How many Episcopalians does it take to change a lightbulb? 10! 1 to change the lightbulb,and 9 to talk about how much they liked the old one. It’s true. Episcopalians aren’t keen on change. But we’re hardly alone. Humans, in general, don’t like change when it involves loss – imagined or real; and we especially…
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent… (p 265, Book of Common Prayer) Next Wednesday, the priests presiding at our Ash Wednesday services will say these words as they have been said for centuries in the liturgical branches of the Christian Church. My hope this…
Priests, I think, are not supposed to have favorite scripture passages or liturgical seasons, kind of like you’re not supposed to have a favorite child. But I do. Advent is my favorite season, and the scripture passages we read in Advent are among the ones I treasure most in all of scripture. (There. You’ve heard…
As Fall settles in, we move from a focus on Creation Season at St. John’s (celebrating God’s gift of Creation and God’s call to steward it well), to a season of reflection on other dimensions of stewardship: First, discerning how we might best serve God and neighbor with our time, and our talents, and our…
To mask or not to mask? (This is NOT the only important question.) Since March of 2020 – going on two and a half years now – this has been a major question; but interestingly, I find the current moment the hardest to manage from my position as a decision-maker on these matters for St.…
The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, on March 2. While our staff and other leaders were busy making plans a few weeks ago, someone jokingly asked, “Can’t we just skip Lent this year?! It feels like we’ve been in Lent for two years straight!” To the extent that Lent is about self-denial –…
As I reflect on the last two years of pandemic impacts on our parish life, it’s the impact on our relationships that I most lament. We’ve managed to figure out how to worship online or outdoors when we need to. We’ve come together to serve neighbors in our community, to bless gardens and plant trees,…
This Sunday we will light two candles on the Advent Wreath and hear a voice crying in the wilderness. That voice is the voice of John the Baptist, the patron saint of St. John’s parish. While we don’t hear John’s exact words in Luke, whatever he said and did clearly remind the gospel-writer of Isaiah’s…
I am so pleased and thankful to have Fr. Stephen Mazingo joining our staff part-time as Sr. Associate for Family Ministries at the end of this month. (He’ll be ¼ time through Nov/Dec, then goes ½ time in January.) While some internet issues interrupted our “Meet and Greet” with Stephen this week, those who attended…
Well, we had a brief moment this summer when it seemed life might return to some version of pre-pandemic normal – at least for those who are vaccinated and not seriously immuno-compromised. But sadly, with case numbers rising rapidly once again, that moment appears to be passing. At this point, our diocese has reinstituted an…