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February
2008 From
the Interim Rector LENT 2008
The Liturgical
Season of Lent comprises the 40
weekdays (Sundays remain “little Easters” throughout!) from Ash
Wednesday through Holy Saturday. Clearly, the number 40 is not
accidental. It mimics the 40 days and nights spent by Jesus in
the wilderness (immediately after his Baptism,
according to the Gospels) and the 40 years the Israelites
wandered in the wilderness under Moses’ guidance in search of the
promised land. Then there were the 400 years of the Hebrew exile in
Babylon! In short, Lent is every
believer’s “faith story” in microcosm, from the humble dust of our
creation (“earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust”) to the
glorious sacrificial love for us shown by God in Christ, the
crucified-resurrected One. Simply put, Lent is a tithe - roughly speaking
10% - of the year; an opportunity to offer up our very best!
Entering the Lenten wilderness is risky and
invites us to allow our vulnerability to surface from beneath the well
wrought defenses we’ve cultivated to cope with life.
Signs and symbols of that vulnerability are present from
day one - ashes imposed to remind
us of our fallen, mortal human nature - always a step away from death;
yet at the same time, dying daily to Sin (separation from God) which,
in turn, brings us closer to intimacy with God. As
with the ashes, so with the discipline of fasting - reminding us that
we do not live by “bread” alone, but by the Logos
(the
embodied Word of God). By fasting we can “slow down”
on one form of sustenance (food being but one of many) in
order to “go faster” with a more perfect One!
While the church provides for only two Fast days (Ash
Wednesday & Good Friday) on which we are meant
to take no food except water (pregnant women and those on medications
excepted!), Lent invites us to the consideration of abstinence
in
every aspect of our lives, not to lose weight (although that might be a
fringe benefit) or to save money (though when we do, giving it to a
worthy cause is very salutary). The whole
point is to go faster with God, by slowing down with self (as musicians
know, lento
means
slow down) - take Sabbath, a weekly day off,
not only from your “day job” but from all kinds of busy work that may
distract you from “the peace of God which
passeth all understanding” - or better yet, make
a retreat in addition to
taking Sabbath. Any good commander in the field knows that “retreat is
not defeat” when taken to regroup and recollect one’s deeper source of
energy and strength.
All of this is best summarized by the paradoxical declarations of the
Apostle Paul, when he writes: “After
beseeching God not less than three times to take this thorn from my
flesh, he told me ‘My Grace
is all you need, for My strength increases by your weakness.’ It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in
on my weakness; so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (2nd Corinthians
12:8-10, paraphrased). Paul would never
have made this statement of faith had he not personally known the power
of Jesus kenosis
(self-emptying),
such that he encourages us to have the same attitude as Jesus, who “though
in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be
grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant…”. (Philippians
2:5ff.)
Lent is a season for each of us to personally re-connect
with
the power of Christ in our lives, to reflect
upon
the “crucified and resurrected” dimensions of our own lives, and to
seek refreshment in the realization
that although “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God,” yet, “even so in Christ, we have all been made alive!” Lent, from
Saxon and Middle-English roots, means “lengthening” (days of) “spring”
when we see the creation coming to life out of death’s winter grip! May
it be so in your life and that of St. John’s. Do not hesitate to call
upon me if I can be helpful on any leg of your Lenten journey. Faithfully, Michael+ On
Stewardship “[A]
woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and
she poured it upon His head . . . But the disciples were indignant when
they saw this and said, ‘Why this waste? For
this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given
to the poor.’ But Jesus . . . said to
them, ‘Why do you bother the woman? For
she has done a good deed to Me. For the
poor you have with you always; but you do not always have Me.’” – Matthew 26:7-11 I understand the
disciples’ reaction to Mary of Bethany’s stewardship of her expensive
oil. There is so much need in the world. How can we not give all we can directly to
relief of suffering? Jesus’ response
reminds us of important points. “Why
do you bother the woman?” First, He advises us
not to criticize the stewardship of others. “For
she has done a good deed to Me.” Second, He reminds
us that we are called to offer our first and best to God.
“For
the poor you have with you always.” Third He observes
that human suffering will always be with us. A
problem of that magnitude is too much for us to solve; divine
intervention will be necessary. ”But
you do not always have Me.” Fourth, Jesus says
that the disciples will not always have Him, in the flesh, to talk to,
to share with. So for those who were with
Jesus, it was not wrong for them to express their love for Him with
gifts. Jesus said His
earthly life would come to an end. We do
not have Jesus with us as the disciples did. We
have His church, our church, St. John’s. Will
we do our part to keep His church with us? The
endeavor will take our care, participation and money.
And in the magical way of God, we are the ultimate
beneficiaries of these gifts. Our gifts
give us a church home where we find fellowship, joyful worship, the
peace of prayer, music to delight the soul, and the space to focus our
learning on God. So far, 94
individuals and families have pledged $202,774 in support of the
operation and programs of our church. In
order to meet our 2008 budget we need $54,926 more in pledges. In order to restore the cuts to the outreach
budget we made last year we will need more. As
the search committee interviews candidates who ask about our
stewardship, we hope to tell the story of our growth as stewards and of
parishioner’s enthusiastic financial support. Prayerfully
consider the God given gifts in your life and respond with thanksgiving! Mary of Bethany was
extravagant in her gift to our Lord. Given
to Jesus, her perfumed oil had far greater impact then its market value. Just as Jesus predicted, she is still
remembered for her gift. How much has she
inspired? Mary
Schinke Co-Chair,
Stewardship Committee
Lent begins early this
year. . . In For
the Time Being. W.H. Auden wrote,
“The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory. And already the mind
begins to be vaguely aware of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at
the thought of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now be
very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are…”. On the other hand, Lent need not bring “an
unpleasant whiff of apprehension” but rather, opportunities for
spiritual refreshment and renewal. Consider these for
Lent here at St. John’s: · Adult
Forums:
Lenten Themes –
Sundays,
9-9:45am
in the Library – Come join in lively
conversations and explorations of the spiritual life, based upon the
Lenten Sunday Gospels! Feb.
10th – Wilderness (Matt.
4:1-11) Feb.
17th – Rebirth (John
3:1-17) Feb.
24th – Transparency (John
4) Mar.
2nd – Refreshment (John 9) Mar.
9th – Reconciliation and
Renewal (John 11) · Sunday, Feb.24th, 5pm - Choral
Evensong
for the 3rd Sunday in Lent · A
Lenten Mini-Retreat: Friday,
Feb.29th,
7:30pm – 9pm
Lenten Vespers - Taize chant &
meditation; Saturday,
March 1st,
9:30am–2:30pm – Quiet Day
meditations by Fr. Tessman: “Spiritual
maturity in an age of juvenilia & juvenescence!” · Sunday, March 16th, 5pm – Choral
Evensong
for Passion Sunday .
. . and Lent is a time for fellowship · On Sunday, March 2nd following the 10am
Eucharist the congregation is invited to luncheon
in the Parish House, to hear from parish
leader-ship in follow-up
to the Annual Meeting, and a report
on the Search process and parish-wide survey completed last month. Bring your questions and enjoy another
occasion of fellowship and discussion! Rest eternal grant
unto her, O Lord, and let light
perpetual shine upon her. May her soul and the
souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. + Saint John’s Parish
gives thanks to Almighty God for the life of Sarah
H. McLean who died peacefully,
in the Hope of the Resurrection, and in her one-hundredth year, during the night of
January 30-31 in her home in New Preston. A Memorial Service and
the Holy Eucharist will be Celebrated on Saturday, February
16th, at 11 o’clock. A reception will
follow in the Parish House. Interim
Rector’s Availability Office
860-868-2527 + Rectory 860-868-7309 + Cell 401-639-8797 Email
<mandctessman@aol.com> Most weeks, Fr.
Tessman is in residence at the Rectory from Wednesday Noon through
Sunday. His usual Office Hours are
Wednesday afternoon following the Mid-day Eucharist, Thursday morning,
and for most of the day on Friday and Saturday, by appointment. Michael is available for pastoral conversation
and/or spiritual direction by appointment, or in emergencies, by
phoning the Rectory, Parish Office or his Cell phone (with a
confidential answering system). Please leave a voice-message if you do
not reach him directly! Because of HIPPA
laws, the Parish Office cannot know of a hospitalization unless
informed directly by a family member or friend. Michael wants to bring
the Prayers and Sacraments of the church to hospital and nursing homes
and can only do so with accurate information.
Make a
Difference in Someone’s Life Would you be willing
to spend 1-1/2 hours a week to help students achieve their dreams of
reading, writing and speaking English? If
you are patient, friendly and reliable, we need you.
Literacy Volunteers on the Green offers a Tutor Training
Program to prepare you to work effectively with our students. Tuesday,
March 25, Wednesday, March 26, & Thursday, March 27, 6 to 9pm at
St. John’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 7 Whittlesey Avenue, New
Milford No prior teaching
experience or knowledge of a foreign language is required to become a
tutor, just a willingness and desire to help others improve their
English skills. Call Literacy Volunteers
on the Green at 860-355-0830. |