Gesima Season - Rector's Rambling for January 28, 2024

 As we begin a new season, the pre-Lenten season known as the “Gesima” Sundays, I am reminded of the start of a poem by John Betjeman:

Septuagesima – seventy days

To Easter’s primrose tide of praise;

The Gesimas – Septua, Sexa, Quinc
Mean Lent is near, which makes you think.
Septuagesima – when we’re told
To “run the race”, to “keep our hold”,
Eschew injustice, not give in,
And practise stern self-discipline;
A somewhat unattractive time
Which hardly lends itself to rhyme.

We are now making a start toward Lent, hence the appearance of the purple vestments and the disappearance of the “Alleluia”.  And yet, we still have flowers on the altar and weekday Masses are kept in the “color of the day” rather than the strict purple-only of Lenten weekday Masses.  It isn’t quite the heaviness of the full penitential season, but it is a three week reminder that the time is coming, and that you should be thinking of the disciplines you will be taking on, and that which you will be “giving up for Lent”.  Don’t let Ash Wednesday, on February 14, sneak up on you unprepared!

 Today, after the 10:00 AM service, we will hold our Annual Parish Meeting in the Undercroft.  I hope that you will come downstairs for a bite to eat and to stay for the meeting.  Generally, the meeting is less than an hour long and is a wonderful way to stay informed of what is going on around the parish.  We find ourselves overwhelmed with blessings here at St. John’s, and the Annual Parish Meeting is a wonderful way for us to not only give thanks to God for these blessings, but an opportunity to look forward to what God may be calling us to do in the year (and years) ahead.

 

Singing! Yes, sing it! - Rector's Rambling for January 21, 2024

Today is our last Sunday after The Epiphany, a shorter season because of how early Easter is celebrated this year  on March 31.  Next week we are back into the purple for the gesima, pre-Lenten season.  This is the last week we use the word ALLELUIA in worship. 

In the past two weeks, in three separate conversations, I found out something interesting about our congregation.  Apparently there is some confusion about what parts of the service the congregation is supposed to be singing along with the choir!  More! Folks should be singing more!

We have a remarkable choir with men and women who are professional musicians.  Dr. Lewis began his tenure as choirmaster as a grad student at the University of Michigan in 1974, and the additions of our Edwards Organ Scholarship has further enhanced our music program with scholars who contribute with their musical gifts while learning the art of directing a world class choir.   But  choir is not the end all and be all of the music at St. John’s.  The entire congregation should be singing for most of the musical things.

The choir alone sings the minor propers (the chant at the beginning, before the gospel, the offertory sentence, and communion sentence), the Psalm at Holy Communion Services, and the Offertory Anthem.

The CONGREGATION (that’s everyone in the building) should be singing the four hymns AND the four parts of the Mass setting!  The Mass Setting?  Yes, the “Lord have mercy upon us”, the “Holy, Holy, Holy”, the “O Lamb of God” and the “glory be to God on high” - these are technically known as the Kyrie, Sanctus and Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and Gloria in excelsis.  And as you can see in the Order of Service there are hymnal numbers listed to the left of each part for you to open the sing along!  PLEASE SING ALONG!

I am told the priest at a former parish I worked at near Philadelphia used to go out into the congregation during the singing and hand his open hymnal to someone not singing.  Folks said the minute Fr. Lander headed down the steps,  looking around while singing, that people grabbed hymnals and sang louder!

How about we just save me a trip and join in the singing anyway!  4 hymns, the 4 parts of the Mass setting and since you outnumber the choir 5 to 1 or more I should be able to tell from the altar that everyone is joining in in song!

 

Busy January in the neighborhood! - Rector's Rambling for January 14, 2024

     January in Downtown Detroit used to be pretty quiet, without too many events happening in the neighborhood. 

       This has changed, especially with our neighbors the Detroit Lions making the playoffs for the first time since moving back to Detroit, making Ford Field their home two blocks away from St. John’s.         Today is the playoff game, and we are grateful for the team making the playoffs, even if it means being inconvenienced by the crowds heading toward the game as we are leaving from our Sunday Evening Prayer today.  And God willing the combination of a Lions win and a loss by a higher seed means more playoff games here at home.

Withthe addition of the 5:30 PM Evening Prayer Service on Sunday, we have had the opportunity to further engage with those downtown for the events at Comerica Park, Ford Field, Little Caesars Arena, and the Fox Theatre.  Generally the doors are open by 3 PM, if not earlier, for people leaving the 1 PM games, or heading to the evening events.

The poinsettias that were not taken by parishioners after the 10 AM Service were placed in the Church narthex with a sign for people to take one home with them.  What a fun sight to see Lions fans come in to see the church, and a few of them pick up a plant to go as well.  Better than going to waste.  And yes, at the Lions game the week before in Dallas, Decker did report as eligible.  Social media posts with the sign board affirming that went viral on Facebook and X.

After one of these major events, or before one at the theatre or arena, we have 50 people or more people stop in to look, take a picture, and/or slip into a pew for a prayer.  Some come in once Evening Prayer has started and stay for a portion, or sometimes all, of the Service. Copies of this Order of Service are left in the narthex and many people take one and a brochure or two to read about us later.

Out of this has come several people who have become regular about attending worship here, including one who after the Service asked to know more about Jesus Christ.  She was baptised a few weeks later.

A ministry of having an open door.

 

Epiphanytide and New Years Resolutions - Rector's Rambling for January 7, 2024

     After finishing the 12 days of Christmas we began yesterday a new Church season with the celebration of The Epiphany.  Epiphanytide is a season whose length varies from year to year based on when Easter is celebrated (calculated from a lunar formula which results in April 1 for 2018).  This year we get three Sundays in Epiphanytide before we begin the pre-Lenten “-gesima” Sundays.

The emphasis of this short season is the “epiphany” (a moment of sudden revelation or insight.) that God has come to dwell among us, and that Jesus Christ is in fact the second person of the Holy Trinity.  In the case of the story in scripture, it is three wise men, sometimes referred to as three kings or magi, who are not Jews, but realize astronomically that a great potentate has been born, and so they come to pay homage, to worship the newborn king, as depicted above in the Rubens painting.

In the secular world, this is the first Sunday of 2018.  I pray we all have a good year and that we are open to the many blessings that God is showering upon us by His Grace.

By now, about a week into the new year, many well-intentioned resolutions have already fallen by the wayside.  Fear not, because the good news about our having free will is that we can repent and restart at any time (not that breaking a resolution is necessarily a sin).  Although we are confined to time and space, and the “calendar” is a reality, we can at any time make a decision to grow closer to Jesus and allow him to impact our life in a new and/or deeper way.

Need some ideas for some spiritual resolutions?  Here is a helpful list:

1) Attend Holy Communion EVERY Sunday, and on weekdays when possible.  Nothing better then the grace of receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and being obedient in keeping holy the Sabbath by coming to church.

2) Pray EVERY day.  Whether it is the full prayer book daily office, or 10 minutes set aside to talk to God (preferably both), checking in with the Lord we love is vital!

3) Read the Bible EVERY day.

4) Ask Jesus EVERY day how He would have you live.