Ss. Peter and Paul - Rector's Rambling for June 27, 2021

     This week we celebrate on Tuesday, June 29, the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul.

Technically, on our traditional calendar it is the Feast of St. Peter.  But there is also a great tradition that, on the various dates when St. Peter or St. Paul are commemorated, there is also a collect for the other one of this duo: their deaths, as well as Peter’s Confession that Jesus is Messiah, and Paul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus.

The new calendar commemorates Peter’s Confession and Paul’s Conversion eight days apart in January, and it has become the occasion to pray for the unity of the Church.

There couldn't be two people who are less alike than St. Peter and St. Paul.  Peter was a simple fisherman who was often impulsive, and was as often wrong as he was right in his speaking to and about Jesus.  One minute Jesus is confirming Peter’s Confession by proclaiming him The Rock, and shortly afterwards chiding him for wanting to prevent Jesus from going to Jerusalem to die.

St. Paul, on the other hand, was a more affluent, educated, and cultured man, with religious training as a pharisee whose family had arranged for them to have Roman citizenship.

Yet these two became the great leaders and evangelists for the new Church.  St. Peter is usually considered the Apostle to the Jews because his work was primarily to them, and St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles because of his desire to incorporate them into the new covenant sealed in Jesus’ own blood.  But of course, both men preached to both Jew and Gentile.

They shared in common that they both died for the faith in Rome, and that they had a burning desire to share the Good News that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that he has died and risen for the forgiveness of sin.

 

Latest Covid reopening update - Rectors Rambling for June 20, 2021

     We have now received word from the four dioceses in Michigan that we are entering Phase 3 of the reopening plan, albeit a revised Phase 3.  A year ago a multi-phase plan was issued by the dioceses as to how we might be able to worship together safely in light of the virus that has disrupted society and the church.

However, that original schema has been revised along the way.  The reception of Holy Communion was originally not supposed to happen in the first opening phase, but a committee presented a safe practices way forward to do so based on what other denominations where already doing – several weeks ahead of us.

The Phases would be revised as the science of it all would continue to change and more was discovered to be true or not.  “We are in Phase 1.75 or 2.5” or whatever new plan was revealed.  And of course, we know that as a second spike of infections hit a new phase was developed reducing attendance to 10 people per service, which we did for 17 weeks.

STARTING JULY 1 – Phase 3 includes 1) Masks optional, 2) Social distancing optional, 3) Meetings and gatherings allowed, and 4) Food may be prepared in the kitchen (but no open buffets yet).  For the time being, The Holy Communion will continue to be offered in one kind only, the consecrated host.

Of course, if you are ill or have had close contact exposure with someone who has tested positive with COVID-19, you should absent yourself from public worship, but otherwise, everyone should return to worship at St. John’s so that we can resume our corporate life together.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone back in church!

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Happy Fathers Day to the dads in our congregation, and in thanksgiving for those dads who have gone before us.

 

The Choir is back! - Rector's Rambling for June 13, 2021

       St. Augustine of Hippo is credited with saying “he who sings prays twice”.  The act of singing, he believes, is like double-powered worship, and I like that sentiment.

When we first reopened from the pandemic complete closure we began to sing hymns, even though most places did not out of fear.  Early reports of spread in choir settings were eventually reexamined to see it had less to do with singing and more to do with lack of distancing, hugging, and the sharing of food and water bottles in a close setting.  With the exception of those weeks we were limited to 10 people per service, we have sung hymns at worship, Thanks be to God.

And I want to say that I have been very impressed with our congregational singing!  There is a challenge to singing well together when we are so spread out, and masked, but the people of St. John’s have done a great job of offering to the Lord their double-powered praise.

Unfortunately, what we haven't’ had available for our gatherings for worship has been a choir to help us!  We were able to gather a quintet for Advent, Christmas, and Easter, but the 10-person limit precluded their continuation.  And because of that, most of our professional singers have moved on to paid positions at places that allowed and encouraged it (without any spread of COVID-19).

God willing, from this week forward, we will have at least our summer choir quartets as Dr. Lewis rebuilds our choir program for the fall.  I am so grateful that this is happening!

But let’s remember this important thing – choir or no choir, singing hymns and the Mass setting at worship is for ALL of us to sing.  We have proven we can sing without the choir…let’s sing with even more gusto with them!!!!

 

Corpus Christi - Rector's Rambling for June 6, 2021

     

Thursday Morning Benediction

Before we get too deeply into the long “green” season of Trinitytide (The Sundays after Trinity, until November 28) we have one last HURRAH, in the celebration of Corpus Christi.

Since April 4, we have had Easter and Eastertide, Ascension and Ascensiontide, Whitsunday and Whitsuntide, and last week’s Trinity Sunday.  It is a great period of celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord and all the events the weeks afterward, summed up in the great mystery of the Holy Trinity.

Today is a bit of a throwback to Holy Week, as we celebrate the last Supper of our Lord, Maundy Thursday, moved to today.  It was on that day before our Lord died that He instituted the Sacrament of His own Body and Blood, under the species of the bread and wine of the Passover Meal.  “Do this in remembrance of me” he commanded, and so we do every Sunday and most other days of the week as well.

With all the busy activity of Holy Week, focusing primarily on the Cross and then empty tomb that week, the events of Maundy Thursday get lost in the mix.  So the Church, in her wisdom, appoints yet another opportunity to celebrate this great occasion.  The feast day is technically on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, and the celebration extends to Sunday as well.  And many will remember when we had a grand Thursday Evening celebration of the feast with choir and even one year an orchestra.  Perhaps that can be revived again in thanksgiving for the end of the pandemic and a return to the (new) normal of wide open public worship.

Great hymns today, and a wonderful reminder of why we do what we do every celebration of the Holy Communion.  We give great thanks to Jesus for nourishing us in this Sacrament of His own Body and Blood!