St. John’s Episcopal Church

A Post-Election Letter from the Rector

November 9, 2016

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, our nation elected Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. As the election approached, we prayed for an end to the rancor and division that has characterized the campaign. Now that the results are in, we have before us an opportunity.

One of you sent me an email this morning, expressing your faith in the Constitution and in our country. Those words reminded me that we have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility, to be faithful citizens, always working for the common good. If you supported Donald Trump, doing that work may seem easier today. If you supported Hillary Clinton or another candidate, the way forward may seem much more challenging. And yet we commit ourselves to working for the common good.

We commit ourselves, not only as citizens of the United States, but as citizens of another realm, the realm of God – the gracious reign of God which Jesus proclaimed, and in which we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, have promised to be faithful servants. What does it mean to be faithful in that realm? Among other things, it means being faithful to our baptismal vow – to always strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being, with God’s help.

Bishop Alan Gates, who so graciously led us this past Sunday in the celebration of our church’s anniversary, sent a letter to the clergy and lay leadership of the diocese this morning, and I believe his words speak very much to this moment in our nation’s life:

“Now is not a time to live out habitual behaviors of winners or losers. Now is a time to rededicate ourselves to the Christian ideal of breaking down the dividing walls of hostility which divide us (Ephesians 2:14). Now is a time to rededicate ourselves to the American ideal of liberty and justice for all.

Forbearance is a virtue tested not when we are in harmony, but when we are divided. Sacrifice is a discipline called for not in the face of prosperity but in the face of adversity. Hope is a manifestation of faith rendered meaningful not by certainty but by anxiety. Christ calls us, in this moment, individually and communally, to forbearance, sacrifice and hope.”

Forbearance, sacrifice, and hope – all part of a faithful response. All part of what it means to be a Christian, at all times and in all places.

I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday, as we gather to praise God, to share our joys and sorrows, our gratitude or our lament, to be nourished by Christ’s presence, and then to go forth as faithful citizens of our country, and of God’s realm.

Faithfully,

Tom

The full text of Bishop Gates’ letter can be found here.

Dear Friends,

A little over five years ago, before I was called to be your rector,  I was preparing for my first  interview with the Search Committee. I did what I could to learn about the parish. I was told by more than one person that St. John’s was a beautiful church. Through my interview, and then my after my arrival, I certainly discovered the truth of that statement. I also noticed right away that you had a beautiful building.

“A beautiful church.” Each of us may have an image of St. John’s that comes to mind when we hear those words – perhaps the stunning stained glass image of Jesus behind the altar, perhaps the nave lit by candlelight at a Lessons and Carols service, perhaps the way the morning light streams through the Victorian windows creating dancing patterns of color on the walls.

When we use the word “church” so often we think of a building. In the New Testament however, the original Greek word often translated as “church” is “ecclesia,” – an assembly of people. Long before Christians ever constructed and set apart buildings for worship, they gathered as “the church” – a body of people gathered in Christ’s name to worship God and serve the world.

This Sunday, we will be rededicating the sturdy and beautiful building that is our inheritance – a 175 year old structure that still inspires us today. But in so doing, we will also be rededicating ourselves. Giving thanks for the faithful before us, we will commit ourselves to living as Christ’s disciples – hearing the Spirit, seeing God’s beauty, and acting in love. We will recognize and give thanks for the beauty of this community – persons old and young, strong and frail, devout and doubting, who gather week after week, offering their worship to God and their service to the world.

We will welcome Bishop Alan Gates, who will lead us in our worship and in the celebration of the Eucharist. And as we look around, yes, we will see a beautiful building. But even more beautiful will be the gathering of God’s people, united in our gratitude and praise.

Faithfully,

Tom

Dear Friends,

With the approach of Advent, I am happy to make available this year’s Advent devotional calendar. We will have copies on cardstock available at church this Sunday and in the weeks to come. You can also download it below if you would like, and make copies on your own.

In 1988, it was about this time of year when I was visiting with a friend, Merry Watters. I noticed a whimsical Advent calendar on her refrigerator door, placed there in anticipation of Advent. As pastor of the Essex, Vermont United Methodist Church. she had designed the calendar for her congregation. Using a typewriter (remember those devices) she listed a scripture reading for each day, and a suggested devotion. I asked if I could use the calendar for my congregation. A year later, we decided to collaborate – I  created a design, and she chose the scriptures and devotions.

Little did we realize at the time that we would still be working on this annual endeavor over 25 years later. And what was once shared with two congregations, now goes far and wide to many people and many congregations. It has been a discipline of joy, and yes, sometimes frustration when the words of a poem will not come or I cannot think of a new design. Ultimately, it is a gift we seek to share each year, and one that we hope enriches the season of many.

Once again, I will be offering a daily email devotional based on the calendar during the season of Advent. If you received the devotional last year, you will be on the list for this year. If you did not receive it last year and would like to this year, or are unsure i you are on the list, you can respond to this newsletter with the word “yes” and I will add you.

Advent approaches. May we see signs of God’s grace wherever we look – even on a refrigerator door.

Faithfully,

Tom

Click below to download this year’s calendar:

advent-calendar-2016

Dear Friends,

Hear the Spirit. See God’s beauty. Act in love.

Those words may be new to you. I hope they will become familiar in the next few months, and that you will be able to share them joyfully with others.

Over the last few months, we have been taking time as a parish to assess where we are in our life together, discerning how it is that God is calling us to be the Body of Christ in this time and place. Many of you filled out a parish survey this summer. The questions and answers were meant to help us collectively draw a portrait of what we value at St. John’s, as well as identify our hopes and dreams for what God is doing in our midst.

In September, your vestry took the results of those surveys, along with other comments and insights gathered over the last few years, and met on retreat. Our hope was to create a Mission Statement, as well as an accompanying vision for our parish in the years to come. As we prepare to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the consecration of our church, I am delighted to share with you the Mission Statement that the vestry has just adopted. Read these words again:

Hear the Spirit. See God’s beauty. Act in love.

The Mission Statement is meant to express what we believe God is calling us to be  in the world: a community that is always listening for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that continually sees and celebrates the beauty that God has created, and joyfully responds to what we have seen and heard by acting in Christ’s love.

You will be hearing much more from me and your leaders about the meaning of these words in the months to come. And in the weeks to come, we will be sharing with you the accompanying vision of what our parish and its ministries will look like as we embrace and embody this mission.

For today, I simply invite you to read and reflect on these words in your own heart and mind. What will it mean for you, and us, to hear the Spirit, see God’s beauty, and act in love? I can only begin to imagine how we will answer those questions together in the days to come.

Faithfully,

Tom