News from the Congregation January 22, 2021
‘Witnessing for Jesus’; ‘Feeling Good v Doing Good’; | CCC - Coat Drive; Sunday Soup Kitchen Volunteers Needed, Valentine Day Cards for Seniors, Saint Saviour’s 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
The first time I traveled by myself, I was sixteen. I was studying for the summer at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. On the first leg of the flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis, the plane was nearly empty. I was relieved. I had a window seat, and I wouldn’t have to share the armrest with anyone. The plane took off. The seatbelt sign turned off.
A young man in his mid-twenties suddenly appeared in the aisle.
“I’m sorry to bother you. Do you mind if I sit here? The air circulation is much better up front.”
Before I could answer, he sat down. He was chatty. When he discovered I went to church, he asked about my faith life. Did I pray? Did I read the Bible? Had I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior? Was I ready to battle the “temptations” I would face that summer? At last, he bowed his head and started praying aloud for me.
When he finished, he stood and went back to his seat. Or, he found someone else to evangelize on that nearly empty flight. I don’t know.
What I do know is my intense embarrassment during this 45-minute interview. All these years later, I can still feel the burning heat on my face from my utter mortification. I was a Christian, yes, but a nominal one. I went to church because I had to. I did not pray in public. I did not talk about Jesus. Not with strangers. Not with friends.
I know my feelings that day had much do with my own issues. I can see now that the young man’s love for Jesus was commendable, as was his earnestness. Today, I am grateful for his prayers.
Still, the hard sell is not effective evangelism. When I finally discovered a living faith in Jesus Christ, it was in spite of this experience, not because of it.
***
We are not selling Jesus. We are witnesses for Jesus. There is a difference.
To witness for Jesus begins with forgetting all the ways we think we please God--that long list of good works we use to build up our pride--and instead, begins with remembering all the ways we fail God. It starts with repentance. It starts with humility.
It means, before we do anything for Jesus, we take out the beam in our own eyes, before focusing on the mote in our neighbors’ eyes.
Jesus said,“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor." (Matthew 7:1-5, MSG)
When we live this way, we learn to hold ourselves lightly, keeping our incipient narcissism in check, and we make room in our de-centered selves for a genuine interest in others. Without the hard sell, we become people other people want to be around. We become a community others seek to join.
Marsha and Tim
Our Junior Warden reflects on Current Events:
January is only 22 days old and it seems like we’ve already packed a year’s worth of drama into the month. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, the events of the past few weeks-- the advent of the vaccine, the political unrest at the Capitol, the observation of Martin Luther King Day, and the beginning of a new Presidency – have put us all into an “emotional spin cycle.” I’m ready for a breather.
Underneath it all are profound differences of opinion in our society about, well, pretty much everything. Like many of us, I have been despairing about this seemingly intractable divide, especially since we seem to be talking past each other rather than with each other. If we are going to have any hope of social reconciliation, it seems like we have to find better ways of communicating with those who see the world differently than we do.
So often, we don’t pause to think about how our words might be received by others. Even during our church coffee-hours or zoom-chats, it’s not uncommon to hear things, said with the best of intentions, that land flat (or worse) with some. Most often, it’s when people resort to slogans or generalizations or labels. Not wanting to turn our church coffee hour into cable-TV-style debates, I usually say nothing in response and then spend the rest of the time wondering if silence was really the right reaction.
Two months ago, former President Obama offered a great insight regarding what might very well be the most memorable slogan of 2020: “Defund the Police.” In his trademark practical, clear-headed way, he pointed out how that catchy slogan could actually be counterproductive: "You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you're actually going to get the changes you want done. The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?"
For most of us, “defund” doesn’t mean “abolish” or “eliminate,” but it can sure be made to sound that way to lots of reasonable, moderate people out there. Our choice of words matters.
We have the added charge, as Christians, to seek out Christ in all people. I’ll be the first to admit that, when one looks at the footage from the Capitol riots or the George Floyd murder, that sometimes feels like an awfully tall order. But there are many millions of people who are not on the extremes, people who hold certain views not because they are bad people, but because they have been misinformed, undereducated, and underexposed to people who are not like them.
I hope we can use this momentous, fraught January as a turning point, as the beginning of the healing of the great divide. We can’t just pretend that the millions on the other side don’t exist. But perhaps, just maybe, if we engage rather than lecture, listen rather than label, the healing can begin.
CONNECT
The Annual Meeting of the Saint Saviour's Vestry will be Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 11:45 am. Click here for more information.
City Event: Covid-19 Town Hall Join our neighbors at Community Board 9 for a town hall about COVID-19 vaccinations hosted by CB9's SGL/LGBTQ+ Task Force and health experts from Black and POC communities. For more information about this important public health event, please click here.
GIVE/SERVE
Valentine’s Day Outreach for Local Seniors: Spread Valentine's Day love to our senior neighbors at Amsterdam House. For information about how to pitch in, please click here.
CCC - Volunteer Opportunity Our friends at CCC are requesting 3 Congregation volunteers for this Sunday 1/24 from 8:30am to 11:00am to help with food preparation and distribution. Please arrive no later than 8:30am to help with set-up. Everyone will be masked and as distanced as possible. The food prep will be inside, but food bag distribution will be outdoors on the driveway, so dress in layers! They also need volunteers for Sunday 1/31/21 and Sunday 2/7/21. To volunteer, please email Kevin de l'Aigle.
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 24, 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: The Ark as Refuge, The Church as Refuge.?
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.
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.