News from the Congregation January 15, 2021
‘The Eucharist We Share’; ‘Waiting with God’; | CCC - Coat Drive; MLK Celebration; Inauguration Eve Vigil on Cathedral Steps; Inauguration Day Diocesan Prayer Service, Annual Meeting | Sunday Programs (9:30 am Vicar’s Open Space, 10 am Genesis Bible Study, 11 am Worship Service, 11:45 Vicar and Friends, 12 pm Coffee Half-Hour, 12:30 pm Adult Formation on Howard Thurman) |Weekday Programs (M-S Morning and Evening Prayer; Wednesday: Vicar’s Open Space, Bible Study on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Compline Service, Thursday: EfM Class, Friday: Midday Prayer and Meditation, Vicar’s Open Space).
Canon Lee
Two weeks ago during coffee hour, Canon Malloy observed that “the Eucharist is not something we get but is something we share.” It is worth unpacking this statement.
In our gathered assembly on Sunday, what we share in the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ. This is a communal act, not an individual one.
For this reason, it has been hard to learn that we will not be able to worship in the Cathedral until at least Pentecost (June 6th). I have heard from some of you about your pain and frustration with this decision. I understand it.
It is not just the deprivation of worship that hurts. It is the deprivation of everything else too: human contact; the warm fellowship of coffee hour; the glorious music of our world-class musicians; the awe-inspiring architecture of the building. But even more than this, it is the deprivation of the real presence of Jesus Christ.
When we say this, we do not speak metaphorically. As Richard Hooker, the great 16th century Anglican theologian writes in his Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, the sacraments are not “bare signs of instruction or admonition.” Rather, they are “signs effectual; they are the instruments of God, whereby to bestow grace.” In other words, the bread and the wine are not just symbols that point to Jesus. The bread and wine impart to us the real presence of Christ’s Body and Blood. They are sacraments.
Nothing can minimize the depth of this loss.
But there are other ways that we can encounter Jesus in community.
When we study the Bible together, our goal is not information. For that, we can read books or articles, watch YouTube videos, or take classes. Instead, our goal has always been communion with Jesus Christ, who reveals himself in the Scriptures, as one of the collects for Evening Prayer describes:
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companions in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.
This same idea applies to our prayer life. Our worship comes out of the Book of Common Prayer. Individual prayer is important, but when we come together to pray the words that Jesus has taught us, our assembly becomes the Body of Christ.
To focus on this reality is to reframe this moment. Over Zoom, despite our Eucharistic deprivation, we encounter Christ in our study of the apostles’ teaching, in our fellowship, and in our prayers (Acts 2:42). We encounter Christ in (online) church. As the great Anglican theologian of the 19th century, Charles Gore, notes:
The church is “to be the Spirit-bearing body, and that is to be the bearer of Christ... perpetuating, in a new, but not less real way, the presence of the Son of man in the world.”
A recent Gallup poll revealed that Americans’ mental health ratings are at their lowest level in 20 years. Every subgroup reported a decline from 2019 to 2020—except weekly churchgoers. People who went to church every week reported an increase in mental health in 2020.
That sounds implausible.
Implausible, that is, until we consider what our encounter with Jesus Christ in the church does for us.
How Jesus brings us comfort. How Jesus reminds us that God is faithful. How Jesus gives us the courage to acknowledge our own shortcomings and to confess our sins. How Jesus invites us follow him on the Way that leads to the Cross, where we are crucified with him. How Jesus gives us hope of the resurrection to new life.
Marsha and Tim
Our Senior Warden reflects on Waiting:
When I was growing up I used to get excited about this and that and tell my mother “I can hardly wait until [fill in the blank]. Mother would caution me “do not wish your life away.” Was mother a secret contemplative who knew that we only have the moment and we should stay in it? Probably not, but her advice was sound. Yet waiting is such a large part of our lives, especially now, as we wait for suffering and dislocation to end—a wait that is filled with great anxiety.
The darkness and the misery of these days seem to know no end. We wait for better times and they do not come. One horror heaps upon another, we hunger for mutual support but we are denied the comfort of coming together in the church and sharing the Eucharist. Glimmers of hope appear, but are clouded over again. Our nation is plagued by racial strife and political extremism. Hate groups come out of their hiding places and threaten those who stand for love, freedom and peace. Conspiracy theories and lies are believed and rile up the privileged who feed on them. Corona virus continues to take its huge toll. Vaccines are distributed in hope while the cases of COVID19 continue to increase and refrigerated trucks appear to hold the bodies that funeral directors have no room for. In the middle of these sad times we learn that the Cathedral Chapter has decided the earliest we may come together in church will be June. That means we will have been in exile for 15 months. How long O LORD, how long?
Today as Morning Prayer ended, a group of about a dozen stayed on ZOOM to talk, as we do most mornings. The discussion was about vaccine distribution as well as the feelings of frustration we experience as we wait and wait. Clyde Hicks reminded us of the need for patience and serenity. Kevin de l’Aigle pointed out the words of Isaiah which we read during the Office and which are so appropriate to this moment:
“but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up on wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40: 31)
For me personally, the psalms are a great help:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46)
As difficult as it is to wait, we are blessed with a community that supports one another, albeit virtually. And that community represents the presence of God in our midst. As Steven reminds us frequently, we meet Jesus in the circle when we come together, even if the circle is a ZOOM gallery view!
CONNECT
Jennifer Allen, formerly Saint Saviour's seminarian, has been ordained a priest. Congratulations, Jennifer!!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2021 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Let It Shine: Lighting a Candle for Unity Vigil on the Eve of the Inauguration.
From 3:00 PM to 5:15 PM on Tuesday, January 19, all are invited to come to the Cathedral Steps and to light a candle and place it on an outdoor candle rack. As has become the custom at the Cathedral, people may wish to write something on the candle before they place it. The vigil will conclude with a brief service at 5:15 PM, culminating with a ringing of the Cathedral Bells at 5:30 PM with Houses of Worship around the nation
The Annual Meeting of the Saint Saviour's Vestry will be Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 11:45 am. Click here for more information.
Monday, January 18, 10:00 AM | Bronx Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration
The Bronx Council invites you to join them as they give thanks for the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The day's offering goes towards the Council's MLK Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, Preacher. Benefiting the MLK Memorial Scholarship Fund. For the Zoom info, and all other details, please click here to visit the Diocesan page.
Rev. Jennifer Allen
GIVE
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 17, 2020
9:30 AM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
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 III.
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
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Wednesdays | 7:00 PM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
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 | 12:00 PM - Midday Prayer and Meditation
The Angelus and 10 minutes of silent meditation.
Fridays | 12:15 PM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
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 )
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.