The Eagle - January 2007

By now, most of you are aware that I have announced that I shall retire on September 9^th. The letters (mine and the Wardens’) sent February 19th announcing this decision are available on the website (www.stjohnswashington.org). I shan’t reprise all that is discussed there, but I would acknowledge with gratitude the kindness and generosity of spirit of those who have spoken or written to me since this information was made public. I am most touched.

On a different matter, I might acknowledge the beginning of Lent last week by noting that it strikes me that it is an entirely human response to seek to moderate the power of the Church's call to keep Lent as a holy and edifying season simply by not allowing ourselves to take it terribly seriously. I have written in this column before that there were a number of years earlier in my life when I thought that it was a fine Lenten discipline to give up Brussels sprouts. Not liking Brussels sprouts much to begin with, I would suggest that such a vow put in perspective, rather clearly, my willingness to avoid attaching great seriousness to Lent.

I think that our unwillingness to take Lent's message terribly seriously is because the truth of the message is neither easy nor without pain. Quite simply put, it says to us that we are imperfect creatures who, over and over again, fail to make decisions in our lives which are in keeping with God's will for us and, hence, find ourselves in mess after mess...hurting ourselves and others. The message goes on to call us, in recognizing such imperfection, also to recognize that, if we are to amend our ways, we are in need of the help and grace of God to do so.

Lent's call then, is not so much to give something up as it is to open oneself to the grace of God...recognizing our need for such grace if we are to come to live in constructive rather than destructive ways.

As, I've said, the message is not an easy one. It demands hard work from us. It also promises that the grace necessary to amend our lives will be provided and that though, during these forty days, we may pass through more then one dark valley as we confront honestly our short comings, the journey will issue in the glorious blaze of new life, new understanding, and new hope which is offered in the Resurrection.

I pray that each of us will, indeed, keep a Holy Lent and that, together, we will make a journey which will upbuild and strengthen our own individual lives and the life of this Parish. A Holy Lent to each of you.

Loaves & Fishes ~ Our day for Loaves & Fishes is Friday, March 16^th. Please sign up for cooking food or delivering it and serving it at Loaves & Fishes. The sign-up sheet is in the Parish House. Please have the pans of food delivered by Noon on the 16^th. Please note: we are needful of volunteers to help with serving on that day. It will not take a great deal of your time, but it will be a tremendous help at the Soup Kitchen.

Mite Box Sunday ~ On Easter Sunday, April 8^th, during the 10.00 am service, the children of the Church School are invited to be in Church with their families as part of the Easter Liturgy. They will present their Mite Boxes during this service. They will receive these boxes beginning the first Sunday in Lent and will put an offering in them during the course of this season. The gifts will be collected and sent to an organization chosen by the children that assists those in need. It is a wonderful thing which the young people do in this regard, and we urge all of you to congratulate them on their efforts.

Easter Flowers ~ Available in the Church Office is a form on which you can request that individuals be remembered at Easter in the service leaflet for the Easter Sunday services. An envelope is provided for this purpose (and in which you can also make a contribution to help with the Easter Flowers which will decorate the Church). There is another envelope in which to make a Special Easter Offering if you so desire. Please return the completed form and envelopes in the collection basin or to the Office no later than 9.30am on Monday, April 2^nd.

Adult Forum News~ During March and April, the Adult Forum offer a number of provocative, informative, and delightful opportunities for you to deepen you understanding of various aspects if the Faith…its role in our lives, in history, and in the wider world. On March 11^th and 18^th the “Speaking of Faith” Discussion Group (introduced last month under the leadership of Mary Schinke and Joan Beattie) will engage with “Diplomacy and Religion in the 21^st Century”. On March 25^th and April 2^nd the Forum will be lead by The Revd Dr Randall Balmer. The schedule for Father Balmer’s two addresses is as follows:

Then, on April 22^nd and 29^th, the Forum will return to the “Speaking of Faith” Discussion Group on the subject of “The Religious Roots of American Democracy” Full details will come to you in next month’s Eagle.

We hope very much that you will not fail to take advantage of these remarkable gifts in the life of this parish. Mary, Joan, and Randall are most incredibly generous in offering their time in this manner. It would be a shame to take them forgranted. The Forum meets from 9.00am to 9.50am in the Parish House Library. Coffee is available.

While Holy Week is still a bit in the future, we thought it might be useful for you to have the following schedule

Services of Holy Week

Maundy Thursday ~ On Maundy Thursday, the service will take place with Communion and the Stripping of the Altar at 7:30 p.m. Following the Service, the Vigil before the Reserved Sacrament will begin at 10:00 p.m. As you recall from previous years’ discussion of the Vigil, the Tabernacle which stands in the corner of the Chapel contains the Reserved Sacrament…communion hosts consecrated at previous Eucharists and used with each Eucharist that takes place at Saint John’s in a literal and figurative commingling of all that has gone before with all that is happening immediately. The presence of this Sacrament, the body of Christ, is marked by the light which burns over the Tabernacle signifying the presence of Christ in our midst. This light is known as the Light of the Presence. During the hours of this particular night, which remembers our Lord’s betrayal, trial, and eventual murder, it is customary in many places throughout the Church for members of the congregation to keep watch in the Chapel by the Reserved Sacrament. This watching with Christ is, for many, a most powerful moment in the course of the year…one of silence, reflection, and prayer on the oft times painful realities of the human journey. The idea is that members of the Parish sign up for one hour “shifts” of keeping watch in the Chapel. It is perfectly reasonable to have more than one person in the Chapel at any one time, and we hope a response of such a magnitude might well be the case. Feel free to sign-up on the sheet provided at Sunday Services beginning later this month, call the Office, or simply to come to the Chapel during the hours of the Vigil. If you have any questions about this please feel free to give the Rector a call (868-2527).

Good Friday Services ~ On Good Friday, the service at Saint John’s will take place from Noon until 1:30. We will be using the liturgy from the Prayer Book for Good Friday allowing Communion to be received from the Reserved Sacrament. The Choir will be present for this service. We hope that you will mark your calendar now to be at Saint John’s for the full 1 l/2 hours from Noon until 1:30 p.m. to mark the hours of our Lord’s passion and death and to share with him in this time of anguish.

Easter Eve ~ There will be traditional Easter Vigils at Saint Michael’s Church, Litchfield at 7.30 p.m. and at Trinity Church, Torrington at 8.00pm. All members of Saint John’s are most cordially invited to either of these Services.

Easter Day Services ~ On Easter Day, services at Saint John’s will take place at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. the Eucharist will be celebrated with hymns and, at 10:00 a.m., the Eucharist will be a most festive celebration with music and an egg hunt afterwards. Please note that, at the 10:00 a.m. service, families are invited to bring their children. There is no Church School that day. There will be some snacks and juice set out in the Undercroft in case parents have a child who becomes very unhappy, and they would like to take them down stairs for a “break” for a few moments. Otherwise, it is our belief, on this day of days, the entire Parish Family ought to be together to mark the greatest gift we know as Christians.

5^th– 8^th Grade Group ~ This group has been meeting with Bett Alter on a regular basis during this year and seems to be developing into a sound and worthwhile undertaking on the part of Saint John’s. During March this group will meet on the 25^th at 10.00am in the Parish House Library. Refreshments will be served.

Music Notes ~ Of my time at Saint John’s thus far, I shall always remember February 2007 as the month during which, for five peculiar days, Andrew and I attempted to 'run' things in the church office. As most of you know, our ultra capable parish administrator, Maureen, has been out for several weeks recovering from surgery, and Bob, during the time in question, was fulfilling his annual commitment as one of the evaluators for the General Ordination Examinations down in the wilds of Baltimore. I refer to those five days as peculiar and so they were. But the most peculiar portions of that week were the ones during which even Andrew was out of the building, leaving me adrift. At least Andrew knows a thing or two about the way the office runs, whereas I, unless the issue at hand pertains directly to the music program, am pretty hopeless.

It would be impossible to say just how many telephone conversations took place during that memorable week along the following lines, but I'm ashamed to admit there were several.

(Caller:) Oh, hello. Would your church be interested in purchasing a brand new combination printer, folder, shredder, coffee maker?

(Caller:) Oh, hello. I live in Washington and my finacé lives in Honolulu. We were wondering if we could be married at Saint John's via closed circuit TV.

(Caller:) Oh, hello. Can you tell me if the stained glass window in the Chapel at St. John's was installed when the church was built, or was it put in later?

Suffice it to say that I was extremely pleased to see Bob out walking Patch that Friday evening.

But wait a minute, you say. The word 'music' has been mentioned only once thus far in an article calling venturing to call itself Music Notes. What gives? My apologies for the above rambling, especially as there definitely a couple of music-related items to bring to your attention.

The month of March will contain nearly two Evensongs. I say 'nearly' because the second one is in actual fact on the first of April. But what's twenty-four hours amongst friends? The first of these, on the 4th of March, will be in observance of the season of Lent. The second, on the 1st of April - Palm Sunday, will feature as an extended anthem John Stainer's beloved sacred meditation The Crufixion. Many of you will recall that we offered this work on Palm Sunday last season, and the response from the congregation was so profoundly overwhelming that we've decided to do it again this year. All of us in the choir most sincerely hope that you will plan to attend both of these services, and that they will enrich your experience of the Lenten Season as you prepare for the glories of Easter.

And finally, some personal, deeply heartfelt words of tribute, gratitude, and friendship to Dick Hayward who after many years of devotion and valuable contribution to the choir has decided to step aside from his long standing membership and to become a 'bloke in the pew'. This must have been a very tough decision on Dick's part, and one which a man of lesser perception and integrity might never have made. His support, musicianship, experience, and humor have been personally treasured by me since the day of my arrival at Saint John's. We shall sorely miss his rich basso in the choral mix. I look forward to hearing his observations from the other side of the transept in the weeks and months to come.