Piety Hill Musings

A 'tweener' Sunday at St. John's - Rector's Rambling, May 12, 2013

2013-05-13T12:52:00.002-04:00

This Sunday is a “tween-er”, a day in between two major feasts.

Last Thursday we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension, our Lord returning into heaven and into the Godhead of the Triune Deity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Next Sunday we celebrate Whitsunday, also known as Pentecost Sunday. It is on that day that we are celebrate the gift of the Holy Ghost to empower the Church for the work of the ministry that she has been entrusted to in the world.

It is on this in between Sunday at we are celebrating a “secular” holiday, Mother’s Day, as well as our bi-annual United Thank Offering.

The United Thank Offering is a long-standing tradition of the Episcopal Church Women, of which our St. Catherine’s Guild is a member. As is noted on the Episcopal Church’s Web site, “United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through United Thank Offering, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. United Thank Offering is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and in invited Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world.”

And, of course, Mother’s Day is important because we give thanks for the ministry of mothers. It is a ministry because it is of God, and to His greater honor and glory. The Service of Holy Matrimony prays for “the gift and heritage of children; and grant that they may see their children brought up in thy faith and fear, to the honour and glory of thy Name” and it is through this ministry of Motherhood that children are cared for and nurtured.

May God bless all mothers, living and deceased, for their love and good work!

A Rogation Parade - Rector's Rambling, May 5, 2013

2013-05-06T16:23:00.002-04:00

Nothing like a parade to celebrate an occasion! That is certainly the world’s attitude. Here at St. John’s we are not strangers to secular parades. The Thanksgiving Day parade passes our building every year, and we make a great celebration of it by having pancake breakfasts, selling donuts and hot chocolate, and offering a ministry of hospitality by opening the doors to all. In my time here, we have also been witness to two Red Wings’ Stanley Cup parades, for which we have also had our ministry of hospitality.

In the church, we have processions, which are like a type of parade. The Litany is sung in procession in Lent. On Palm Sunday, we have a procession around the church in honor of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On Corpus Christi we have a very grand Eucharistic Procession. And of course, every Sunday we have a procession into and out of the sanctuary by the altar party, servers, and choir.

Today we have another big “parade”. We celebrate Rogation Sunday today and one great tradition is to “bless the bounds” of the parish. A hold over from agricultural days, the origin of this feast is to bless the fields in anticipation of our Lord’s most gracious provision for his people in nurturing the growth of the crops in the coming season. Blessing the bounds is one way to take the holiness from within the church building and publicly display and disperse that blessing within the community and neighboring farms.

Having a parade around the boundary of the “parish”, which was a geographic system of church membership, would be hard to do since our membership is spread from as far afield as Ann Arbor, Algonac, and Pontiac. That would be one long parade! But we will have a procession around the outside of the building as a symbolic offering, as well as a public witness!

The Christian Faith is a pilgrimage towards our heavenly home. We are (should be) moving forward in faithfulness and love. A procession is a wonderful reminder, a prayer in motion, of our active, living faith that Jesus Christ is Lord.

A month of Feasts! - Rector's Rambling, April 28, 2013

2013-05-06T16:21:00.002-04:00

This week we close out April and begin the month of May on Wednesday. Because of the early date for Easter this year, May is chock full of important Feasts to be celebrated.

Next Sunday we will begin the four-day celebration of the Rogation, praying God’s blessing on the planting of crops (and by modern extension on commerce and industry). This begins with the outdoor procession while singing the Litany Hymn at the beginning of the 10:00 AM service.

On Thursday, May 9th, we celebrate the 40th day of Easter with the celebration of The Feast of The Ascension (see Acts 1:6–11).

Just as the Apostles and other disciples spent the nine days after Jesus’ Ascension in prayer, so too we will keep a nine-day prayer vigil (a Novena) to the Holy Ghost in preparation for Whitsunday, also known as Pentecost Sunday. Then on Sunday, May 19th, we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Ghost descending upon the Church and empowering her to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ.

A week later we celebrate that great sublime mystery of the faith of One God in three persons with Trinity Sunday. Yes, this is the day that we do that LONG Creed of St. Athanasius! It also is the day, this year, of our Tiger Baseball Outing!

Four short days later, on Thursday, May 30th, we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi. This is one of the grander liturgies we have at St. John’s, as we pull out all the stops and celebrate the great gift of Jesus giving Himself to us under the species of bread and wine in the Blessed Sacrament. You will want to invite your friends and family to come on this evening to hear the choir and to worship with us.

In addition to these major feasts we will celebrate such weekday feasts as the ember days, Ss. Augustine of Hippo and Monnica, Bl. Jackson Kemper (who preached here at St. John’s), St. Boniface, St. Augustine of Canterbury, and the Venerable Bede.

Overarching these greater and lesser feast days is that May is dedicated to the honor of St. Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Plenty to celebrate… be sure to be present and active at St. John’s in the month of May!

St. George and Heraldry - Rector's Rambling - April 21, 2013

2013-04-18T12:50:00.003-04:00

This week The Church of England celebrates the Feast of St. George, and he has recently been added to our calendar as well. St. George is the patron saint of England, and more information on him can be found in the Teaching Notes on page 4.

One connection between the Church of England, St. George, and the Episcopal Church has to do with our heraldry. The flag and shield of the Episcopal Church were designed to incorporate elements of the English and Scottish Churches.

After the American Revolution the Church of England in the United States found itself separated from England, and without bishops. The clergy and parishes that remained after the war banded together by colony (now states) and formed associations which then met in a national convention to develop a form of governance not dependent upon the English monarchy (who appointed Bishops, and to whom the clergy swore an oath of allegiance at their ordination).

Although connected theologically to the Church of England worship and prayer book, it took some time to convince the Church of England to make bishops for the new church in their former colony. The Scottish Episcopal Church gave us our first bishop, and then England followed soon after.

The Cross of St. George is the Red Cross found on our flag. It is the National Flag of England, introduced by Richard I in 1194.

The Scottish Flag has the Cross of St. Andrew, their patron. This is the blue field on the Episcopal Church flag. However, a change was made, with the white cross being comprised of nine small crosses, representing each of the original dioceses of the Episcopal Church.

English, Scottish, but more importantly Catholic and Apostolic – your Episcopal Church.

Connected from the past - Rector's Rambling - April 14, 2013

2013-04-15T12:33:00.002-04:00

St. John’s is a special place in many different ways: music, liturgy, and people. One interesting thing about St. John’s (which I suppose might be true in many other parishes) is the sense of connectedness people feel to the parish, even though they are far away. In my 12+ years here many people have moved out of state for employment and to be close to extended family, yet continue to stay in contact with the parish. This is easier now than 20 years ago with things like the Web site and iTunes to hear sermons, YouTube to peek into the parish worship, and the interconnectedness of Facebook and Twitter.

This past Tuesday I buried a woman who began attending St. John’s in 1931 when she was 17 years old. Doris McCormack had suffered the loss of both her parents, her mother in 1926, her father in 1931. While on a train to Michigan the grandmother she was going to live with passed away. She moved in with her aunt Mabel Hall Dewar, who raised her, and cared for her, and in turn Doris cared for Mabel in her senior years. Mabel passed away in 1958 and was buried from St. John’s in the mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery and Doris moved outstate, and then eventually to Arizona.

According to Doris’ daughter Janet Tawakalna, Doris always spoke of Mabel’s interment and that Mabel had purchased a space for her, but the location was lost to family history. Doris passed away in 2004 at the age of 90 and was cremated, and it took Jan five years to discover, through a Google search, that Mabel had been buried from St. John’s. She was listed in our weekly Chronicle as a “year’s mind” of death, and our burial register confirmed the burial in Woodlawn. It took four more years to clear the title for the right for Doris’ cremated remains to be put in her final resting place. And of course it is the ministry of this parish and a great honor to bury the dead, even those who have been far way for over 50 years.

Rest eternal grant to Doris and Mabel, and may light perpetual shine upon them.

The Saints and St. John's - Rector's Rambling - April 7, 2013

2013-04-08T11:44:00.001-04:00

After the grand celebration of Easter Day last week this Sunday’s celebration will not be as fancy. No brass accompaniment, and the choir is not at full strength this week either. And as I write this I am assuming we will not have quite as many in the pews today as we did last week. But remember that Easter is a SEASON, not just a day. We celebrate for 40 days, until the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday, May 9th. So be sure to keep greeting one another with “Alleluia, Christ is Risen!” “The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!”

This past week, on April 2nd, the Church celebrated the Feast of Blessed James Lloyd Breck. This is of particular interest to us since he preached here at St. John’s Church on Easter Day in 1864.

St. John’s was an early parish of the Oxford Movement, to restore the sacramental, catholic nature of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. Jackson Kemper, missionary bishop of the Midwest and founder of Nashotah House, preached at St. John’s several times, including to consecrate his successor, our first Rector. Breck was the first Dean of Nashotah House and missionary to Minnesota and California. When Bishop Armitage died, his successor, James DeKoven, had his election nullified by the other national church dioceses because of his now common understanding of the nature of the Church. Kemper, Breck, and DeKoven all preached here at St. John’s and are all on the Episcopal Church’s calendar of commemorations.

So there may not be as many in the pews this week as last, but we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses past and present!

"Yipee!!! - Rector's Rambling - March 31, 2013

2013-04-08T11:07:00.002-04:00

Yippee!!!

I remember as a young child hearing my parish priest proclaim “Yippee!!!”, followed by an equally enthusiastic “Hurray!!!” during a sermon on a Sunday morning. I was an acolyte that morning, and was able to see the surprise on the faces of the congregation as he made this proclamation. How out of place it seemed.

After a pause, Fr. Johnson let us know, that what he was doing was expressing his enthusiasm as the people of Israel would have done, and the early church as well. Of course, what he was doing was translating for us the word “ALLELUIA”.

This morning we start the liturgy with what is known as the Proclamation of the Resurrection. From the earliest times the Church would begin her Easter celebration with the phrase “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” to which the congregation would respond, “The Lord (He) is Risen indeed, Alleluia”. It is the foundation of our faith, belief that in fact Jesus Christ has conquered death and though dead is now alive.

“Yippee” and “Hurray” may sound a bit foolish to us, but they sum up nicely, I think, the enthusiasm of the first disciples, once the news had time to sink in, that Jesus Christ is Risen. And placing it at the beginning of the Easter Liturgy is a wonderful way to kick-off our celebration.

And it isn’t just a one day proclamation. Over the next 40 days we are in “Eastertide”, a full season of celebration. And like the early Christians we can greet each other with a hearty, “Alleluia, Christ is Risen!” to which we then respond, “He is Risen indeed! Alleluia”.

Death is conquered, the price of sin is paid for, and we have new life in Jesus Christ.
Yippee! Hurray! Alleluia!

Rector's Rambling on Palm Sunday - March 24, 2013

2013-03-20T12:09:00.002-04:00

Since the beginning of the year we have had more funerals than we generally have in an entire year. Active parishioners, as well as those whose failing health has not permitted them to be regular about church attendance, have gone home to be with their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Several of those funerals have included, at the cemetery, the playing of taps as a part of military honors and remembrance. Even those family members and friends who have been quite stoic in not showing emotion at the service at St. John’s or at the beginning of the prayers at the cemetery, find themselves moved most powerfully as those mournful notes sounding from a distance. There is something in that simple tune that touches hearts.

This Sunday we run the gamut of emotions in one service. We start with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for the Liturgy of the Palms, and then we hear about the trial, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ during the celebration of the Holy Communion. We go from joyful acclamation to sorrowful suffering and loss.

We have the grace of hindsight to know that this would not be the end of Jesus, but rather it is the way in which he pays the price of our sin and conquers death through his resurrection. Today the story is couched in glorious worship and celebration.

But I want to commend to you two things. First, take some time to read today’s gospel lesson alone, at home, and really meditate on the price Jesus paid for us. Secondly, come to the Good Friday service and spend 3 hours with him as we meditate liturgically on his sacrifice.

There are several hymns on Good Friday which, like Taps, evoke such strong emotion. And they should. JESUS DIED FOR US. Let us this week enter fully into that mystery, so that we can even more fully embrace the joy of his resurrection on the third day.

Veiling of Crosses - Rector's Rambling, March 17, 2013

2013-03-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

As you may have noticed, the crosses on the altars and around the church are now veiled. Although most Episcopal churches follow the modern Roman Catholic form for veiling the crosses on all the Sundays of Lent, we keep to the old tradition of doing so from Passion Sunday onwards. Dr. Taylor Marshall, a former Episcopal priest writes on his blog Canterbury Tales, “In the old days, Passion Sunday (5th Sunday) ‘ramped up’ the Lenten season. Passion Sunday (also called Judica Sunday from the opening Introit) is the traditional day for veiling the crucifixes and statues in the churches. The practice allegedly derives from Bavaria (though I’d love for someone more knowledgeable to shed light on the origin of this custom). The crosses and images remain veiled and add to the dramatic effect of the Paschal Vigil when they are unveiled for the glory and wonder of our Lord’s resurrection. The famous medieval triptychs that opened and closed were constructed for the purpose of closing them for this season.”

Today of course is also St. Patrick’s Day. We will certainly celebrate the occasion with our Corned Beef Luncheon in his honor. Although the day has become a secular celebration of all things Irish, we remember that St. Patrick was about JESUS, and the conversion of the Irish to the faith, for which we give thanks!

Since Sundays in Lent take precedence over other Feast Days, we will move the commemoration to Wednesday, March 20 at the 12:15 Holy Communion Service (Tuesday being the Feast of St. Joseph).

Rector's Rambling - March 3, 2013 - Transition Month

2013-03-01T13:28:00.003-05:00

March is a transition month; winter transitions into spring, the regular college sports seasons transition into tournaments (March Madness). And so too the month of March, at least this year, will be full of transitions for the Church. This week we have the 3rd Sunday in Lent – a regular Lenten Sunday. Next Sunday we transition to Rose or Lætáre Sunday when the vestments and hangings lighten up and flowers make an appearance on the altars. The following Sunday we transition back to the deeper purple, the crosses are veiled, and we enter Passiontide (the last two weeks of Lent). The next transition is to Palm Sunday and then the wonders of Holy Week, The Sacrum Triduum (three holy days) and ultimately the Feast of the Resurrection. This year all this falls in the month of March.

NOW is the time to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join us. Get them in the door for the glorious worship as we transition through Lent to Easter. We will advertise and send mailings, but the best way to get people to come to St. John’s is by personal invitation, and praying for the person before and after the invitation (even if the answer is no for now).

Easter is just four weeks away! Let us get on to the mission of being the Church by knowing Christ and making Him known. We do the first by praying, studying, and worshipping. One way we do the second half is to invite others to join us here to worship and be informed about the good news of the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.

"Private" Prayer

2013-03-01T13:26:00.002-05:00

“Private” Prayer and Meditation

Last week we gave instructions about how to pray the Holy Communion Service, and in the past how to pray the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer. Today we will talk about “private” prayer and meditation.

Although it is called “private” prayer, because we do it alone, in fact no prayer is “private”. All prayer is joined together with other’s prayers for the same intentions. God hears each prayer individually, yet we know that even if we are kneeling down at the side of our bed or sitting quietly in a chair in our living room, those prayers are being joined to the great assembly of saints on earth and in heaven.

Fr. Martin Thornton, the late great writer about English Spirituality, said that our prayer lives have to be Trinitarian in nature. In other words, it has to be balanced and equal, just as the Persons of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) are equal. He even assigns a Person of the Trinity to each type of prayer.

The Daily Office is like God the Father, with its great orderliness. The Holy Communion is Jesus Christ Himself. And Private Prayer is the Holy Ghost – giving some freedom and empowering that freedom in prayer to be directed to the Father, through the Son.

If we are “All Daily Office” at the expense of the other two, we risk becoming rigid or stale in our prayer life. If we are “All Holy Communion” we risk missing out on the bigger picture of what Jesus’ saving act was for. If we are “All Personal Prayer” we risk become too self-centered and self-indulgent in our prayer life, just as a charismatic who is only concentrated on the Holy Ghost is apt to be lead off on tangents that lead to personal regard for some, and rejection of other Church doctrines.

There are many types of prayer that many Western Christians have felt helpful. But best of all is to just start praying by speaking to our Heavenly Father as you would someone who loves you. After all – He does!

My 12th Anniversary at St. John's!

2013-02-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Twelve years ago this week I arrived as the Rector of St. John’s Church here in Detroit. I consider it to have been a great privilege and a great grace to baptize 119 adults and children, present 105 people for confirmation or reception, solemnize 64 marriages, and officiate at the burial rites for 68 people.

For those who have not heard the story of my being called, I will share it here. I was the Rector of a parish in a small town 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Having felt that perhaps I was finished there, God provided, through the recommendation of David and Sharon Schafer, the opportunity to apply for the position of rector at St. John’s. They were long-time friends of my family and Dave worked with my father.

Fr. Richard Kim had retired in 1997 and the parish had been without a rector since then. The Diocese, under a previous administration, was not keen on the election of a new traditional 1928 Prayer Book priest, and worked to prolong the search process. But the combination of the institution of a new Bishop and staff, and the determined work of the vestry and search committee, accelerated the process so that I was able to interview the week after Thanksgiving in 2000.

Generally, a candidate for rector only meets the search committee members, but a part of my interview included a dinner with the committee, vestry, and spouses and families!

After accepting the call in January, during a phone call with Fr. Bedford (who was holding down the fort), I discovered that during the interview process I had never asked what Sunday attendance was, or to see the budget. God had put blinders on me to prevent me from asking those two questions. Little did I know that at that dinner in November I had meet just about everyone in the parish, and that the average Sunday attendance was less than 50! I think I might have hesitated if I had known that during the interview process. God did a good job of focusing me on coming here!

I thank God every day for the privilege of being the rector at St. John’s. Hard to imagine it has been 12 years! Tempus fugit – time flies! St. John’s has so many wonderful people, and her future is certainly bright, all by His Grace!

Praying the Holy Communion Service

2013-02-22T15:26:00.002-05:00

With our glorious choir at the 10:00 AM service, and the many things that take place up at the altar, it is easy to slip into “passive-parishioner” mode during the celebration of the Holy Communion. Yet we are called to worship, not just sit and watch. After all, liturgy is “the work of the people”, and it is how we as a body glorify God.

Just as each part of our body has different jobs, so too there are many and various “jobs” at our Divine Liturgy. The Priest plays a sacerdotal role (priestly sacramental role) as he leads the liturgy, invoking the Lord’s presence, (especially at the altar during the Eucharistic Canon), offering our common prayers, and granting God’s absolution and blessing. The Assisting Priests, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and Acolytes do their part in helping to lead the liturgy, or to help others in their rolls. The Altar Guild is active before and after with their duties, and the ushers have their assigned duties to help things go smoothly.

The Choir has an obvious roll in leading and presenting music, which is an offering of praise and prayer. But let me remind you that everyone is expected to join in the singing of hymns and canticles! This is one area where the whole body must join in, no matter what part of the liturgy they are fulfilling. The Congregation should be able to drown out the Choir on most hymns – outnumbering them 8 to 1! In addition, the hymns are great teaching tools; reading the texts through before the service is a good preparatory meditation. Also, you should follow the text printed in the bulletin as the Choir sings the anthem and Minor Propers.

Those in the pews, in addition to hearty singing, should be following the liturgy in the Prayer Book to keep their minds alert. We should be responding with joyous (and audible) “Amen” and “And with thy Spirit”. We should also be, in our hearts, adding our own intentions (prayer requests) and thanksgivings during the Prayer for the Whole State of Christ’s Church and the Eucharistic Canon. And of course, we should be actively listening during the readings and the sermon.

Although the 8:00 AM Sunday, and Weekday services are without music, parishioners still actively participate in the worship with their prayers and responses.

The Observance of an Holy Lent

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1. Fasting - The weekdays of Lent are fast days, meaning that the amount of food is reduced. A good (if modern) suggestion is no snacks, no seconds, no desserts, and no alcohol. If you don’t normally eat snacks or drink, you may consider giving up some favorite food. The idea is to undertake something sacrificial, yet not overwhelming. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are strict fast days: one full meal in the evening, a very light one in the afternoon and for some nothing before 3pm. Those who are ill, elderly, pregnant or nursing are excused from this discipline. (Page li, 1928 B.C.P.)

2. Abstinence - Abstaining from flesh meat on Fridays (as required by the Prayer Book) is a common discipline for Lent. An ancient custom is to abstain from flesh meat on Wednesdays as well as Fridays. Flesh meat includes all meat except fish. Going vegetarian these days is also an option. (Page li, 1928 B.C.P.)

3. Holy Communion - Lent is a good time to add a weekday Service to your usual Sunday attendance. Weekday Services are about 30 minutes and are of a rather more intimate and quiet nature than those on Sunday. The Wednesday Service also includes the Sacrament of Healing (Holy Unction).

4. Daily Office - If you do not now read Morning and/or Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book, Lent is a good time to begin doing so. It takes some effort and discipline to get the habit established, but once accomplished, it can bear great fruit in your spiritual life. Each Office takes 10-15 minutes a day. Ask the Clergy if you need help in how to do it.

5. Spiritual Reading - An ancient custom is to take a spiritual book for regular reading during Lent. This can be a book on the Scriptures, or one of the spiritual classics. Many are available in the parish library, and the clergy would be happy to make suggestions as well.

6. Confession - A sacramental confession, in private to a priest, is not only an opportunity for a thorough self-examination, but also a powerful weapon against the temptations which come our way in Lent. The Parish Clergy are available for this sacrament, as are other priests in the area. Although the Anglican Communion does not require Sacramental Confession, it is permitted, and helpful. More individuals should take advantage of this sacrament.

7. Self-Denial - You may want to give up some special pleasure or recreation for Lent (smoking, sweets, television), and perhaps give what you would have spent on it to charity. This can be done in conjunction with other practices: if, for example, you give up an hour of TV every day, you might use it to read Evening Prayer and some Scripture.

8. Service - As well as “giving up” something in Lent, some wish to “take on” some special service, such as visiting a shut-in parishioner, volunteering at a hospital or nursing home, running errands for an elderly neighbor, or some special project at the church or in the community.

9. Scripture Reading - Delving into the Word of God is never out of season. Lent is a good time to establish (or re-establish) the discipline of a daily time of Scripture reading at home. Using the lectionary (the appointed readings) for the daily office is a good starting point.

10. Educational Opportunities

Take the opportunity in Lent to join the Adult Ed. Class on Sundays at 9:05am or look for a local bible study to join.

11. Corporate Special Devotions - There are numerous opportunities for your spiritual growth throughout Lent. In addition to Communion and Daily Offices, on Thursdays we have Adoration and Benediction, and on Fridays at noon the parish will gather at the Church for Stations of the Cross following Mass.

12. Evangelism - Lent is a good time to renew ones commitment to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with friends and neighbors, and to invite them to worship with us here at St. John’s.

Brochure originally written by the late Ann Marie Shuster,

and revised periodically by Fr. Steven J. Kelly.

Rector's Report to the 2013 Annual Parish Meeting

2013-02-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

Having entered February, I am completing my 12^th year as the Rector of St. John’s. It has certainly been an interesting dozen years. Looking back, God has certainly blessed this parish in that time frame. He did an amazing thing during the search process in November and December of 2000; I interviewed, was offered, and accepted the position and had NO IDEA that average Sunday attendance was only 45 people (including paid choristers)! I had never asked about attendance, or to see a budget during the search process. Having accepted the position without those two bits of information, I came here on faith that God would provide, and He has.

In these 12 years at St. John’s we have been involved in many exciting things. We have seen the opening of Ford Field (Comerica Park opened the year before I arrived) and now we hear of planning for a Detroit Red Wings arena in the neighborhood in the near future. New housing started (but has slowed now) and prime studio/loft apartments have recently become a premium commodity. We have hosted in our parking lot concerts and a portion of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game fan fest. We were the feeding site for the police department for the Super Bowl being played a block away. We’ve hosted movie crews, alternative spring breaks, and meetings and gatherings of all sorts. We even hosted a diocesan convention! In these 12 years I have had the great privilege to perform 85 baptisms, present 88 people for Confirmation or Reception, officiate at 58 weddings and 58 burials. All of these are a great grace.

This past year has also been highlighted by many blessings: new parishioners of all ages, a large class of Confirmands, and of the 10 baptisms several were adult decisions for Christ. Many Sundays the nursery has more than a dozen children in it, and at coffee hour more than a dozen teens spend time together. My many hospital visits this year witness to the healing prayers of the parish, as well as the presence of our Lord in times of suffering and death. These are some of the many positive signs of a healthy parish.

Of the 12 years I have been here this has been one of my toughest. I have been frustrated by slipping attendance. If all those who came to St. John’s once a month all showed up on the same Sunday we would have about 200 people in the pews. If we added another batch of even less occasional attendees, we would have nearly 250. Instead our Average Sunday Attendance has slipped to 174 from 190 last year (which included Christmas in the Sunday count). I can’t stress more strongly that weekly attendance at worship is the MINIMUM expectation of members of the body of Christ. I do understand that occasional things come up like travel and sickness. But where are our priorities if we miss church more than we attend?

Combined with falling attendance has been growing concern over the finances of the parish. Pay and staffing cuts have been enacted by the Vestry for the last few months of 2012, and for the coming year. Although we have used to smallest amount of money from endowment funds in over 40 years there is concern that it needs to not be used at all for a period of time, and the budget presented to you for 2013 reflects that desire. Parking and other outside income continues to play a part in supporting the parish, but parishioner contributions are vital! What is known as “Pledge and Plate”, what we collect from members, is the largest part of our budgeted income. This is something that we can directly influence by 1) giving more ourselves, 2) encouraging regular attendance by those who consider themselves members and therefore will also contribute, and 3) incorporating new people into our membership who will also contribute!

We have a choice to make today about how you see St. John’s. Is the glass half-full, or half-empty? A negative, defeatist attitude will assure that St. John’s will fail. St. John’s will thrive if those who consider St. John’s worthy of their support positively contribute to her success! That support comes through your attendance at worship, your financial support, and you inviting people to join us here to the greater glory of God. Have an idea for growth? Then help to implement it! Have an idea for a ministry? Put your hand up and get it started! Have an idea for fundraising? Do the research, present a plan and volunteer to lead it! Experts point out that every organization has a small percentage of people who do the overwhelming majority of the work, and financial support. We can do better.

Thankfully those 45 people who were here in February 2001 felt that St. John’s was worth it and believed it could grow and thrive, and so did I. I still do, and I have to believe the overwhelming majority of the parishioners here feel the same way. Let’s pray (always first) and work (with positive grateful hearts) to make this a year of growth in all things because God wills it.

See you in Church!

Rector's Rambling - February 10, 2013

2013-02-08T14:56:00.002-05:00

Today we have two things of particular note.

First, we celebrate Quinquagesima Sunday which means this is our last Sunday before Lent begins on Wednesday. This means we should be thinking about those things we are “giving up” for Lent, as well as those things that we are taking on as well. By that I mean, not only should we chose something to give up as a discipline (like not having coffee, or chocolate, for Lent), but also make a decision to take on an additional devotion and discipline, such as attending a weekday service, Adult Education, or praying Morning and/or Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book every day.

We “give up things for Lent” for several reasons. First, it teaches us that we can live without some of the little pleasures. We are not talking about sinful things (if it is sinful it should be given up, Lent or not!), but some thing that we give it up as a reminder that we don’t need it and can live without “things”. But also, we need to remember that we are not animals, slaves to our passions and impulses. As an Orthodox priest friend of mine once said of his young son, “If he can’t learn to say ‘no’ to the temptation of a candy bar now, how will he learn how to say ‘no’ to harder temptations in his teens and beyond?”

We also “take on” things in Lent, such as extra prayers, worship services, and even service to others, not because the works earn our way into heaven! We do them because they help us to focus and be prepared and open, spiritually and psychologically, for the good that God is seeking to give to us.

The other thing to note is that we have our Annual Parish Meeting today after the 10:00 AM service. Called to order back on January 27th and recessed until today, we will have lunch, election of new members of the Vestry, financial reports, and reports from various ministries and parish organizations. Be sure to attend to be informed of all that is going on in the parish as well as being informed about our financial position.

St. Blase - Teaching note for 2/3/13

2013-01-28T13:38:00.001-05:00

St. Blase

Today we commemorate one of my favorite saints days - the Feast of St. Blase. Yes, this is the saint where we have the Blessing of Throats. We will bless throats after the 8am and 10am Mass in the Chapel. Below is some information to let you know about him, and about the custom of blessing throats. Why is he a favorite? Perhaps it is the fond memories of being bundled up as a kid and brought to Church for a special weekday service in February to have my throat blessed - it made a deep impression on me!
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St. Blase is venerated as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; which same are certain Saints reputed to have a special power of intercession in heaven on behalf of those in peril or suffering on earth. According to the common tradition, they were all martyrs, except St. Giles. The Seven Holy Helpers are Acaius (against False Accusations), Barbara (Fire and Lightning), Blase (Ailments of the Throat), Catherine of Alexandria (learned peoples), Christopher (travelers), Cyriacus (for Clergy), Denys (mental illness), Erasmus (intestinal problems), Eustace (hunters and those with dangerous jobs), George (soldiers), Giles (good workmen, beggars and cripples), Margaret (the fearful), Pantaleon (those who care for the sick), and Vitus (limb infirmaties).

Devotion to the Holy Helpers is an evidence of belief in the spiritual commonwealth of those on earth with the Saints in Heaven.

The following of St. Blase is widespread because of the blessing of throats on his Feast Day. The legend is that on the eve of his martyrdom, Blasé healed a young man who was dying from having a thorn lodged in his throat. Blasé died in the 316.
From The Anglican Breviary, Frank Gavin Liturgical Press, 1965 p. 1102.

The Blessing of Throats is a request for God’s healing power through the gift of healing intercession given to St. Blase. Just as many people here on earth exhibit special graces given to them by God the Holy Ghost (healing, teaching, speaking in tongues), so too the Church teaches that some Saints continue that gift in heaven by God’s mercy.

-gesima time - Rector's Rambling 2/3/13

2013-01-28T13:36:00.000-05:00

As of last week we are back in the purple. We have begun the pre-Lenten season known as the –gesima Sundays. Being the suffix after Septua -, Sexima -, and Quinqua -, it is a system of counting time until what is known as Passiontide, or the last two weeks before Easter (Latin for 7, 6, and 5).

We are ‘calendar’ people in the Episcopal Church, and we celebrate seasons, not just Holy Days. We mark time with the liturgical calendar through Advent (4 Sundays before Christmas), Christmastide (12 Days) and then Epiphanytide. The Epiphany Season varies in length depending on when Easter occurs which is set is with formula based on the full moon after March 21, but not if it is a Sunday, and a ’golden number’ (see the four paragraph explanation on page lii in the Book of Common Prayer). After the –gesima’s we have Lent (40 days), Eastertide (40 days), Ascensiontide (9 days), Whitsuntide (8 days) and then into the Trinity/Ordinary season again.

So although we are in the purple and preparing for Lent, it isn’t the full blown Lenten discipline and starkness. But I encourage you to begin now thinking of ways that you will be keeping an holy Lent this year, and begin making preparations.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Annual Parish Meeting.

2013-01-22T15:14:00.002-05:00

As I write this on Monday I am sitting in the church office, listening to the President and Vice President of United States take their oaths of office, and musing upon the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this his national holiday.

A few years ago I came across an interesting fact about Dr. King and a connection to St. John’s. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was hosted at a luncheon here at St. John's on May 15th, 1958 by then Rector I.C. Johnson and the parish. He preached later in the day at St. Pauls' Cathedral. It was a part of a diocesan conference on the Church and Race. Additionally, as with so many parades and rallies up and down Woodward, he passed in front of St. John’s as he led a march in 1963, pictured here.

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Today we do something out of the ordinary. Although we usually have our Annual Parish Meeting on the last Sunday in January, the vestry decided it needed two more weeks in order to prepare properly. Since Diocesan canon calls for the meeting to happen in January, we have been advised by the Bishop’s office that we can open the meeting today during the 10am Service, and then immediately recess the meeting until February 10 at which time we will continue and complete the business of the meeting.

God willing, by next week will have the Annual Parish Meeting booklet published for you to pick up on Sunday and take home with you to read over before the meeting.

I cannot stress more strongly how important it is that ALL parishioners participate in the Annual Parish Meeting. This is YOUR parish, and it is important that you understand the financial position of the parish, and elect her leadership.

From the Rector - Advent/Christmas Eagle 2012

2012-12-17T17:11:00.002-05:00

Once again we enter the season of preparation as we also come to the end of the calendar year.

Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas when we concentrate on preparation for both the coming of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, as well as the preparation for Jesus’ return in glorious majesty to judge the world. Christmas preparations are obvious even to the secular world - since there is a set date when it will come. We have until December 25 to make all our preparations, both secular (shopping, etc.) as well as spiritual.

But it is the second item, known as The Second Coming, that is harder to gauge. No one knows the day nor the hour when the Son of Man returns. (Matt 24:36). 18 months ago the world was distracted by talk by a Christian radio network owner proclaiming a date when Jesus would return. That day has come and gone. Now the world is atwitter about a Mayan calendar which does not go into 2013 and therefore is a sign of the end of time (rather than perhaps running out of space on the calendar!). Using that logic, the fact that the 1928 Book of Common Prayer lists the dates for Easter from 1786 to 2013 would mean that there will be no Easter after 2013. That is as ridiculous as the Mayan prediction. FYI—the new Episcopal prayer book does list Easter further into the future.

The end is coming! Jesus will return because he has said so. But what we do not have is the luxury of knowing the date. Jesus could return before Easter 2013, or the Mayan calendar date, or before the end of the day today. No one knows but our Lord himself. Or the end may come for you with the end of your earthly life today.

Since we do not know when, we must be prepared RIGHT NOW. Do we love Jesus? Are we trying to love our neighbor as ourselves? Are we in a state of Grace by repentance of our sins and reception of the sacraments? Are we striving to live the lives Jesus wants us to live by that Grace? The time to start is not tomorrow because we do not know if tomorrow will come!

As we close the calendar year we also will be closing the books on our financial year as well. Thank you to all who have, and continue to, support the revenues of the parish. The vestry has been busy adjusting the budget to our current and projected financial realities, and preparing the coming year’s budget as well. Even though we have parking lot income and other sources, the majority of our parish income comes from the good people of St. John’s!

If you are in a position to make an extra contribution to the parish before the end of the year we would be grateful. Also, the parish is able to take gifts of stocks and securities if that is a tax advantage for you.

Our King and Saviour draweth nigh; O come, let us adore Him!

~ Antiphon for Advent

Rector's Rambling - 12/13/2012 - Gaudete!

2012-12-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

We are past the mid-point of our Advent observance, which means we have come to Gaudéte Sunday, sometimes known as Rose Sunday. It is a chance for us to “lighten up” in the heaviness of a penitential season, which is signified liturgically by the use of the rose colored vestments and altar hangings in the place of the “heavier” purple.

Advent is certainly not the heavy penitence of Lent, but is still one of repentance of sin since being in a state of repentance is a part of that preparation for Jesus’ return.

But with Christmas Eve only eight days away, one’s heart certainly should be lightening up in anticipation of the coming celebration of the Feast of the Nativity at St. John’s. Enclosed as an insert in today’s Order of Service are several copies of our Christmas invite. Please give them to people you would like to see here Christmas Eve! Offer them a ride, or offer to have them follow you down here for services.

This past week we mailed 2000+ invitations to those on our mailing list, to neighbors around the church, and to those addresses submitted to us by parishioners. Some members have already informed me of their plans to be out of town for Christmas, others about their plans to have people here with them (we will have nine houseguests at the Kelly house coming to services). Christmas Eve is a time when people who are not regular about Church attendance are looking for a place to go to Church – you need to invite them! Advertising may be good, but person to person invitation has shown to be the most effective (and affordable) method of church growth. St. John’s is a great place – God is powerfully at work – and you should be sharing St. John’s with others.

Teach Note - 12/16/2012 - The Great "O" Antiphons

2012-12-13T12:41:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the most familiar of all Advent Hymns is “O come, O come Emmanuel”, hymn number 2. Each verse, describing a title for the expected Messiah, ends with the refrain – “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”

What most people do not know is that this hymn is based on an Antiphon for the Evening Prayer Canticle, the Magnificat. (p.26 in the Prayer Book). Antiphons are appointed for special occasions, to be said at the beginning and end of the canticle. The hymn O come, O come Emmanuel is based on the Great “O” Antiphons, said from December 16^th through December 23^rd in preparation for Christmas Eve.

Listed below are the antiphons for the proper days, with the verses in the hymn to which they correspond:

12/16 – O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence. (v.2)

12/17 – O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, who appearest in the bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and gavest him the law in Sianai: come and redeem us with an outstreached arm. (v.3)

12/18 – O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom kings shall shout their mouths, unto whom the Gentile shall seek: come and deliver us, and tarry not. (v.4)

12/19 – O Key of David, and Scepter of the House of Israel; that openest and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth: Come, and bring the prisoners out of the prison-house, them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death. (v.5)

12/20 – O Day-spring, Brightness of the Light everlasting, and Sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death. (v. 6)

12/21 – O King of Nations, and their Desire; the Cornerstone, who makest both one: Come and save mankind, whom thou formedst of clay. (v. 7)

12/22 – O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, and Desire of all nations and their Salvation: Come and save us, O Lord our God. (v.1)

12/23 – O Virgin of Virgins, how shall this be? For neither before thee was any seen like thee, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery

Rector's Rambling - 12/9/2012 - attending Church

2012-12-10T16:10:00.000-05:00

I recently had an interesting discussion on Twitter about attending Church, and how non-attendance not only harms the non-attender, but also how that non-attendance hurts the Church as well.

Thanks be to God for those who are quite regular in their Church attendance. But increasingly in our society, and even among some members of St. John’s, attendance at Sunday worship is sporadic at best, and something fit into an otherwise busy schedule if time is available, if at all.

Church attendance is important primarily because our Lord desires it of us. But it is also important because it is through worship and reception of the Sacrament that one is spiritually nourished. To absent oneself from the Sacrament is to starve oneself of the grace necessary to live the Christian life (see John 6:54). Additionally, being absent from Church harms the Body of Christ. Her worship, singing, and responses are strengthened in number and encourages others who are also present. Also, a fuller church is more attractive to the visitor than one with emptier pews. Your presence may be the tipping point for the visitor to return as member.

Church non-attendance becomes habitual. The more one makes excuses to miss worship, the easier it is to do so. One falls into the sin of presumption (“God will forgive me for missing this week”) and pride (“I know I am supposed to go to church, but I am the exception to the rule”).

The good news is that, like the Prodigal Son, the Father is always willing to welcome us back when we return to Church (Luke 15:11–32), and make it a priority and good habit! I know my heart leaps for joy when I see someone in Church who hasn’t been for a while, and God rejoices even more so.

As we prepare in Advent, being present is a major part of being prepared!

~ Fr. Kelly (@StJohnsPriest) tweets about church, family, sport, and life at www.Twitter.com/StJohnsPriest

Rector's Rambling - 12/2/2012 - Be prepared!

2012-12-10T16:08:00.000-05:00

Advent and Lent share some similarities, both being penitential, “purple” seasons. But they have differences as well.

Both seasons are about preparation. In Lent we are preparing for the death and resurrection of Jesus by a season of fasting, penance, and examination and confession of our sinfulness. Although this is a part of our spiritual life year round, it is magnified in Lent as we prepare to celebrate Easter.

In Advent the preparation is not only for the coming of the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but also His return in glorious majesty to judge the quick and the dead. The penitential aspect is not just a self-denial (a fast) before the feast, but a realization that with Jesus’ return happening at any time He chooses, we need to be in a state of repentance at all times! We need to learn to be prepared today, and perhaps there is no better time to be conscious of that than during the season of secular consumerism leading up to the Holy Day.

Like Lent, Advent is a good time to take on a few extra disciplines, like the lighting of the Advent wreath at home and taking opportunities for charitable work. Praying the Daily Office at home (Morning and/or Evening Prayer) is a good discipline any time of the year! And, of course, examining the state of one’s soul, and making a good confession of sin, is always in season.

Let us be prepared… He is coming!

Rector's Rambling - 11/25/2012 - Sunday Next Before Advent

2012-12-10T16:04:00.001-05:00

This Sunday after Thanksgiving is a bit of a strange one. Although the Christmas music has been playing on the radio for weeks, decorations up in the stores even longer, and the official shopping madness begun in earnest on Friday, one “regular” thing is missing.

Most years the Sunday after Thanksgiving is also the First Sunday in Advent. But because Christmas is on a Tuesday this year (we skipped the unenviable Advent IV Sunday morning/Christmas Eve Sunday night because of a leap year), combined with an early date for the 4th Thursday in November for Thanksgiving, we find ourselves finishing Ordinary Time today.

A seminary classmate of mine was called to a small parish in a small rural college town directly out of seminary, with no advantage of a position as an assistant first to help him adjust to parish ministry. That first Monday after Thanksgiving he called me at my parish where I was serving as an assistant. “Steve, do you know how most years Advent starts right after Thanksgiving?” He had started Advent a week early! His big dilemma was whether to do Advent I again, or do the previous week’s readings out of order. We decided it would be best to apologize, do the same readings but different hymns, and preach on the other lesson.

I know this year I have the week correct…and today we anticipate the season of anticipation.