News from the Congregation October 30, 2020
‘Pray With Me’; Halloween Lessons; Post-Election Vigil of Hope, Black MBA Fall Career Fair | 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, 12:30 pm Eucharist Class. Weekday Programs (Wednesday Bible Study and Compline Service, Thursday YESS Bible Study, Thursday EfM Class, Friday Midday Prayer and Meditation).
Canon Lee
Would you pray with me over these next few days? Not (only) for peace, for our nation, for the candidates for political office, and for their supporters. But pray with me, also, in the spirit of these provocative lines from the “Little Gidding" section of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets:
You are not here to verify,
Instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
Or carry report. You are here to kneel
Where prayer has been valid. And prayer is more
Than an order of words, the conscious occupation
Of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.
It is in this same spirit that Anthony Bloom, the monk and metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church of Great Britain, describes the beginning of prayer as a longing, not only for the gifts of God (like electoral peace, say), but for God alone:
God helps us when there is no one else to help. God is there at the point of greatest tension, at the breaking point, at the centre of the storm. In a way despair is at the centre of things-if only we are prepared to go through it. We must be prepared for a period when God is not there for us and we must be aware of not trying to substitute a false God.
In this spirit, too, I invite you to pray with your clergy, neighbors, and fellow parishioners, on the steps of the Cathedral following Election Day. The vigil begins at noon on Wednesday, November 4. Details below.
Marsha and Tim
Halloween Candy - Marsha Ra, Senior Warden
Tomorrow is Halloween. I’ve been thinking about what Halloween was like in Detroit in the 1940’s and 50’s when I was a child and where it fits in my moral development. Trick or treat was something I had never heard of. We called it “begging.” Kids would put on make-shift costumes, gather, usually with one parent to watch over us, and go from house to house chanting “help the poor.” Sometimes we chanted “help the poor, the rich don’t need it!” It was, after all, a proletariat neighborhood where most parents were union workers in Detroit’s factories. Resentment of the rich was a thing. If we approached a house that did not have a light turned on the front porch we just passed it by. Soaping of windows was not something we did. Most houses were lit up and the grownups ready for the little beggars. It was very exciting. We held out our paper grocery bags and the grownups would drop in a few small candies or some pennies.
I ask myself today what lesson I learned, if any, from Halloween and from “begging.” Certainly the good lesson was that most grown-ups cared enough about us kids to buy candy and hand it out, whether they had children at home or not. That was a good lesson—to know that you are on some level loved and supported. But there was another lesson that wasn’t good at all. Into the paper bag filled with sweets and pennies entered a bit of jealousy and resentment. While my sister and I only begged on our street, Humphrey, other children were led by grown-ups to the commercial street, Dexter Boulevard, where shop keepers were much more generous than people in their houses. In the place of a few candies, these kids got whole candy bars, boxes of cracker jacks, DOLLAR BILLS! The next day we compared our take and learned that the haul which seemed so magnificent on the 31st was inferior and lacking on November 1. Vaguely reminiscent of God towards Cain and Abel, we little gods suddenly saw our parents with different eyes. The gift our mother brought us—begging on Humphrey Street, was not as wonderful of the gift our friend’s mother provided who took her to Dexter Boulevard!
Thank God no murder was committed over Hershey bars, but disappointment in our parents over such tiny things lingered. As we mature we see our parents as the loving people they were, trying their best to give us a good childhood and tools for dealing with the world as it is. The fact is that we actually have to forgive them their mistakes big and small. Not taking us to beg from shopkeepers is not something to be forgiven, but chuckled over. I’m sure it never occurred to my parents to take us to Dexter Boulevard. Besides, we had so much candy to eat for the next couple of weeks, that the Hershey bars were soon forgotten
CONNECT
On November 5, 2020 from 12PM to 3PM, a local chapter of the National Black MBA Association is hosting a Virtual Career Fair. This quarterly event is to connect the community and major corporations especially during this time of high anxiety and high unemployment. The event is free to applicants but requires a resume. MBA degrees are not required. Most companies are seeking college graduates and work experience. Click here to register.
Post-Election Vigil of Hope
Starting Wednesday, November 4 and continuing as appropriate
12PM-6PM on Steps of the Cathedral
In the aftermath of this chaotic election cycle, join us on the steps of the Cathedral as we pray for national unity and the safeguarding of our democracy. It may be several days before we know the official results of this critical election, but together we will read scriptures and pray the Lord’s Prayer to provide a safe and prayerful space as we wait for each vote to be counted. For more information, please email us.
THIS SUNDAY, November 1, 2020
***REMINDER: Daylight Savings Time officially ends at 2:00 am this Sunday, November 1. Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night, and enjoy an extra hour of sleep.
(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 4, under the heading: "The First (Dysfunctional Family, Part II."
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 Class
Sub-Dean Patrick Malloy continues his popular series on the history, theology, and practice of the Eucharist, starting with the Reformation.
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Wednesdays | 7:30 PM - Midweek Reflection and Discussion
Join the Vicar for a time of reflection and discussion about what the Church is and how it can provide us with spiritual resilience in these difficult times.
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.