Category Archives: From the Rector

Weekly articles from our Rector published in the News & Notes newsletter.

A Time for Prayer

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Dear Friends,

As I mentioned several weeks ago, the bishops of the Dioceses of Massachusetts and western Massachusetts are inviting us to participate in a prayer vigil just prior to the election. The vigil will last from noon on Sunday November 6 through noon of Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th. Parishes throughout our diocese will be participating in a variety of ways.

Here at St. John’s we will hold a vigil service, primarily of silent prayer, on Monday evening, November 7, from 6-7 pm. The church will remain open from 7 to 9 pm that night, and then will be open for individual prayer and meditation from 8 am to 5 pm on Election Day.

Of course, you can pray wherever you are throughout this time, and for particular concerns that are borne in your heart. Regarding the election, our bishops are asking us to  keep before God three particular concerns:

-that there will be a peaceful transition no matter what the outcome
-that there will be no further stoking of demonizing language
-that all who are elected be moved and strengthened to lead us all through this fractured time

I know that for myself, as much as my prayers may be directed outwards toward and for others and for situations that concern me, there is an inward transformation that blesses and sustains me. Whatever the distractions and challenges of life, whatever burdens are weighing upon me, when I pray I discover that I am brought to a place where I can hear, see, and act more clearly. And for that I am always grateful to God.

Faithfully,

Tom

The full statement from the bishops can be read here.

 

 

Pastoral News from St. John’s

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Dear Friends,

I am writing to inform you of news that affects our parish life.

Kelso Isom Funeral: I shared in church on Sunday the news that Kelso (Sonny) Isom, brother of Marie Hubbard and Marion Wood, died on Sunday morning. His funeral service will be held on Friday October 21, at 10 am, here at St. John’s, with Visiting Hours at 8:30 am at the Carr Funeral Home.

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The Rev. Brian Murdoch: We also received the sad news that the Rev. Brian Murdoch, who served as the eleventh rector of St. John’s, died on Sunday. Brian served here from 1985-1989. Brian had been serving as Priest in Charge at Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven. Visitation will be tonight in Vineyard Haven, with a memorial service there tomorrow. There will be a Vigil at St. Paul’s Cathedral this Friday night, with a funeral service at 4 pm at the Cathedral on Saturday the 22nd. Information about these services, as well as an account of Brian’s ministry, may be found here:  Brian Murdoch Services

May Brian rest in peace and rise in glory.

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Funeral Planning Seminar Postponed:  The seminar scheduled for Saturday, October 22 is being postponed and will be rescheduled for another date before the end of the year. Thank you for your understanding.

 

The Significance of Things Large and Small

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Dear Friends,

Have you seen the news reports this week about the design and scope of our universe?

A new paper in the Astrophysical Journal claims that there are ten times as many galaxies in the universe as was once thought. That would bring the total number of galaxies to about two trillion. Most of you know that I am no scientist. I cannot even begin to comprehend what this means – except that it reminds me of how small and insignificant I am. And sometimes I need to be reminded of that.

There is a story told about Teddy Roosevelt, who certainly had high selfregard. It is told that when camping out under the Western skies with his friend the naturalist William Beebe, he used to engage in a kind of ritual chant before going to sleep.

“That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda,” Roosevelt would declare, pointing to the sky to a small patch of light near the constellation of Pegasus. “It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun.” The president would then turn to Beebe and say, “Now I think we are small enough. Let’s go to bed.”

Given  the size and scope of the universe, we are small and insignificant indeed. Yet the news of the universe for some reason brought to mind words of Dame Julian of Norwich, the great English Christian mystic of the 14th century. She once looked at something very small and insignificant, a hazelnut, and yet saw much:

th-3“And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, ‘What may this be?’ And it was answered generally thus, ‘It is all that is made.’ I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen to nothing for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it. And so have all things their beginning by the love of God. “In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that God loves it. And the third, that God keeps it.”        —  Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

In the smallest of things, Julian saw the fullness of God’s creation. In every human life, the beauty of God is fully present. Julian had eyes to see that. My hope is that we do as well, whether we gaze upon a hazelnut, into another’s eyes, or even look into the depths of our sometimes anxious or fretful hearts.

God made us. God loves us. God keeps us. Thanks be to God.

Faithfully,

Tom

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Fear and Faith

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Dear Friends,

As Election Day approaches, the bishops of both dioceses in Massachusetts have invited all Episcopalians to participate in a 48 hour prayer vigil, beginning on Sunday November 6 at noon and concluding on Election Day, Tuesday November 8, at noon.You can read their full statement here. Some parishes are already planning services or vigil periods in their churches during that time, and information will be forthcoming about how our parish will be participating.

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Time and again as we approach  presidential elections, we are  told that the particular election before us is the most decisive election in a generation. The prospect of momentous change can fill us with anticipation, and also with fear. I know this is not the first election in which some people feel anxious and uncertain about the outcome, and it will not be the last. Our bishops are calling for us as communities of faith to ensure that all we do, and the choices we make, are rooted in prayer.

I am a great admirer of  Marilynne Robinson, a writer whose fiction and nonfiction works are imbued with her deep Christian faith. Last year In an article entitled “Fear” in The New York Review of Books, she commented on the palpable anxieties present in our national life:

“First, contemporary America is full of fear. And second, fear is not a Christian habit of mind. As children we learn to say, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” We learn that, after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Christ is a gracious, abiding presence in all reality, and in him history will finally be resolved.”

“Fear is not a Christian habit of mind.” Those words have come to me again and again  when I find myself growing anxious or fearful.  Fear is not a Christian habit of mind, because, as Robinson writes, “Christ is a gracious, abiding presence in all reality.”

I encourage us to keep those words in our minds and hearts as we move through these next few weeks, as well as in the days after the election. Whatever the outcome, some of us will be disappointed and some of us will be excited. We will seek ways to work for the common good, and we will do so as a community of faith, knowing that Christ is present in all reality – in both our fear, and in our faith.

Faithfully,

Tom

Note: The article “Fear,” by Marilynne Robinson, is from the September 24, 2015 issue of The New York Review of Books, and can be found here.

 

A Mission and Vision for Our Life Together

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Dear Friends,

Last Friday evening, our vestry gathered for prayer at Evensong, and then dinner hosted by Fay Donohue. The next day, we met again for a day-long retreat, seeking to articulate the mission and vision of this community. We paid attention to the words you wrote and spoke – in parish surveys, at past annual meetings, and also kept before us the vows of the Baptismal Covenant and our understanding of what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition.

We are excited by the work we did, and after the October vestry meeting we will be sharing more about what we envisage for our future together. Among other things, we hope to introduce a mission statement with accompanying vision, and at least two practical goals. One of the goals we set is already under way – a feasibility study for a capital campaign – and others focus on ways we can reach out beyond our walls to our neighbors.

Even as we were planning for our future, I was struck by the degree to which we were being the church we are called to be this weekend. While leaders were meeting in prayer and planning on Saturday, other parishioners were greeting guests from Charlestown and beyond, opening our doors to the larger community. Later that day, a number of you assisted and attended at the funeral service for the mother of one of our members, extending Christ’s love and care. And then of course, on Sunday we gathered for worship and formation, and welcomed newcomers to join us on our journey.

Please continue to pray for our vestry. And as we share the fruits of our work, I hope you will pray to see how God is calling you to be a part of this marvelous community, called together to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in many and profound ways.

Faithfully,

Tom