struggles to find itself again. I pray for the planet which we human beings are rendering uninhabitable. I pray for all of my friends and everyone enduring losses. But I also pray that I will see the day soon when--without worry that we will somehow kill each other--I can give you a hug.
Marsha and Tim
THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
(To access each program on Zoom, click the link in the title.)
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, we continue our study of Genesis 3, under the heading: "The Shape of the Moral Universe."
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
12:00 PM - Episcopal Charities Appeal
12:05 PM - Digital Coffee Half-Hour
Join us at this week’s Digital Coffee Hour to meet members of the congregation.
12:30 PM - Fall Book Discussion: How to Be An Antiracist
The Congregation is participating in the Diocesan-sponsored discussion of Ibram X. Kendi's highly-acclaimed book How to Be an Antiracist. Here is the diocesan program's official website, which includes an exhortation from Bishop Dietsche, details on where to purchase the book, how the programming will work, discussion questions, and a host of other related resources. Please register in advance here.
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Tuesdays | 6:30 PM - YESS Bible Study
Wednesday | 7:30 PM - Midweek Reflection and Discussion
This fall, join the Vicar on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:15 PM for a time of reflection and discussion about what the Church is. We will address fundamental topics like, “What does the Bible say church is?”; “Is church necessary for a Christian life?”; “What compels people to belong to a church?”; “What makes a church transformative and meaningful to our lives?” Begins September 23rd.
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline
Reminder: you can find a directory of weekly programs with links to each program’s Zoom by clicking here.
NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE
Throughout the diocese, unemployment and underemployment have dramatically increased the number of people struggling with food insecurity. Even without the added pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic, close to one million people in the diocese struggle to put food on the table. This Sunday, September 20, our congregation will join with others around the diocese to support Episcopal Charities Sunday, a special collection on behalf of feeding programs funded by Episcopal Charities.
Please prayerfully consider making a donation to support Episcopal Charities Sunday by donating at ec-ny.org/ecsunday and be sure to let them know you are a member of our congregation in the notes area. Now, more than ever, these programs need our support.