News from the Congregation January 1, 2021
‘With Christ as our Foundation’; ‘Christmas from Without and Within’; | CCC - Coat Drive; Diocesan 4-Part Anti-Racism Workshop Registration, Jennifer Allen’s Ordination | 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 12: Adult Formation-Howard Thurman) |Weekday Programs (M-S Morning and Evening Prayer; 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
Kingstown pier, Stephen said. Yes, a disappointed bridge. - James Joyce, Ulysses
We came into 2020 with high hopes for our Congregation. Do you remember late February? By every metric, we were growing. Twenty adult confirmation candidates for the Easter Vigil. A new welcome table with fresh flowers and smiling newcomers. A new ministry helping people released from prison. Plans to start a companion relationship with the Episcopal Cathedral of Havana, Cuba. Even plans for new coffee to serve at coffee hour. We were gathering momentum.
Then, everything stopped.
From the perspective of what could have been, the past year has been a disappointment. Like Kingstown pier, as the character Stephen Dedalus famously describes it in the novel Ulysses, our plans might be described as “a disappointed bridge.” Abruptly stopped, as if in midair.
But from another perspective, the past year has been a revelation. The pandemic forced the Congregation to rediscover its primary vocation as a church. Paul describes this vocation to the members of the early church in Corinth: For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:9-11)
Our vocation is to build up disciples of Jesus Christ. Disciples are built upon the foundation which has already been laid. That foundation is not a companion relationship with Cuba, or new coffee, or fresh flowers, or even a new prison ministry. That foundation is Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of the world. As today’s prayer for the Feast of Holy Name of Jesus puts it: Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Essential to our Congregation’s vocation, then, is proclaiming Jesus Christ, not just as a wise teacher or a miracle worker or a blank screen upon which we project our sectarian political hopes and dreams. But Jesus as Lord of the universe and as the Savior of the world. As the Congregation of St. Saviour, this identity should be very familiar to us!
Then, upon this foundation, with discipline and consistency, for nine months, we have devoted ourselves to the apostles’ teaching, in Bible study and in adult formation classes; we have had fellowship together; and we have prayed together. These were the only activities we could do safely together online. It turns out, with the exception of the Eucharist, we followed the same disciple-making plan as members of the early church: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42)
From these essential spiritual practices, we found ourselves becoming transformed. When we inspected the “fruit” of our Congregational life together, we recognized that the “works of the flesh,” which Paul described to the early churches of Galatia, were losing their hold over us: Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. (Galatians 5:19-21)
Instead, we could see the “fruit of the Spirit” growing in our Congregation's culture: By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
As we look to the New Year, I am excited to work with you to discover all the new and creative ways that the Congregation can continue to fulfill the Great Commission that Jesus has charged us with: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Marsha and Tim
Our Senior Warden reflects on Christmas:
When I was a child Christmas was something that happened to other people. We didn’t observe it. Our holiday was Chanukah, but it seemed a poor substitute to what I imagined was going on in the homes around me. We were surrounded by signs of the holiday of the dominant culture: Christmas songs on TV and Christmas decorations in the stores; the myth of Santa Claus. In those days, before political correctness took over, children in public elementary school learned all the Christmas carols-- even though at least half the kids in my school were Jewish. We sang Silent Night, Oh Come all ye faithful, Away in a manger, etc. My parents had to negotiate all this since their goal was to instill Jewish pride in their children and not to see them succumb to the culture of the majority. Some of their decisions were quite odd and inconsistent. We could not have a Christmas tree or a wreath, but we could enjoy a poinsettia. Yet my father thought going to visit Santa Claus at the local department store was hysterical and dragged my sister and me to meet him and tell him what we wanted for Christmas. This was odd since we weren’t going to get anything for Christmas. Thankfully it wasn’t traumatic, but to this day I’m very bad at buying and receiving physical gifts. I don’t do a very good job of wrapping, and my decorations, when I actually do get a tree, would horrify Martha Stewart. As I look back on my childhood, there are many memories of Chanukah and the warmth of family gatherings. It was not as very different from family Christmas celebrations as I used to think. We lived within walking distance of many of my mother’s extended family—first second and third cousins and first cousins once removed (whatever that is). We didn’t have the mad scramble to rip open presents on Christmas morning, but I realize now that this was a blessing. We had a huge family filled with love as well as the lighting of the menorah and potato pancakes. Was the true miracle of Chanukah that there was enough oil for all those potatoes?
In my life as a Christian, the most important aspect of Christmas has been the reminder of the moment in human history when God came to us, to be with us in our joy and in our pain. It is always new and always surprising. The candles and the carols speak to my soul and it is always always true. We are not alone in this messy life.
This year the blessings of Christmas were very alive to me. From the moment we sang carols over ZOOM, led by Susan Sobolewski, Christmas happened; I felt the presence of Emmanuel. There was the Christmas service on Christmas Day with a fabulous sermon by Bishop Dietsche; phone calls from friends I hadn’t heard from in years. The surprise gifts that arrived on my doorstep—the little crèche in which all the animals are cats! The hat from Café Press with the word WARDEN shamelessly emblazoned on it. A neighbor came up and gave me a portion of French lasagna her husband had made as well as a piece of black forest cake, home made with fresh whipped cream, another friend brought some candy that I shouldn’t eat, but… it was delicious!
I confess that I crashed on the 27th. Another friend got sick with COVID and was hospitalized. At morning prayer intercessions the list of people suffering with this plague grew longer again. One of my favorite brothers at Holy Cross, Rafael Campbell Dixon, died of COVID in a nursing home. Vaccines have been developed at record speed, but they haven’t come on time for so many. Living these days with incredible sadness as we do, it was such a relief to have a few days to remind us that all is not darkness. There is hope--hope for an end to the pandemic, hope for a more generous society, hope for the joy of being together again--being together to experience love face to face, to sing and to share in the Eucharist.
In hope I wish you all a Happy New Year!
CONNECT
Saturday, December 12 | 11:30 am - 12:30 pm EST Ordination of Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen, formerly Saint Saviour's seminarian, will be ordained a priest on Saturday January 9. All are invited to attend digitally.
Tuesday, January 4 | 7:00-9:00 pm The Diocese will be holding a multi-part online Anti-Racism workshop open only to clergy and laypeople of the Diocese of New York on January 4, 7, 11 and 14. Click here to learn more.
GIVE
This Holiday Season, the Congregation and Cathedral are providing several ways to give back to our community.
CCC - January Clothes Drive
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, Jan 3, 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: Noah and the Flood, Part I
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.
12:30 PM - Adult Formation — SOME GLOW: Howard Thurman, Religious Experience, and the Future of America
Discussion of two sermons by Dr. Thurman. Click here for recordings of both sermons and more information on the class. If you are unable to listen to these sermons, don’t worry. Fr. Daniels will provide extensive background and exegesis. All are welcome!
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
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 (Returns January 21)
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.