Piety Hill Musings

Rector's Rambling - January 22, 2012

2012-01-18T14:34:00.001-05:00

New Year’s resolutions have come, and many already gone. A friend of mine once said that he counted himself lucky to have half of his resolutions in place by the 4th week of January. I wonder how he is doing this year.
There is one resolution which has eternal consequences is most important, and that is to be in Church every Sunday, assuming you are not hindered by travel or illness (and when traveling you can, and should, worship on Sunday as well).
In addition to being present at worship and participating in it, I would also hope the people of St. John’s will become involved in the life of the parish. This “Life” includes the spiritual, such as the Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, Sunday Christian Education, home Bible study and prayer groups, weekday worship, and the like.
There is also a service component to this “Life” such as volunteering at Coffee Hour, participating with the St. Catherine’s Guild chapter of the ECW or the Armitage Men’s Club, or assisting with work/clean-up/planting days, and various outreach ministries.
And let us not forget the social aspect of this “Life”, which overlaps all of the activities and groups above, as well as the new social opportunities being planned for parishioners to get to know each other and enjoy each others’ company. Just in the next few months we have outings to the Detroit Institute of Arts, Charles H. Wright and Holocaust Museums. Check the Chronicle and bulletin boards for more information.
Let us all go deeper into the “Life” of the parish as we grow in the “Life” that Jesus Christ desires for us. After all, He came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Rector's Rambling - January 15, 2012

2012-01-18T14:32:00.000-05:00

This week we begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held each year between January 18th (The Feast of the Confession of St. Peter) and January 25th (The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul). Between these two Feast Days the Church prays with special intention for the Unity of the Church.
Jesus prayed that we all be one as He and the Father are one. But it did not take long for the members of the Church, affected by original sin, to begin to have disagreements with each other and start forming divisions.
These divisions are not God’s will, but a manifestation of our fallen nature. In fact, it is a scandal to the body of Christ that we are divided.
The Anglican Church (of which St. John’s is a part) is the third largest worldwide. Roman Catholicism has about a billion adherents, and Eastern Orthodoxy 500 million (in many fragmented national churches). Anglicanism has about 100 million (again, fragmented into a variety of national churches).
Some American Orthodox Churches have reached out to Anglicans in a unity scheme incorporating our liturgy, and yet cannot unite across ethnic lines (Greek, Russian, etc.). The various Continuing Anglican Churches (break away groups from The Episcopal Church) have striven for unity among themselves, but find themselves further divided by theological and personality conflicts.
Recently the media has reported the appointment of former Episcopal Church bishop Jeffrey Steenson (and former Rector of the parish where I served as Curate) to be the head (Ordinary) of a new American Roman Catholic diocese for Anglicans using Anglican liturgy, music, and married clergy. But it doesn’t change the doctrines of the Roman Church which have separated us.
Pray for the unity of the Church, that God may soften hearts, open eyes, and put into effect our Lord’s desire that we all be one as He and the Father are one.

Rector's Rambling - January 1, 2012

2012-01-18T14:31:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!
Today we start the year off right by attending Church, especially because the feast day also falls on a Sunday.
A very small percentage of regular Church-goers attend worship on New Year’s day. Most people stayed up too late to ring in the New Year, and perhaps enjoyed one or two libations which hindered their early rising. And there are many distractions on New Year’s Day, including parades from California and Miami, and a barrage of college football games. In Philadelphia there was the Mummer’s Parade, an all day and evening affair of men dressed in strange feathered costumes and marching to music on saxophone and banjo (I kid you not…try Googling “Mummers Parade”).
Today is a feast day, not because it is the start of the calendar year, but because it is the 8th day of Christmas.
Having celebrated with great pomp and ceremony the birth of Jesus on Christmas, the Church gathers again 7 days later as Jesus participates in the original covenant between God and the people of the Jews by being circumcised. This outward sign of the covenant, sealed with the shedding of blood, was the proof of being one of God’s people. Jesus was a Jew, but this shedding of first blood was also the beginning of the fulfillment of the old Law by Jesus, so that we are marked not in the flesh but saved by grace through faith.
Also, on this day the Jewish child formally receives their name. Just as right before we baptize we state, “Name this Child”, so too the Jew receives his name. For Jesus, this is even more important (his name having been foretold by the angel), because his name, meaning “God saves” is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved. It is only by calling on that wondrous name publically proclaimed at His circumcision that we come into relationship with His Father. A Happy New Year indeed!

Rector's Rambling - December 25, 2011

2012-01-18T14:30:00.001-05:00

A hearty welcome to all those joining us for worship at St. John’s! I wish you a very Merry Christmas and the blessings of peace on these Holy Days.
In St. John’s 152 years we have been a church of “destination”, with people coming from far and wide to worship in this beautiful building with its sublime music, traditional Anglican liturgy, and wonderful people.
Christmas Eve and Day, and all the Sundays following are wonderful days to be at St. John’s. Not only are they wonderful days to worship the Lord, but here at St. John’s we delve deeply into the fullness of the timeless Anglican expression of the faith once delivered to the Saints.
It has been a long time since St. John’s averaged a high of over 2000 people on Sunday. But it has also been over 10 years since we hit a low of 37! God has been at work in rebuilding St. John’s, and we believe that not only is He not finished, but there are amazing things ahead for this parish and its parishioners – both those here now and for those not yet members of it.
Recently the Vestry discussed at its regular meeting the many reasons people come to St. John’s: Liturgy, music, building, preaching, location, theology, fellowship. Rarely is it one or two things, but a combination of each thing supported by the others. We called it “the package”. Our Anglican tradition, adhered to because it is the package, inspires people to love Jesus, and to become more and more like him. To become Saints!
If you are visiting today we invite you to consider joining in on all the wonderful things God has in store for this parish! Become a “regular” by worshipping with us on Sundays and by getting involved in the ministries and activities of the parish and the neighborhood.
You are most welcome to be a part of all the wonderful things God is doing here: Holy Days, Sundays, and every day of the week!

Rector's Rambling - December 18, 2011

2012-01-18T14:29:00.001-05:00

So close, so very close. Next Sunday is the Feast of the Nativity, with our grand celebration on the Eve as well as the Day. Be sure to check the schedule of services so you know when you will be here. The Detroit Lions have a game on Christmas Eve, but we have timed our services around the start/finish of the game so as to make access to the parking lot possible.
As you begin your last week of Advent, a discipline I would encourage is for you to invite five families to the Christmas Eve service at St. John’s. Think about who you know you would like to see come to Church at St. John’s; family, friends, neighbors, co-workers. Those five (or more) are the ones you need to actively invite to Church this Christmas Eve.
What do I mean by actively invite? Approach them, or call them, and say, “Hey, ______, I was just thinking of you and was wondering where are you going to attend a Christmas Eve service this year?” If there is any hesitation of an answer, begin again, “We go to a great church downtown called St. John’s. We love it there and go there because ___________ (fill in your reasons) and there is no place that has a more beautiful Christmas Eve service. I would love to have you (and your family) come down to the 8:30/9:00 service” (or to see the Pageant at 5:00 PM if you are going then). Offer them a ride if you have room, or to follow you down in their own car.
There are many un-churched or nominally-church people who look to attend a Christmas Eve service. Take advantage of that desire and invite them to St. John’s. There are a few “regulars” around here whose first experience of St. John’s was a Christmas Eve Service. You may be the person God is using to bring them into a deeper relationship with himself through St. John’s Church.
Some will say no, others will hesitate. But pray for them and keep cheerfully offering and asking them to join us, even after Christmas. God may be working on them through you.

Christmas Services at St. John's

2011-12-23T09:12:00.002-05:00

A reminder of the Christmas Schedule -

Christmas Eve -
Children's Pageant Service, with Communion, at 5pm (this is an hour later to avoid Detroit Lions Game traffic. Our parking lot will be available for the service).
Carol Prelude - 8:30pm
Solemn High Mass - 9pm

Christmas Day -
Low Mass in the Chapel at 10am

See you in Church.

Rector's Rambling - November 13, 2011

2011-11-08T13:51:00.002-05:00

Last week we had a wonderful celebration of All Saints Sunday. The music was wonderful and one could certainly sense not only the joy of the congregation but also the presence of the saints who join us along with angels and archangels in the worship of our Good God.
November is the time of year for the parish leadership of the Vestry to begin looking toward the end of the calendar year and begin making plans for the coming year. This forward looking concerns two specific areas.
First, before we know it the Annual Parish Meeting will be upon us (January 29th, 2012) and we will be having the election of new members of the Vestry. 4 people will be needed to serve, and in years past we have had anywhere from 4 to 8 candidates to chose from to fill those 4 slots. The Vestry is the ‘board’ the corporation that is St. John’s Church. They have the responsibility for the income and expenses as would be expected of an incorporated entity, which the parish is. And like any incorporated business, the Church leadership board (the Vestry) helps to set direction and policy and so that the parish can perform the mission and ministry that God has given too her.
The second November concern is the setting of a budget for the coming year to support that mission and ministry we are called to. Budget is set by looking at anticipated expenses (both possible increases as well as anticipated cost savings) as well as income based upon the current year.
We have three main sources of income. 1) Pledge and Plate, 2) Parking, and 3) Endowment. The second source we have no real control over. Scheduling at the stadiums/theatres (as well as team success) sets that income. The third source is one which has had to be limited in the past few years due to downturns in the market and the diminishing fund value.
That leaves source number one! What the parishioners contribute is of vital importance. We can improve this source two ways. One way is that we can honestly evaluate our own personal giving. God prescribes a tithe, 10%. The other way is to expand our giving base by inviting, encouraging, and welcoming new members to St. John’s. If each family encouraged another family to join and participate, we could do much to provide funding for current and future ministry.

Rector's Rambling - October 30, 2011

2011-10-24T13:50:00.002-04:00

A Blessed Christ the King Sunday to you.
Although not found in the 1928 Lectionary as a separate celebration, we keep the last Sunday in October as the Feast of Christ the King in addition to whatever “Sunday after Trinity” it may be.
The celebration was kept on this particular Sunday first by the Roman Catholic Church, and later by many Anglicans. It was seen as an antedote to “Reformation Sunday” celebrated on this Sunday in Lutheran and other protestant bodies. The thought was that although much needed to be reformed in the 16th century in the Church, the Reformation itself was not a cause for celebration because it had caused division in the Body of Christ. By celebrating the Kingship of Christ on this day it is hoped that all the various fellowships claiming Lordship under Jesus Christ, could find common faith, and eventually come into organic unity as One, as Jesus prayed that we all may be one as He and the Father are one. (John 17:21-23).
In the new Lectionary Christ the King is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Calendars on the last Sunday before Advent.
This week is certainly a busy one for Feast Days. Tuesday is the Feast of All Saints (which we will also commemorate next Sunday), All Souls Day is celebrated with 3 Requiem Masses on Wednesday (one at Elmwood Cemetery at 10am). Be sure to submit the names of those you would like remembered at the Altar at the 12:15 and 5:30pm Masses in the Chapel.
Finally, a word about tomorrow, Halloween. The word comes from All Hallows Eve - better known as All Saints Eve (ie...the day before All Saints Day). Although the world has secularized it at best, and in some ways demonized it, it can be a fun occasion to celebrate in anticipation the gift of The Saints by hospitality to your trick-or-treating neighbors. But be sure to not get caught up yourself with the creeping superstition of spirit and ghost seeking, or other things that might seek to draw you away from the Love of Christ!

Rector's Rambling - October 23, 2011

2011-10-24T13:24:00.002-04:00

Welcome Home!

Homecoming Sunday began 10 years ago with the recognition that St. John’s Church has a lot of friends and visitors who join us with varying degrees of regularity. Some of these friends are people who at one time were members of the parish but moved away and joined a local parish nearer to their homes.
Although homecoming is generally associated with alumni of a high school or university, I chose this title because many people who had moved away and visited again mentioned how, after so long, it was like coming home. And although we don’t have a homecoming game or dance, a wonderful potluck luncheon is a warm welcome to friends old and new.
Would I like all of our regular and occasional visitors to come to Church here every Sunday? Yes, absolutely! (Actually, I would love to have all our regular and occasional members to come to Church every Sunday too.) But we are glad to have those who have an affiliation elsewhere come here occasionally to be edified by our worship of Almighty God, and to participate, as they are able, in the life of the parish.
Be sure to join us downstairs for the festivities after the 10:00 AM service. Lunch will be served, and there will be a bake sale and cookbook exchange. And be sure to peruse the Chronicle and inserts to see the upcoming events being offered. Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, St. Catherine’s Guild of the Episcopal Church Women, Sunday School and Adult Education, and those involved in Social Fellowship outings all host various opportunities for spiritual growth, service, and fun. Whether St. John’s is your every Sunday home or not, please avail yourself of the opportunities offered here at the parish!
Recently someone who sang here in the 1960s was in town from out of state, and worshipped with us. Afterwards they said that since moving they haven’t found anyplace like St. John’s, and that it is always nice to come back. Welcome home.

Rector's Rambling - October 16, 2011

2011-10-13T13:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday in England, in a small town called Walsingham, there was a celebration of an event that happened 80 years ago, but in the bigger picture it was a celebration of an event in England that began 950 years ago and continues today.
October 15, 1931, an Anglican Priest named Fr. Alfred Hope Patten held a celebration to “translate” the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham from his parish church to a newly restored Shrine Church.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was a great of place of pilgrimage, prayer, and miracle from its founding in 1061 until its destruction during the political and religious upheaval of the 16th Century.
Lady Richeldis received a vision that instructed her to build a shrine of the home of the Holy Family of our Lord. In doing so, she had a statue carved of Jesus being held by Mary which became a central focal point of the shrine, along with a well from which Holy Water was dispensed. That original image of our Lord and his mother appeared on pilgrims’ medals and coinage which survive to this date.
During the Reformation the Shrine was destroyed, the property confiscated by the King (the same King, who, along with six other Kings of England, had previously made official visits to the Shrine) and sold.
Today the Shrine continues to be a wonderful spot of spiritual refreshment, rejuvenation, and healing. This English Shrine is the only one in the world which has official recognition by the Anglican, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic Churches, and all have chapels there to support and encourage the faithful and inquirer.
St. John’s has a copy of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham (original sized) in the chapel, located behind the votive candle rack and screen.

Rector's Rambling - October 9, 2011

2011-10-13T13:34:00.002-04:00

It is always good to be home, especially after over 3 weeks away. Thank you all for your prayers as we had a detour with Andrew’s emergency appendectomy in Mexico.
Now that we are back I look forward to seeing all the progress that has been made in the return of our many ministries that got up and going in my absence. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew has already met twice, the Daughters of the King once, the St. Catherine’s guild of the Episcopal Church women have met, and a social fellowship outing has occurred to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford house. And of course, Sunday School and Adult Education are underway again. I hope that if you have not plugged yourself into one of these groups/ministries, you will do so soon!
In the next few weeks, we have some other events planned. Homecoming is October 23rd, All Saints Sunday is November 6th, and another Social Fellowship outing or two are planned for the coming weeks. Also, let us not forget about the big goings-on here at St. John’s for Thanksgiving!
Looking even longer term, I hope that we will soon have Small Group ministries up and meeting in people’s homes. The Alpha Course begins again next winter, and a confirmation preparation class will be held during Lent in anticipation of the Bishop’s official visit to St. John’s in June.
All of the above, of course, must have its foundation in everyone’s coming to Church on Sundays, seeking to do God’s will in becoming holy through prayer, scripture study, selfless service, and reception of the Sacraments. We are called to be a holy people for our Holy God…and he has accomplished the hardest part of the work for us on the Cross!
It is wonderful to be back. I imagine it will take a day or two to get through my pile of mail and e-mails before things get back to normal (as normal as a priest’s schedule gets). So please be patient with me if it takes me a few days to get to back to you.

Rector's Rambling - September 25, 2011

2011-10-13T13:31:00.001-04:00

As you can tell, I am still away on my vacation, in lieu of a sabbatical for my 10 years at St. John’s. If all goes as planned, I am in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California this morning.
One of the interesting things about being the Church “next to Comerica Park” is that over the past 10 years I have had the opportunity to interact on various levels with members of the Detroit Tigers staff, front office, and the players.
The first year I was here, then Tiger manager Phil Garner invited me to come to the clubhouse (locker rooms) to “bless the bats”. This was back in 2001 when the Tigers were not winning too many games. I got to meet the players, got a tour of the clubhouse, and threw around some holy water. On that day, I met Brandon Inge who is the only player still on the roster from that team. President and GM Dave Dombrowski has been in our church for our Pray Here for the Tigers service as have a few pitchers and front office staff. I have had the opportunity to meet Pudge, Magglio, Don Kelly, Schlereth, and even got to interview former 1st baseman Sean Casey for the Episcopal newspaper. On that day I also met Justin Verlander and have a picture in my office of the two of us talking.
Another perk is meeting players and staff from visiting teams. If all has gone according to plan, we had the chance this past week to have a tour of the Los Angeles Angels facilities with recently retired Head Trainer Ned Bergert. For the past 10 years, whenever the Angels were in town, Ned would attend either Wednesday or Sunday 8:00 AM services at St. John’s, and I have had many an opportunity to visit with him before and after Mass. Each time he said, “If you ever get to Anaheim, I’d love to show you around.” This week we finally had the opportunity to take him up on the offer.
Baseball is a fun distraction. I love coaching and watching my boys play, and of course look forward to a long run in the playoffs for the Tigers this year!

Rector's Rambling - September 18, 2011

2011-10-13T13:28:00.001-04:00

Today Fr. Michael Bedford is at the lead of worship at St. John’s, since I am on my long vacation (in lieu of a sabbatical) with my family. If all goes as planned I am in Phoenix, Arizona today and worshipping in Church with former St. John’s parishioners John and Ranée Les Callett.
Having Fr. Bedford with us at St. John’s is one of the great blessings to me and to the parish. After he retired as rector of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Redford (that’s right – Fr. Bedford from Redford) he began assisting at St. John’s while Fr. Kim was still Rector. After Fr. Kim retired in 1997 he held down the fort until the interim rector was hired. He then assisted the interim and continued on as the supply priest after the interim left in the Summer of 2000, staying until I arrived in February of 2001.
Shortly after I arrived Fr. Bedford meekly asked if I minded if he and Mary continued to worship at St. John’s. It may seem like an odd question to you, but in church circles when a new rector arrives the old clergy usually clear the deck so the new man can have a fresh start without people going to the long-timer to complain.
However, there was not only no fear of that with Fr. Bedford, but I was most happy to welcome him to assist at the altar. And although he officially retired (again) two years ago, we continue to be blessed by his and Mary’s presence among us on most Sundays of the year!
If you didn’t know, Fr. Bedford drives a long way to be here with us. The Bedfords live out in South Lyon. We thank God for their sacrifice of time and gasoline to be with us each week.
And I am most grateful to know that when I go away with my family the people of St. John’s are well cared for by a priest who knows and loves them as I do.
Thanks be to God for Fr. Bedford and Mary, and for their long and fruitful ministry with us. Ad multos annos! To many more years!

Rector's Rambling - September 11, 2011

2011-10-13T13:25:00.002-04:00

It is remarkable to think that 10 years have passed since the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Having been born in 1966 I missed that pivotal moment in history and the subsequent question of “what were you doing when John F. Kennedy was assassinated?” Other pivotal moments in history however have been engrained in my psyche: President Nixon’s resignation, President Reagan’s attempted assassination, and Pope John Paul II’s assassination attempt. All these events evoke strong memories of those moments in time when they happened, what I was doing when I heard the news, and the well-spring of emotions associated with them.
That morning in 2011 will forever be etched in my memory: hearing the report while listening to the radio of the fire at the World Trade Center, and watching in horror, live on television, as the second plane hit the other tower. It was at that moment that I realized this was no accident but a calculated attack on the citizens of the United States. By the end of the day there was additional carnage and destruction.
But who could have imagined, on that morning, that nearly 10 years later we would be engaged in a 10-year war in Afghanistan and eight years of fighting in Iraq. And words like Jihad, Shiite, Sunni, and a host of Arabic named entities, cities, and provinces have become common-speak in our media and households.
There was an initial surge in attendance at churches as people in fear were moved to prayer. That uptick did not last long. Although the country became inconvenienced by new security measures and security alert codes, life mostly returned to “normal” for most Americans.
However, the one thing not touched upon in the media or the churches is to pray for the root cause. Since that day I have prayed regularly this collect For Missions from the prayer book, p. 38:
ALMIGHTY God, whose compassions fail not, and whose loving-kindness reacheth unto the world’s end; We give thee humble thanks for opening heathen lands to the light of thy truth; for making paths in the deep waters and highways in the desert; and for planting thy Church in all the earth. Grant, we beseech thee, unto us thy servants, that with lively faith we may labour abundantly to make known to all men the blessed gift of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rector's Rambling - August 28, 2011

2011-10-13T13:24:00.001-04:00

Yes, we are still here. Last week when I discussed in this column my family’s upcoming three-week trip, many people seemed to miss the opening line “Three weeks from tomorrow I leave…” We will be leaving Monday, September 12.
Today is the last Sunday in August, and the cooler nights and more temperate days let us know that fall, and the school year, are on their way. In a week or so, kids will be heading back to school, and the activities of the new season get back under way.
The Church (and I would guess most of society) operates on a school calendar. Activities and programs begin in the fall, continue through the winter, and end late spring, with a hiatus in the summer months. Although in years past in my ministry (here and at previous parishes) we have had some summer programming and activities, for the most part they are not as well, or regularly, attended as those during the school year. And worship attendance also declines due to vacations, etc., and generally increases in the fall as well.
Now is the time to fix certain things on your calendar: Sunday worship every Sunday, Sunday School and Adult Education every Sunday, involvement in a church organization or two (Daughters of the King, Episcopal Church Women, Armitage Men’s Club, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Altar Guild, Ushers, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Social Fellowship Group, etc.), and involvement in other activities like a weekday Mass, or newly forming weekly small group gatherings.
But more importantly, be renewed in your heart and mind, in your faith, by prayer and sacrifice. Put Jesus first, first thing in the morning, and keep Him front and center in your thoughts throughout the day. And of course thank Him at the end.
And share The Faith with others.

Rector's Rambling - August 21, 2011 - In three weeks

2011-08-22T15:32:00.001-04:00

Three weeks from tomorrow I leave for my ‘sabbatical’. I have put ‘sabbatical’ in quotes because it is really an extended vacation, which I am taking in the place of a formal sabbatical.
By God’s grace I have now been Rector of St. John’s for 10 1/2 years. It seems like just yesterday I came here as a young man in my mid-thirties. A part of the original template provide by the Diocese for the contract I signed to become the Rector included a clause for a sabbatical after 10 years of service, an enticement to plan on staying put in one place for an extended period of time. The new diocesan template provides for a sabbatical after 7 years. The sabbatical is to be 3 to 6 months long according to the contract.
I don’t want a sabbatical. Quite honestly, I don’t want to be away from St. John’s or my home for 3 months (most sabbaticals include traveling away for study). I don’t want to write a book, earn another degree, or master some obscure new skill (all of which is frequently done on a sabbatical).
So for the second time in 10 1/2 years I am going to take all four of my Sundays off, plus one (we will be away three consecutive Sundays). And as much as it will be hard to be away for that long, I am looking forward to traveling with my family out West to see extended family and to see a few sites along the way.
Thankfully, we have Fr. Bedford here to lead worship and take care of pastoral emergencies, and the competent staff to hold down the administrative fort. And of course I EXPECT TO HEAR GOOD REPORTS that everyone was in Church while I was away! Sunday School and the various programs will get underway while I am gone, and I look forward to returning to a parish family busy at work for the Kingdom.

Rector's Rambling - August 7, 2011 - Looking Forward

2011-08-22T15:31:00.001-04:00

Having looked backwards last week, at our history and heritage, with our Founders’ Day, this week I would like us to look forward and do some planning for the coming 5 months and beyond.
August is usually a time of travel and relaxation, and I know many people are away from the area at this time. But it is also a great time to look ahead to fall and the types of programming that gets started again, and how YOU can become involved.
St. Margaret’s Chapter of the Daughters of the King, St. Catherine’s Guild of the Episcopal Church Women, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and Armitage Men’s club all start meeting regularly again, with their spiritual growth, evangelism, and service projects. If you have not become involved in these in the past, be sure to contact the leader of the organizations listed to the left.
Sunday School and Adult Education start mid-September. Once again we implore our parishioners to be vigilant about bringing their children to Sunday School so they can learn the scriptures and develop the camaraderie that such classes engender.
Small group ministries should also get started this fall; groups of six to ten people meeting weekly for prayer and study. This is a great way to not only build up fellowship and help with our personal spiritual growth, but is an outreach tool when you invite friends to join you, and a great way to incorporate new members into the life of the parish.
Our Social Fellowship outings have been well-received, and we are looking for sponsors to plan and offer outings for the coming months. Pick a place or event you would like to have friends come with you to see, and then coordinate the purchase of tickets and the program.
What would you like to participate in in the coming months?

Rector's Rambling - July 31, 2011 - The Past is Prologue

2011-08-22T15:30:00.001-04:00

“The Past Is Prologue”
That phrase was the title for the history of my college fraternity. It was an invitation to look backwards because our past was the introduction to who we aspired to be as an organization in those current times (mid-1980’s).
I understand that not all people enjoy reading and studying history. I do. It was my best subject in high school, and when I was in college in Philadelphia, I greatly enjoyed learning colonial and Revolutionary War history by visiting many sites in the city, including my college (University of Pennsylvania – founded in 1744 by Ben Franklin). Although I enjoy learning about different periods and places in history (ancient, European, Church, etc.), I know I am especially drawn to a subject if it is something I am involved in – like Michigan history, Detroit history, and Episcopal Church history.
I am especially interested in the history of this, our parish. Henry Porter Baldwin’s vision, the quick growth, the dedication to worship and service, and staying in the city when other parishes were moving further out or away, are all inspirational! It is also informative to read about the years from the 1930’s to the 1990’s when the parish declined for a variety of reasons.
The past is prologue because who we are as a parish has been influenced by our past. But we don’t just look back to “the good old days”. Rather we learn from what they believed and did, and look for ways that God the Holy Ghost may be leading us today to live out that same vital faith.
We know that the faith has not changed, and the worship has changed very little in the 150+ years this parish has been here. But each successive generation adds to the prayers and praise of our Lord, and we live in gratitude for His blessings then and now.

Rector's Rambling - July 24, 2011 - Books

2011-08-22T15:28:00.001-04:00

I have a confession to make. Since mid-April I have hardly read any books. You are probably saying to yourself, “so?” But I have come to realize two very important things about my life as a priest.
First, I need to be frequently engaged in the written word. I remember a series of public service announcements on television with the tag line, “never stop learning”. Reading (and listening to books or lectures on tape while driving) is the primary way I do this. I need to read to keep my mind sharp and to grow in my knowledge and understanding of our Lord and His Church, as well as to become well-rounded in other academic pursuits. Although I tend towards reading things theological and hagiographical (biographies of the saints), I also enjoy an occasional fictional book or secular biography as well. Additionally, I have several small devotional works that I like to read and re-read for their spiritual benefits.
Second, I have come to realize that from mid-April to early July baseball gets in the way of my reading time. Between being on the local Little League board, coordinating the concession stand and volunteers, helping to coach, and being present at my sons’ games, four or five of my evenings are taken up by baseball.
Now that our baseball season has ended for the summer, I am looking forward to getting back into the habit of regular reading. I have already lined up some books for the next few weeks/months: the Autobiography of Mark Twain (vol. 1), The Sunflower by Simon Weissenthal, Bring it by Tony Horton, Where the Hell is God? by Richard Leonard, S.J., After this Life by Benedict Groeschel, CFR, The Romance of Orthodoxy by Homer Rogers, Jesus of Nazareth and New Outpourings of the Spirit by Joseph Ratzinger, Heaven and Earth in Little Space by Andrew Burnham, and Anglo-Catholic in Religion: T.S. Eliot and Christianity by Barry Spurr. Somewhere in there I will pick up a fiction book or two to cleanse the palate.
What are you reading this summer?

Rector's Rambling - May 22, 2011 - End of the world?

2011-05-23T12:22:00.000-04:00

If you are reading this on Sunday, May 22nd, then Jesus didn’t come back yesterday!
As I mentioned in last week’s sermon, the folks at Family Radio predicted that yesterday would be Judgment Day for the world.
How did they come to that date? Taking the statement from the Second Letter of St. Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 8, that one day is as a thousand years in God’s sight, and combining it with Genesis 7:4, about the warning to Noah that the beginning of the Flood was coming in seven days, they claimed it was a reference to the Judgment Day at the end of the world. They took 7000 years (remember, one day is as a thousand to God, so the seven days are a reference to 7000 years), plus their belief that the Flood happened in the year 4990 B.C. resulting in the interpretation that this year is the year (if you are doing the math in your head, remember there is no year zero, so it works out to 2011).

From their Web site they state,
“Thus Holy God is showing us by the words of 2 Peter 3:8 that He wants us to know that exactly 7,000 years after He destroyed the world with water in Noah’s day, He plans to destroy the entire world forever. Because the year 2011 A.D. is exactly 7,000 years after 4990 B.C. when the flood began, the Bible has given us absolute proof that the year 2011 is the end of the world during the Day of Judgment, which will come on the last day of the Day of Judgment. Amazingly, May 21, 2011 is the 17th day of the 2nd month of the Biblical calendar of our day. Remember, the flood waters also began on the 17th day of the 2nd month, in the year 4990 B.C.”

One great gift of the Reformation has been the Bible in the language of the people, but it has also been a Pandora’s Box, which, once opened, has also allowed gross misinterpretation of Scripture and much division in the Body of Christ because of it. The great grace of Anglicanism, properly used, has been the prominence of Scripture in the light of reason and tradition. The Scriptures are the Word of God and contain all things necessary to salvation. But it does not allow us to read into it something “new”, or worse, contradictory. See Matthew 24:36.

Rector's Rambling - March 27, 2011

2011-03-30T16:19:00.000-04:00

The last two weeks in this column we have spoken about the Lenten disciplines as they apply to us individually. Some of these things include “giving things up for Lent” or not eating meat on Fridays, and taking on various disciplines such as extra prayers, and extra weekday service, or extra study about holy things. These are all wonderful ways to getting ourselves in a right state of preparation for the upcoming Easter Feast. There is also a corporate aspect to our Lenten discipline concerning changes to the corporate worship of the parish.
During the “gesima” Sundays before Lent we eased into this by changing to purple vestments/hangings and suppressing the “Glory be to God on High” [aka. the Gloria] in the liturgy. By Ash Wednesday the “Alleluia” also is removed as well as the flowers on the altar. Starting Passion Sunday (two weeks before Easter) the “Glory be to the Father…” [aka. the Gloria Patri] also disappears from the liturgy.
Musically [with the exception of the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Lætáre/Rose Sunday)], the organ is used only to support hymn singing and some psalms and anthems. Voluntaries (preludes, postludes), and what is referred to as “covering music” (covering any silent periods when the choir is not singing or the priest and parishioners are praying out loud) are suppressed.
These changes can be jarring because we become accustomed to all the grand and glorious worship we experience in the full music and liturgy on other Sunday mornings. It is supposed to be jarring and uncomfortable – it is Lent. But soon enough it will be Easter, and all will be restored, and appreciated even more for its absence over seven weeks!

Rector's Rambling - February 27, 2011

2011-02-24T16:11:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago this week I arrived as the Rector of St. John’s Church here in Detroit. As I’ve mentioned over the last few weeks, it has been my great privilege and a great grace to baptize 97 adults and children, present 79 people for confirmation or reception, solemnize 52 marriages, and officiate at the burial rites for 52 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 Monday 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 10 years! Tempus fugit – time flies! And I pray that God will allow us to glorify Him and to minister to His people here for many more years to come.

Rector's Rambling - February 20, 2011

2011-02-24T16:10:00.001-05:00

Last week I wrote about baptisms, and today I am musing upon the Sacrament of Matrimony. St. John’s is a popular place to have a wedding! The beautiful building, ideal downtown location, and classic service attracts people and gives them a desire to be married here. But sometimes it is these very externals which, having attracted them, prevent them, perhaps, from understanding the theological importance of the sacrament.
We get upwards of 25 calls a year from people interested in being married at St. John’s. A great number just want to “rent the church” for a ceremony, and end their inquiry as soon as we let them know we expect them to become members and attend for at least six months before their wedding service. But a fair number of people do come, and put in this minimal amount of effort.
In my 10 years, of the 52 marriages I have performed, 16 couples now live out of state or over an hour away from St. John’s. Seven couples come regularly and three occasionally. Four couples have actively transferred to another parish. Five couples (that I know of) have divorced (none of whom continued to attend St. John’s after their wedding).
That leaves 17 more couples who attended here, were married here, and have stopped attending after their wedding (many never returned after the wedding ceremony). Despite phone calls, e-mails, and notes, they have made a decision to stay away. One of the few who did bother to respond to my contacts was honest enough to let me know they felt they had “put in their time” but didn’t feel they needed to go to Church anymore.
The ministry of performing weddings can be a great blessing, and sometimes a frustration as well, for me and the many volunteers who help with this ministry. But I thank God for the opportunity to do them, and pray that the Lord will move hearts and minds to keep Him at the center of these couples married lives and active in His Church.

Rector's Rambling - February 13, 2011

2011-02-24T16:09:00.001-05:00

Last week I mused upon the importance of these sacramental milestones. Today, I want to look at one of them in particular – baptism.
Baptism is, of course, the great “initiation” rite of the Church. In the waters of baptism we are made “children of God, and heirs of the Kingdom” and are “regenerate and born anew of water and the Holy Spirit”. (Baptismal Liturgy, BCP p. 273 – 282). We become both spiritually and physically members of The Body of Christ: The Church.
One great restoration in the worship of the Church is to restore the baptismal liturgy to Sunday worship, so the entire community can be of support, and encouraged by the new Christian. Of the 97 baptisms in my time here, 21 have been adults and the rest children (mostly infants). Many of the adult baptisms have been in connection with people coming to St. John’s to get married or to attend the Alpha Course (or both). In 2006 we baptized 11 people from six families at one service.
Fourteen of those baptisms have been of people who live out of state but came to be baptized at St. John’s because their extended families are here, or were here for generations (i.e. this is the family church). We have had quite a few baptisms of children who were of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations to be baptized at St. John’s.
But being a downtown parish, St. John’s has a transient membership. Many people move to the area, find St. John’s, and move away after a few years. Unfortunately, some who were baptized just don’t come to Church here, or anywhere anymore (see Matthew 13:18–23). At a quick glance, 20 of the 97 attend regularly, another 30 attend occasionally, and 47 either never attend here anymore, or were from out of state.

Rector's Rambling - February 6, 2011

2011-02-24T16:08:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago this month I arrived as the Rector of St. John’s Church here in Detroit. It was the last Sunday (that year, also the last Sunday in Epiphany). Over the course of the next few weeks please allow me the indulgence of some backward looking and reminiscence.
As I mentioned in my Rector’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting last week, it has been my great privilege and a great grace to baptize 97 adults and children, present 79 people for confirmation or reception, solemnize 51 marriages (52 as of yesterday), and officiate at the burial rites for 52 people.
These sacramental actions become important benchmarks for the parish. Ninety-seven seems like a large number, but that is only 97 of 7294 baptisms in the 152 years this parish has been in existence! The 52 marriages are out of a total of 3407, and the 52 burials of 5428.
Once a sacramental act such as baptism or confirmation occurs, it is recorded in the parish register, which over the years has come to span multiple volumes. The baptism book currently in use only goes back to 1981 (first entry – Kevin Thomas, grandson of then Rector Fr. Thomas Frisby). The current marriage register goes back to March 17, 1956 (Robert and Marie Herd). And the current burial register goes back to July 21, 1886 (John Johnson) and even records the burial of our founder, Henry Porter Baldwin (died 12/31/1892, buried 1/3/1893).
When an occasion arises that we have to open the books to record an event, I inevitably spend some time glancing backwards. Occasionally we do a wedding and the bride’s or groom’s parents’ wedding is recorded in there as well. Or, for a baptism, I will recognize the name of someone I see listed as a godparent, or a current parishioner. And when going through the burial register I not only recognize current names, but the names of those memorialized on plaques, pews, or altarware.
Thanks be to God for what he is doing here in our time, and for those who have gone before.

Rector's Report to the Annual Parish Meeting 2011

2011-01-27T15:54:00.000-05:00

It is hard for me to fathom the reality that I am writing my TENTH Rector’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting of St. John’s Church. In the past 10 years I have had the great grace to baptize 97 adults and children, present 79 people for confirmation or reception, solemnize 51 marriages, and officiate at the burial rites for 52 people.

Since 2001 St. John’s has hosted Diocesan Convention, film and television location shoots, been the a part of the “FAN ZONE” for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, within the security perimeter of the Super Bowl (and was the feeding center for the police department that weekend), and the location for countless concerts, meetings, and even a summer snowboarding exhibition. We have been the parking spot for 816 Tiger games, 80 Lions games, and numerous shows at the Fox and State (Filmore) theatres. One year we nearly filled a semi-truck with food donations for Gleaners. We have sold pancakes, hot chocolate, and donuts for the Thanksgiving Day parades, and even witnessed a Stanley Cup Parade pass our front door.

Also in those 10 years, in addition to ongoing regular maintenance and repair to the building we did a $380,000 stone and roof repair project, a $120,000 window, sign, and awning project, and a $40,000 boiler replacement. The middle project caused us to be sued by the American Atheists for our matching grants (we won).

Most importantly, between 2500 and 3000 of celebrations of the Holy Communion have been held at our altars on Sundays and weekdays, Morning and Evening Prayer prayed in community almost daily, and scores of other liturgical celebrations and devotions have been offered to the Greater Glory of God and the edification of His people. Guilds, Societies, Ministries and Organizations have been formed and have also added to the many opportunities for greater holiness and service. Average Sunday attendance bottomed out a few years before I arrived at 37 people. This past year it has been 187 (highest in my years was in 2006 with and ASA of 203).

As I like to say, this is a good START. I consider it a great privilege to be the Rector of St. John’s. God has blessed us with a goodly heritage and a wonderful present day as well. And I am firmly convinced that He also has in store for us a wonderful future.

Much of our spiritual focus this year was in planning and preparing for our wonderfully blessed FAITH ALIVE weekend this past fall, and I am looking forward to the expansion of home-based and weekday study, bible, and fellowship groups. As expected, I think we appreciated hearing about one another’s spiritual journeys and getting to know each other outside of our usual Sunday gathering time. In the coming weeks and months look for more opportunities to continue that spirit of fellowship, prayer, and study in various settings.

This past year has been one of transition. We have a new Office Manager, Harriett Mottley, who took over office operations with the retirement of Paul MacDonald. Organ Scholar Richard Newman finished his term and we welcomed Aaron Tan as his successor. David Schafer retired as Treasurer and Gordon Didier has assumed that position. And the vestry has continued to respond to the economic crisis the vestry by being diligent in making sure we meet our current obligations and look to the long-term financial health of the parish. At one time (in the time I have been here) we depended upon over $100,000 of growth and income from the endowment to meet our expenses. It has generally ranged from $57,000 to $83,000 a year. In 2009, as the nation-wide financial crisis took hold and the value of the endowment declined, we were able to make reductions and rely upon your sacrificial giving so as to only use $43,000 in growth and income. This past year we were able to decrease that amount even further, to only $33,000. This has been accomplished with good financial stewardship, your generosity, and we believe we have done so without compromising our ability to do the ministry we have been called to do.

10 years ago as the vestry looked at our expenses and income and was concerned about how we are going to meet our obligations, I told them, “There is no problem we have financially that can’t be solved by having 100 more members.” But I also warned them, “and then we will have new, different financial problems to deal with.” This has proven prophetic as I have repeated it, year after year, to each successive vestry. But it is a good problem to have from year to year – new members and growth in attendance and income.

So as I celebrate my 10th anniversary I would appreciate it if the parish would continue to cause us the problems by having “100 more members”. In fact, double our trouble with 200 more! The formula hasn’t changed in 10 years for how we will grow. As I wrote in my first Rector’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting in January of 2002

...the success of any growth will be dependent on our prayerful cooperation with the Holy Spirit, and our willingness to invite people to join us. We will continue to advertise, and do other interesting things to get St. John’s recognized in the Detroit Metro Area, but most real growth comes through an anointed human connection. That anointed connection comes through our faithfulness to the doctrines of the Church and our willingness to share it! Before long, if we are faithful, prayerful, and diligent in sharing, we will be a big parish with a whole new set of big parish problems. I look forward to it, God willing!

Good things just don’t change. Be faithful, repent, pray, receive the sacraments, love, forgive, share the good news of God’s love, invite your friends and neighbors to Church with you. It is all Grace!

Thank God for 10 years of ministry here - may He grant me many more years to come.

Rector's Rambling - January 23, 2011

2011-01-26T16:11:00.000-05:00

It is wonderful to be back home here at St. John’s, even if the weather is not the most accommodating for a return from Florida! Thankfully my blood did not thin out too much during our two weeks away. While there, Sam and I completed a half marathon at Disney, and Jennifer the full marathon the next day. It was something for which we all trained since the summer, and are glad to have accomplished it and have behind us.
Now we hit the ground running. New Year’s resolutions have come, and many already gone. One which has eternal consequences is most important, and that is to be in Church every Sunday, assuming you are not hindered by travel or illness (and when traveling you can, and should, worship on Sunday as well).
In addition to being present at worship and participating in it, I would also hope the people of St. John’s will become involved in the life of the parish. This “Life” includes the spiritual, such as the Daughters of the King, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, Sunday Christian Education, home Bible study and prayer groups, weekday worship, and the like.
There is also a service component to this “Life” such as volunteering at Coffee Hour, participating with the St. Catherine’s Guild chapter of the ECW or the Armitage Men’s Club, or assisting with work/clean-up/planting days, and various outreach ministries.
And let us not forget the social aspect of this “Life”, which overlaps all of the activities and groups above, as well as the new social opportunities being planned for parishioners to get to know each other and enjoy each others’ company.
Let us all go deeper into the “Life” of the parish as we grow in the “Life” that Jesus Christ desires for us. After all, He came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Rector's Rambling - January 2, 2011

2011-01-26T16:10:00.001-05:00

Happy 2011! On January 1st a special Feast Day was commemorated. Not “New Year’s Day” (the Church New Year started on the first Sunday in Advent back on November 29th), but the Feast of the Circumcision.
Jesus, born into a family of the original covenant with the people of the Hebrews, was circumcised as the outward sign of his membership in that covenant between God and His chosen people.
There are several theologically important things happening at this event on Jesus’ eight day of life:
1) Jesus, as the fulfillment of the promise of God to send a Messiah as the fulfillment of the law, keeps the law by being circumcised.
2) This covenant, as all ancient covenants (agreements between two parties), was sealed in blood. An agreement between two parties involved a shedding of blood of some sort as a sign of the importance and long term effect of it. The shedding of this first blood through circumcision was also a permanent reminder of that membership in that covenant as God’s chosen people. More importantly it is a foreshadowing of how the new covenant would be sealed – by the shedding of Jesus’ own blood on the hard wood of the cross.
3) On this eight day another very important thing happens in the life of the Jewish male – he officially receives his name! And of course, the Name of Jesus is not only the name given by the Angel to Mary when she conceived Him by the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:21), but the Name of Jesus is the only name under heaven by which we are saved! (Acts 4:12).
So, while many were recovering from the celebration of the new secular calendar year, we have started this year off with a wonderful remembrance of our Salvation through Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
~ 1 Corinthians 15:57

Rector's Rambling - December 25/26, 2010

2011-01-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

A hearty welcome to all those joining us for worship at St. John’s! I wish you a very Merry Christmas and the blessings of peace on these Holy Days.
In St. John’s 152 years we have been a church of “destination”, with people coming from far and wide to worship in this beautiful building with its sublime music, traditional Anglican liturgy, and wonderful people.
Christmas Eve, Day, and the Sunday following are wonderful days to be at St. John’s. Not only are they wonderful days to worship the Lord, but here at St. John’s we delve deeply into the fullness of the timeless Anglican expression of the faith once delivered to the Saints.
In addition to our glorious worship, there are many wonderful things happening at St. John’s. We recently had our FAITH ALIVE weekend (November 5th – 7th) where we had a chance to be refreshed in the faith and in each other’s journey of faith, and have rededicated ourselves to the ministry God has set in place for us. In addition to our regular Sunday and weekday worship schedule, we have a bevy of organizations to deepen our faith and fellowship, and many new groups forming even now. It is a very exciting time to become regularly involved at St. John’s!
It has been a long time since St. John’s averaged a high of over 2000 people on Sunday. But it has also been over 10 years since we hit a low of 37! God has been at work in rebuilding St. John’s, and we believe that not only is He not finished, but there are amazing things ahead for this parish and its parishioners – both those here now and for those not YET members of it.
If you are visiting today we invite you to consider joining in on all the wonderful things God has in store for this parish! Become a “regular” by worshipping with us on Sundays and by getting involved in the ministries and activities of the parish and the neighborhood.
You are most welcome to be a part of all the wonderful things God is doing here: Holy Days, Sundays, and every day of the week!

Rector's Rambling - December 12, 2010

2011-01-26T16:07:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, after the service, a parishioner asked, “Father, I don't think I received a pledge card in the mail this year.” He was right, he had not. And he was the first person to notice, or at least to point it out to me.
In the past nine years we have mailed out stewardship letters, with pledge cards, to all the parishioners on our mailing list (about 250 of the addresses on our master mailing list). This was followed up by a letter with another copy of the pledge card to all those who had contributed financially to the parish in the past year (about 120 addresses or so). Finally, a third letter and card were sent to those from that second list who had not sent back a pledge card.
The result of all those letters, cards, and postage, has been nearly identical each year. We receive signed pledge cards for about 1/3 of what we actually receive each year in pledge income. We may receive $80,000 in promised pledges and then receive $250,000 in pledge income.
At budget time, the treasurer, wardens, and rector make a budget to present to the vestry for approval, to then be presented at the parish meeting in January. Those numbers are based not on pledge cards received, but an estimate based on expected expenses, and hoped-for income based on years past and anticipated events in the year to come.
Overall, the people of St. John’s are generous in support of the parish. The high average of total gifts is boosted by a few people who give very large, sacrificial gifts each week/month. Others are making smaller, yet equally sacrificial gifts as their tithe (biblical 10% offering).
But many are somewhere in the middle, needing to evaluate their giving per week. Is it truly an “offering” to the Lord of our first fruits, in thanksgiving for the blessings He has bestowed upon us, or not?
Rather than a quick and unfruitful Fall campaign (unfruitful in percentage of returned cards), instead we will in the coming year concentrate on how important Stewardship is all throughout the year!
All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee. 1 Chronicles xxix. 14.

Rector's Rambling - December 5, 2010

2011-01-26T16:06:00.000-05:00

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent, until Christmas Day.

The “Collects” are those collected prayers of the Church, gathered and ordered over the centuries, that express the intentions of the people to God. Some Collects, such as the Collect for Purity said at the beginning of every Communion Service (“Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known…”) are very ancient. The Collects appointed for each Sunday of the year in the propers (the appointed prayers and readings for Sundays and Holy Days) in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer are English translations of those of the ancient Western Liturgies codified in the old Latin Mass. Other newer Collects are added and supplemented as necessary. The Collects appointed for the day set the theme or tone for the worship of that day.
Some Collects not only set the tone for the day, but for an “octave” – that day and the seven days following for major Feasts such as All Saints’ Day. Other collects set the tone for an entire season.
The Collect for the First Sunday in Advent is one of those “All Season” Collects. It is intended to be said daily between that first Sunday and until Christmas (the next season). At Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Communion services, this Collect is said after the collect that might be appointed for that day. It is a daily reminder that, for the Season of Advent, we are to put away darkness (sin) and put on the armor of light (God’s righteousness), in preparation for the upcoming celebration of his Nativity (Christmas), and we are to do this in anticipation of his return in glorious majesty to judge the quick (the living) and the dead.
Even if you do not pray Morning and/or Evening Prayer every day from the prayer book (you can and are encouraged to do so – see this week’s teaching notes), you may still recite this Collect every day in your own personal moments of prayer.

Rector's Rambling - October 24, 2010 - Homecoming

2010-10-21T16:34:00.001-04:00

A hearty welcome to all our guests, as well as our regular visitors and parishioners on this Homecoming Sunday.
This day was conceived nine years ago in the hope that those many friends who had other home parishes, but made St. John’s their special Holy Day destination, would join us a third time each year in addition to Christmas and Easter.
Most Churches show an increase in attendance on “High Holy Days”. St. John’s is no exception! In addition to our regularly attending parishioners, St. John’s is a place where many who have family connections to the parish (present and past) come for special occasions. We also are a magnet for those whose parishes do not have the ability, or desire, to produce traditional Anglican choral music, which is especially appreciated on Feast Days. We also attract first-timers on these days, those who, although not attending anywhere regularly, find us an attractive place on these special days. And finally, we are a place that many call “home”, even though they have not yet responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be an active weekly participant in the life of the Church.
No matter where you are on your spiritual journey where this parish is concerned, we are always happy to have guests and friends here with us, and we are blessed by your presence!
It is interesting to look back at the history of this parish. In 1926, 2500 people came to services on an “average” Sunday, and 4000 on Easter. In the 1950’s, 600 people came on an “average” Sunday, with 1500 on Easter. By the 1990’s, it got as low as 37 on an average Sunday, and only 100 at Easter.
By God’s grace, things have had a general upward trend the last 10 years. This past year we averaged 188 on Sundays, with over 400 on Easter and Christmas. That is a pretty good start. After all, we can seat 800 people at any service!
This Homecoming Sunday you will hear about our upcoming Faith Alive Weekend which will take place November 5 – 7. I hope that whether a regular member, occasional visitor, or friend, you will consider joining us on these three days to be a part of the wonderful upward springing of the parish’s growth in grace and attendance, that we may be the holy people and parish God intends us to be!

Rector's Rambling - October 17, 2010 - 10 year musing

2010-10-21T16:32:00.000-04:00

At the end of February I will (God willing) reach a milestone – the 10th Anniversary of my serving here at St. John’s as Rector. This upcoming occasion has caused me to muse a bit on the past while looking to the future.
My first 2-1/2 years as a priest were as the curate (assistant) at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, on what is called the Philadelphia Main Line. This was a wonderful Anglo-Catholic Episcopal parish tucked between Villanova University and Rosemont, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr Colleges.
My next position was as the Rector of a parish in a small town 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, St. Mary’s in Charleroi. At one time this town and the surrounding towns were thick with a dozen or so steel mills, but only the remnant of one was left, plus a corning glass factory, and a coal mine. There were many joys ministering in this town where nearly everyone had lived there all their lives! I spent about 4-1/2 years as Rector of St. Mary’s.
In late 2000 God began to prepare me to answer the call to come back to the Detroit area, where I had grown up. Long-time member Dave Schafer and my father were friends and co-workers, and Dave had kept me informed the about the last Rector’s pending retirement, as well as the interim priest situation at St. John’s. Finally, in October of 2000, a search committee was formed and I was contacted about interviewing for the position.
In addition to an interview with Bishop Gibbs that November day, and lunch with the search committee, we had a parish potluck with the Search Committee, Vestry, and their families. It is unusual to expose so many people to a candidate, but enjoyable none the less!
I knew by that evening that I would be called to St. John’s, and after due diligence on the part of the Vestry I was formally called to be Rector in January, arriving in February.
In hindsight, between the search committee, vestry, and their families, I met almost the entire parish at that potluck the day I interviewed! But I didn’t know that at the time. I would not find out how small a congregation St. John’s had until after I accepted the position as rector – but that is a story for another day.

Rector's Rambling - October 10, 2010 - Faith Alive & Address Change

2010-10-21T16:30:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we had a visit from Mr. Jerry Steege, the coordinator from Faith Alive’s offices. A retired doctor now living in Florida, Jerry has been working with Cindy Grimwade and the “Home Team” in helping to get all things coordinated for the upcoming Faith Alive weekend here at St. John’s November 5–7.
In addition to giving our Faith Alive minute at the 8:00 and 10:00 AM services, he met with various committee members to get an update, face to face, on the planning progress. He was pleased to see what a wonderful job the “Home Team” (committee members from St. John’s) are doing, and how far along we are in the planning. Thank you to all who have been busy praying and working to make this upcoming weekend a blessing for this parish.
Also last week we began our sign up process. Yours truly has been reminding folks to sign up while greeting people after the services. Others signed up in the parish hall. Within 4 hours of formally starting the sign up process, we already had close to 80 people on the list for Friday evening’s dinner and program! This is an encouraging start! Sign up will continue today in the back of the church and in the undercroft, and can also be done on-line as well. I look forward to seeing your name on the attendance list.
ADDRESS CHANGE? Some may have noticed the church address to the left now says 2326 Woodward Avenue, rather than the familiar 50 E. Fisher Freeway. In fact 2326 Woodward is the original parish mailing address, located in the former Rectory (which was torn down in 1936). By the 1880’s the mailing address became 50 E. Montcalm because the parish office was in the old parish hall building (torn down in 1971). The 50 E. Fisher Freeway address belongs to the current office building in the rear.
Our historic 2326 Woodward designation has been reclaimed for clarity. We are the oldest church on Woodward Avenue, and mapping/GPS programs more readily identify the Woodward location.
Both addresses will continue to be valid, but the 2326 Woodward Avenue address will become the primary address in print.

Rector's Rambling - October 3, 2010 - St. Michael & St. Francis

2010-10-21T16:29:00.001-04:00

Today we are celebrating the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels. The feast day actually occurs on September 29th, but it is an important enough feast that it has an “octave” assigned to it – which means that it can be celebrated for 8 days! We are celebrating it on the Sunday within the octave.
It is an important feast day because there is a lot of misunderstanding about the ministry of angels and who they are in their created order. Keeping this feast day allows us to give thanks to God for their creation and their ministry, as well as be informed about who they are and what they do (and who they aren’t and what they don’t do) so we can dispel the myths and mis-information surrounding them.
Today, being October 3rd, it is also the Eve of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. We will celebrate this THIS EVENING AT 4:00 PM with an Evensong in the garden, and Blessing of Pets. Be sure to come back and bring your pet to be blessed! We will also offer later a separate Franciscan Service of The Transitus.
St. Francis lived in the 13th century in Italy. The son of a middle class cloth merchant, “Frenchy” chased after military glory in hopes of elevating his and his family’s status by earning knighthood. Instead, God used him to renew the Church.
After a conversion experience in which Jesus told him to “rebuild my Church”, Francis embraced absolute poverty in order to preach the gospel without being attached to property concerns. Many others were attracted to his way of life and joined him. Three modern religious orders are the fruit of his call – The First Order Franciscans (brown robed friars living together in a community), Second Order semi-enclosed nuns (the Poor Clares), and Third Order men and women following a rule of life, but living in the world with their families.
Although the rule of life has changed over the years, the charism (“spirit”) lives on in the Franciscan vocation.
~ Additional information is available at www.FODC.net

Rector's Rambling - September 26, 2010 - Retreat

2010-10-21T16:27:00.000-04:00

RETREAT!

No, this is not a call to fall back to a previous military position. Rather, it is that time of the year that it seems every group/church organization has a Retreat.
The weekend retreat is pretty common in the life of the Church. It is a chance to “shake up” one’s schedule, and to spend time concentrating on spiritual matters in a directed way. This can happen at a retreat center, or a church, or even in a hotel. It can include staying overnight at a location or commuting back and forth to be present at the retreat.
This weekend sees several different gatherings of this type affecting St. John’s and her members.
Here at St. John’s we are hosting a Cursillo Weekend for men. Cursillo means “short course” on Christianity. Originated in the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, Cursillo now spans continents and denominations as an effective way to hone in on one’s vocation and God’s calling to you. The Cursillo weekend started Thursday night and the participants have been staying overnight in the building.
Several members of the congregation are away in Buffalo, New York this weekend for the yearly gathering of the Franciscan Third Order of the Divine Compassion, a group of people (lay or ordained, married or single) who are striving to live under a Rule of Life based on one developed by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th Century. This past week the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC) also met for its yearly North American gathering of its priest members.
And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that we have a weekend gathering coming up for all St. John’s members – Faith Alive (November 5–7). It will be a great time for fellowship and discernment about how God is calling us individually, and corporately as a parish, to deepen our living faith. Although we will not be staying here overnight, it will be a weekend full of great opportunities to be together. I implore you to clear your calendar for these days and plan on being present!

Rector's Rambling - September 19, 2010 - Faith Alive

2010-10-21T16:26:00.001-04:00

Sunday School and Adult Education got off to a good start last week, and it sure was wonderful to have the full choir back as well.
In the coming weeks you will be hearing a lot about the Faith Alive weekend on November 5-7. For the past 5 weeks we have started announcements with the Faith Alive minute, given by members of the “home” team helping to plan the weekend. There has also been information in the Ministry Notes in the Parish Chronicle, and various inserts. In our newsletter, The Eagle, there are articles and a schedule of the happenings of the Faith Alive weekend.
Now is the time for the members of the parish to get on board. Sign ups for participating in the weekend are beginning. We need to know who will be coming so that we can plan in advance for meals, meeting space/location, etc. But more importantly, the sign up period will show the commitment you have to being there for your own spiritual health as well as the spiritual health of the parish.
We are asking for your participation on Friday evening, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning. Yes, it is a lot. Yes, St. John’s is a long way from many parishioner’s homes. Yes, three days is a lot of time to be coming down here. But YOU, and ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, are worth it!
In my nearly 10 years here we have had fits and spurts of growth in grace and membership. From 45 to 190 average Sunday attendance is a good start, especially considering how many people have moved away in those nearly 10 years. But the continued and increased spiritual health of the parish is the foundation on which any future growth and health must be built.
Whether you are an every Sunday attendee, or perhaps sporadic in being here, God is calling YOU to participate November 5-7. Be sure to sign up for Faith Alive for your good, and the good of the parish as a whole.
I have never heard anyone who has done a Faith Alive weekend say they wish they hadn’t. Quite the opposite. Come and experience it yourself!

Rector's Rambling - September 12, 2010 - Christian Education

2010-10-21T16:24:00.000-04:00

Today we get back into the swing of the education program at St. John’s.
A few years ago there was a public service announcement that ended with the tag-line, “never stop learning”. This is certainly true when it comes to our life of faith!
Most of us know that Sunday School is an important element of a parish church. All children in the parish should be participating in Sunday School! We certainly would be shocked if a parent decided not to have their child educated by not sending them to school, or arranging to school them at home. And yet, some in the body of Christ, who faithfully do the secular requirements of education, do not have the same vigilance to have their children educated in the things that have eternal consequences. In Sunday School, the children not only learn the facts of the scriptures, but also learn to love them, because they point us to Jesus. As they grow, they need this foundation of faith to fight against the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. What are we saying to our children when we make a great effort to get them to school Monday through Friday, but Sunday School (or, God forbid, Sunday Worship) can be put aside for other matters? Children absorb their parents’/grandparents’/guardians’ priorities.
What is true for the children in Sunday School is also true for adults. We also need to continue to learn more and more about our Lord and His Church. Reading and studying the Scriptures at home is a great start! Being involved in Adult Education at St. John’s is another great place to be! The Alpha Course is yet another great opportunity, as are other programs put on in this parish. And in the coming months, as a result of the Faith Alive Weekend, we hope to branch out into small group ministry where people can gather together during the week to study the Word of God together.
Children and adults alike are called to keep learning! Let us do so to His greater honor and glory!

Rector's Rambling - September 5, 2010 - Labor Day

2010-10-21T16:19:00.000-04:00

Come Labor on! Who dare stand idle, on the harvest plain; while all around us wave the golden grain? And to each servant does the Master say, “Go work today.” ~ Hymn 576

This weekend Summer makes its last “hurrah” as we celebrate the Labor Day weekend. Here in the Metro Detroit Area the weekend is celebrated with great festivities: Arts, Beats, and Eats in Royal Oak, and the Jazz Festival here in Detroit. There are plenty of things to do this weekend as we bring summer to an unofficial close. On Tuesday school begins and society gets back into its fall/winter/spring routine.
Of course, all of the above activities, as fun as they may be, have nothing to do with the holiday itself. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” (www.DoL.gov) And, in fact, many labor unions will hold rallies this weekend to celebrate the American worker, the unions themselves, and their various causes. This grand old stone edifice on the corner of Woodward and Fisher Freeway has seen many a labor parade and rally pass by its doors.
Labor unions have evolved over the years, and our economy has certainly changed in the last 125 years! Membership in unions has declined as employment in manufacturing and other “labor intensive” industries have automated or moved away.
As we celebrate Labor Day this year, let us remember in our prayers that our common good is dependent upon each other. The creation and sustaining of gainful employment is a recognition of each other’s basic humanity and dignity. As the Department of Labor says, “The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.”
Reprinted from The Chronicle, 9-2-2007

Rector's Rambling - August 29, 2010 - Morning Prayer w/ Communion

2010-10-21T16:18:00.001-04:00

It’s the fifth Sunday of the month and that means that once again we have the opportunity to pray Morning Prayer with Holy Communion, as we do every 2nd and 5th Sunday.
In the teaching notes there is a bit of the background on why we do this combined service on these two Sundays.
In some parishes it was the tradition to alternate Holy Communion and Morning Prayer Sundays. This was a derivation from the more ancient practice of Holy Communion every time the Body of Christ (the Church) gathered.
In Anglicanism (the Episcopal Church is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion) the prayer book understanding was that every parish would have Morning Prayer, Litany AND Holy Communion every Sunday (everyone, all together, for all three services) and then would return on Sunday evening for Evening Prayer.
As time went on, when parishes were without their own priest, only Morning Prayer, Litany, and “Ante-Communion” would be prayed, led by a lay reader. The “ante-Communion” is the part of the Communion service, readings, and prayers before the actual consecration prayer.
Over time parishes have pared down on the length and number of services. This morning’s combination is a great way to keep the Morning Prayer service, using it as the ante-communion, as well as keeping the more ancient practice of Holy Communion every week.
One reason I like Morning Prayer on Sunday is because YOU now know how to pray it! The Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer were written for EVERYONE to be able to pray Morning and Evening Prayer, using the Book of Common Prayer and a Bible, in their home every day of the week. The clergy are expected to do so, and many others in the parish pray it daily as well (I know because when I make a mistake on the cycle of readings on page 3 they call to ask for the correction).
If you don’t have a copy of the Prayer Book we have free copies in the parish library. Add a bible and you have all you need to pray it daily.

Rector's Rambling - August 22, 2010 - Confessing

2010-10-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

I recently had a revelation about something concerning the Church and our Faith, and I wanted to take a moment to share it with you here.
In a discussion with someone about salvation, the talk also turned to the idea of ‘confession’. It was in this discussion that I had this revelation.
Salvation, of course, is about Jesus Christ. We believe it is by Grace, through Faith in Jesus Christ, that we are saved. He has accomplished the work of our salvation on the Cross and it is by His merits that we are saved.
This person I was speaking with was in a spot where he wanted to know what he had to do to be saved. Immediately I responded, as did the Apostle Paul to his jailers, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” (Acts 16:31).
“Believe in what?” he replied, to which I answered, “that He is the Son of God, that He loves you, and forgives your sin”. It was at this moment that I had the revelation.
There are two general uses of the word “confession” in the Church. The most common one today is “confession of sin”. In our liturgies from the Book of Common Prayer there is a General Confession. Here we acknowledge our sin, and general sinfulness, before God and receive an assurance of our forgiveness. There is also the sacrament of auricular confession, where you confess your sins to God through the ministry of the priest and receive absolution as well.
The more ancient, and still current definition of the word “confession” is to make a statement of belief. St. Augustine wrote a famous book call The Confession. It is not about the sacrament, but an autobiography of his coming to belief in Jesus Christ as Lord.
For the first time I realized that both definitions are related concerning salvation. We confess that we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we confess our sins because we know that since He is Lord He can, and has, forgiven our sins.
This person was greatly assured by both definitions. He both believed that Jesus was Lord, and that he was forgiven by Him.
May we too believe that Jesus is Lord, and confess Him as such, AND confess our sins that we may receive that forgiveness from Him.

Rector's Rambling - August 15, 2010 - St. Mary the Virgin

2010-10-21T16:15:00.000-04:00

August 15th is a major feast day in the life of the Church. Today we are commemorating that feast with the second Collect of the Day.
Known in Anglicanism as The Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, August 15th is a day commemorated in Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and some Lutheran bodies, to honor Jesus’ mother.
For the Roman Catholics this day is known as The Feast of the Assumption. Tradition says that Mary, after her death, was bodily taken into heaven to be with her son. This is what the Church believes will happen to ALL OF US at the end of time, known as the General Resurrection. At that time, all will rise from the dead with their resurrection bodies. The Roman teaching is that Mary received this in anticipation of the General Resurrection since it is from her body that the Son of God Incarnate took his flesh. Although not explicitly contained in scripture, it is attested to by multiple early writers and by the lack of any bodily relics of Mary (something for which we have for all the apostles and many biblical characters).
For the Orthodox this day is known as The Feast of the Dormition, or the falling asleep of the Theotokos (God-bearer).
For Anglicans and Lutherans it is a recognition of the importance of Mary in the story of our salvation. She gives her “fiat” at the Angel Gabriel’s announcement of her being chosen to be pregnant with the second person of the Trinity (Luke 1:38). She raises Jesus to be a good Jew in accordance with the original covenant. She is complicit in his first public miracle at Cana, interceding for her son, and instructing the servants to “do whatever he tells you” (John 2:3–5). She is faithful and present at His public ministry, His Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and the Coming of the Holy Ghost.
When Mary visits her kinswoman Elizabeth, she deflects Elizabeth’s praises, pointing instead to Our Lord. “My soul doth magnify the Lord…” and a recognition that “from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:45–56).
We call Mary blessed for Jesus’ sake.

Rector's Rambling - August 8, 2010 - Weekday Communion

2010-10-21T16:14:00.000-04:00

Other than Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, I would suspect that less than 15 percent of the parish has ever attended a weekday celebration of The Holy Communion at St. John’s. This is probably an above average number for a parish of our size, especially since the congregation is spread from Algonac to Ann Arbor and beyond.
I wish that more people would make this a part of their spiritual discipline (attendance increases during Lent when extra discipline is understood). I know for me, the beginning of my new life in Christ and the decision to actively participate in the Christian Faith began with my stumbling upon a weekday celebration of Evening Prayer and Mass, and was fortified the following Lent by beginning the discipline of daily weekday Mass attendance. Living in Philadelphia, I had a schedule of at least 5 other parishes offering Holy Communion on any particular day, at various times, and would be sure that no matter what my schedule was I would get to one of those services. We don’t have the preponderance of Episcopal churches in the Detroit Area that Philadelphia does, nor the options of various weekday Mass times, but there are Masses available here at St. John’s and at some other parishes. We have many “regulars” at our weekday services; not only parishioners, but also people who live and work in the area around the church, and even have visitors from out of town.
Having said all that, I would like to point out not only that we have Holy Communion Tuesday through Thursday at 12:15 PM at St. John’s, but on special holy days in the evening as well.
You may pray Morning and Evening Prayer at home, but you need a priest and congregation to receive the Blessed Sacrament. And whether two or 20 people are here, we are lifting up the entire parish in prayer. Please join us!

Rector's Rambling - August 1, 2010 - More Founders Day

2010-10-21T16:13:00.001-04:00

What great fun we had last Sunday with our Founder’s Day celebration. It will certainly be an on-going annual event!
As I mused about the day before its approach, and have thought about it since. I continue to be struck by how much some things have changed about St. John’s in the past 151 years, and yet how much really is the same.
Ninety-five percent of the wording of the service was the same, even if it was a bit tricky to read whether a letter was an “f” or an “s” at times. At the 8:00 AM service I drew a complete blank while trying to interpret a word during the 10 commandments – and I know them off by heart!
The re-ordering of parts of the service was also interesting. Putting the prayer of humble access at the beginning of the Communion Canon seems very odd to me, but then when it was changed to where it is in the1928 Prayer Book it must have seemed strange to them too! And although the full text of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and the Exhortations are found in the 1928 Prayer Book, they are seldom if ever used. Yet they contain GREAT theology about what we are doing in Church each Sunday and why it is so vitally important that we receive Communion regularly.
That same good, biblically sound theology as promulgated by the Anglican prayer book tradition continues to be in full effect here at St. John’s. What was true about Jesus and His Church in the 1860’s continues to be true today. The Word of God is the Word of God.
Unfortunately, our denomination continues to move further from her moorings. Every few weeks I read something else happening in our denomination and just shake my head that so many have moved so far from the “Faith once delivered to the Saints”.
Pray, pray, pray for the Episcopal Church, for our world-wide Anglican Communion, and for all of us caught in the middle between those standing firm and those moving away.

Rector's Rambling - July 25, 2010 - Founders Day

2010-10-21T16:11:00.000-04:00

Welcome to all our visitors and friends who are with us today for our Founders’ Day! This is the second of what we hope will continue to be an annual event in July. It is a good way to break up the summer routine and to celebrate the “goodly heritage” that we have here at St. John’s Church in Detroit.
It is hard to imagine, especially given all the busyness of the neighborhood today with a Detroit Tiger baseball game, that when this parish was founded, and the church and chapel built, this area was primarily farmlands and orchards. This was considered “out of town” by those living closer to Jefferson (which was most of the population). But Henry Porter Baldwin had a vision that Detroit would grow to the north (he had already built a house out here) and that it would be a great location to plant a parish church!
Within a few years of the founding of this parish it became the largest Episcopal congregation west of the Allegheny mountains, with over 2500 people attending seven Sunday services each week. Communion was celebrated daily as well – very rarely done back then, but a mark of this parish’s early Oxford Movement/High Church moorings.
St. John’s prominence and leadership continued for its first 70 years. Five of the initial 10 Rectors were elected bishop, its first Rector being appointed successor to an Episcopal Church saint, Bishop Jackson Kemper of the High Church diocese of Wisconsin.
The next 70 years of the parish’s life were ones of decline, mirroring the changes in the neighborhood, from posh-residential to commercial, and eventually to dereliction. During this period we changed to a more Low Church leadership.
We are now in the midst of our third 70 year cycle. The churchmanship has been restored, the neighborhood is reviving, and St. John’s has seen attendance increase from about 50 on Sunday in 2000 to an average of 196 last year. It is a good start, yet we still have empty seats to fill.
What hasn’t changed in the past 151 years is the faith of this parish: biblically and solidly Anglican through and through. May God grant us continued faithfulness.

Rector's Rambling - July 18, 2010

2010-07-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

If past experience is any indicator, when you are reading this on Sunday morning you will have a parish priest who is over-tired, with a hoarse throat, and yet walking two feet above the ground.
I am writing this before The St. Michael’s Conference for Youth. My experience is that the clergy don’t get enough sleep because we are up earlier than the Michaelites and then after they go to bed it takes a little while for us to debrief from the day.
We also sing A LOT during the week at both Morning Communion and Evensong and the hymns are all the old favorites which the clergy tends to over-sing (you can almost see Dr. Lewis’ head nodding as I write this about clergy in general).
But I am sure I am also excited about having spent such a great week at the Conference, teaching the children and being a part of their growing in faith!
The other great thing about the St. Michael’s Conference this week is that I was not near a computer except for the rare occasion. This is a welcome break from the madness of trying to keep up with email and various social networking websites. As much fun, and as informative, as they can be, it is always nice to step away from them for a welcome break.
Next week we have our second annual Founders Day celebration. We will sing appropriate hymns from the period of the founding of St. John’s, and will use the original liturgy used in the first 30 years of this parish. Afterwards we will have an ice cream social in the garden, weather permitting.
It is hard to believe, but 150 years ago this past June 6th the cornerstone of the Church was laid. The story of the cornerstone laying was on the front page of the Detroit Free Press. Back then positive church news was front page news. Within a week after the opening of the Chapel in November of 1859 the vestry began making plans to build the Church because the chapel was already too small for our growing congregation. Wouldn’t it be great to have problems like that today!

Rector's Rambling - July 11, 2010

2010-07-07T13:46:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I and eight parishioners from St. John’s will head over to the Manresa Retreat Center in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for the beginning of the St. Michael’s Conference for Youth, Midwest.
My first experience with “St. Mike’s” was while I was in seminary, the Summer of 1993. I had been roped by a mentor into serving as visiting clergy on staff at the original conference in Massachusetts and did not particularly look forward to “Church Camp” (which is what I thought it was). What I experienced instead was a dynamic gathering of clergy, laity, and teens, worshipping, learning, and playing, all to the Greater Glory of God! After my initial reluctance to go, I had two great things happen that week: 1) One staff member got to know me and later offered me the position as his curate, and, more importantly, 2) on the last evening I met my wife when she came to visit her younger sister who was attending that week!
I served one more year as visiting clergy at the Massachusetts conference and, after a few years hiatus, was volunteered once again (this time by Bishop Ackerman) to serve at the newer extension of the conference in Michigan. At the time I was the Rector of a parish near Pittsburgh and used to drive a group of teens from that parish to Michigan for the conference. I have been on staff ever since.
At the beginning of the conference the director goes over the rules. The only way the conference can run smoothly is for everyone to know the boundaries of proper behavior. Every year he begins the speech by saying, “you are not here to have fun and make friends. You are here to learn about Jesus Christ and His Church, and to become a better churchman to go into the world as a witness of His Love. BUT, if you keep this in focus as the primary thing, you will find that you will ALSO have fun, and make friends as well!” This has proven true year after year.
This is now my 14th year on staff at the St. Michael’s Conferences. My son Sam is in his third year, and Andrew starts this year. I look forward, God willing, to all my children having the opportunity to participate in this wonderful week.
Now is the time to start thinking about your children/grandchildren going next year!

Rector's Rambling - July 4, 2010

2010-07-07T13:45:00.000-04:00

Today we are commemorating the “birthday” of our country, the 234th year after the public acclamation of our Independence from the King of England.
I went to college in Philadelphia, the cradle of our Independence (pace to those from Boston who think otherwise). While living there, a passing interest in colonial history became an avocation. Not only did I become an amateur tour guide to many historic sites in colonial Philadelphia, but ended up working with a National Guard unit which had its foundation before the Revolutionary War and participated as a Calvary Unit under General Washington. It was with the First Troop Philadelphia City Calvary that I learned how to ride horses and served in their ceremonial parade unit, an interest which continues through my one-time chaplaincy work with the Detroit Police Mounted Unit, and now on the foundation of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Mounted Unit.
Even to this day, I continue to be fascinated with the early history of our country. Being created by fallen human beings (no one is perfect!), the continued blessings and growth in grace that has occurred on our soil is proof of God’s blessing on the endeavor begun nearly 2 1/2 centuries ago.
However, also being interested in reading theology, I am struck by many similarities in our current society, and that which is described in St. Augustine’s The City of God. St. Augustine, describing the fall of the Roman Empire, happening in his own time, is responding to claims made by some pagans that the fall is a punishment by the Roman “gods” for turning from their religion to Christianity. St. Augustine goes on to take apart that argument, not only by defending the truth and virtue of the Christian Faith, but by showing them that the fall of the Roman Empire had more to do with the growing affluence, lack of virtue, immorality, and luke-warm religiosity of the leaders and upper-classes of society. St. Augustine rails on those who try to justify their increasing immorality by projecting it onto their religion, trying to change its teaching. Sound familiar?
“America! America! God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.”
O beautiful for spacious skies, v.2b

Rector's Rambling - June 27, 2010

2010-07-07T13:44:00.001-04:00

We welcome summer with all its glory by celebrating a baptism this Sunday at the 10:00 AM service.
One great restoration to the liturgy of the Church has been to move baptisms back into the midst of community worship. If you look at the liturgy as published in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (and its predecessors) you will note that the assumption is that the baptism would occur as a completely separate service of the Church. Many of us were baptized on a Saturday, having been brought to a church by our parents and god-parents in order to be baptized in a 10 minute liturgy of re-birth (regeneration) as our Lord commanded (you must be born again of water and the spirit). Others may have been baptized on a Sunday before or after the Sunday liturgies.
In the ancient Church, baptisms took place during the liturgy, the newly baptized entering the community through the waters of baptism, and seeing for the first time the celebration of the Holy Communion. Aspirants and Catechumens (those preparing for baptism) were only present for the ante-communion, which is the beginning of the liturgy through the Sursum Corda (The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts…). On the day of their baptism, they not only received communion for the first time, they saw the Eucharistic Canon for the first time as well!
So too we now have the vast majority of our baptisms during the primary Sunday worship. It is a manifold reality that not only is the person being regenerate (born-again), but they are also becoming a part of a community that promises to be a part of their being members of the Body of Christ, and helping to uphold them in prayer and virtuous living.
Also, I find baptisms to be encouraging. It is an encouragement to see that more children are joining the Church to be brought up in the faith, and adults are also coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord!
We rejoice today at the incorporation of another person into the Body of Christ, the Church, and pray that God will bring more and more people into his flock here at St. John’s.

Rector's Rambling - June 20, 2010

2010-07-07T13:42:00.001-04:00

Today, on the secular calendar, is Father’s Day. Congrats and well wishes to all the ‘dads’ in the congregation! May God bless all dads in their continued responsibility to be a good husband to their wife and father to their children. And above all, may you call upon His Grace to help you to be an earthly example of His Fatherly love from heaven!

Today in the Church there is some desire to move away from the title of “Father” for God, the first person of the Holy Trinity. A combination of a desire to change the revealed doctrines about Him, a desire to make the church more feminine, or a reaction to the hurts caused by sinful earthly fathers giving “Father” a bad name. All these have given some pause to the use of the title “Father”.

But all other titles pale in comparison, since it is this name that He gives us himself, and Jesus calls Him Father as well. The title “Mother” for a deity is pagan in origin, and besides which Jesus had a mother (Mary). But His father is God. Other titles for the first person of the Holy Trinity, as well as the other persons, are usually based on His attributes: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer. These are attributes of all three persons of the Trinity, not proper titles of the persons.

It is unfortunate that some fathers neglect their responsibilities and give “Father” a bad name. All us dads are called to look to our heavenly Father for the example of all accepting love, caring concern and involvement in the life of our children, and strength of character by grace-filled virtuous living. And when we fail, repent and make amends!

Rather than judging the title “Father” by poor earthly imitations, may we always know that it is our heavenly Father to whom the ideal of Fatherhood is to be attributed, and to which all men are called to emulate.

Rector's Rambling - June 13, 2010

2010-07-07T13:40:00.000-04:00

Today we are back into our ‘green’ season. Not green meaning ecologically friendly, but rather green because it is the color of the vestments and hangings.
Each Church season has a color assigned to it. White (or gold) is the festive colors for Christmas and Eastertide. Purple is the penitential color for Advent and Lent. Other special Sundays like Pentecost and for Apostles and Martyrs are commemorated in red.
Now we are in Trinity-tide, or the ordinary season. The Sundays are numbered from Trinity Sunday two weeks ago (the new prayer book orders it from Pentecost Sunday). It is also called “ordinary time” because the Sundays are ordered and the theme is a systematic study of the teachings and miracles of Jesus, as well as the Epistle writings.
This is the longest liturgical season of the year, lasting until just before Thanksgiving. We will be wearing the green vestments until then, with a few notable exceptions: St. James the Apostle on July 25th, St. Mary the Virgin on August 15, St. Michael and All Angels (observed) on October 3rd, and All Saints Sunday on November 7th. All these Sundays, except the red for St. James, will see a re-appearance of the white vestments.
Why the changes? Like many other aspects of our worship, things have meanings to help us to grow in our understanding of the different aspect of the faith. If you see me come out in purple, then you know it is a penitential day. If I have red on it is Pentecost (like the tongues of fire) or a Martyr’s day (gave their life for Jesus and symbolizing blood). If I come out in white it is a special holy day or season. The color is a physical clue as to the tone and theme of the worship that morning.
Finally, let me remind everyone that although summer is school vacation time, we do not take a vacation from our obligation to worship Jesus every Sunday in His Church, and to receive the sacrament of His Body and Blood. Be sure to make attending Church on Sunday a priority in your life….thankfully Jesus made you a priority in His by dying for you!

Rector's Rambling - June 6, 2010

2010-07-07T13:39:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday was a wonderful day, with a large crowd of people in Church, the hot dog luncheon following, and then the Choir singing the National Anthem before the Tigers soundly defeated the Oakland Athletics. After all that we also had a wedding at 5:30pm - a wonderful way to top off a wonderful day!
A hearty thank you to everyone who pitched in to make our Tiger Baseball Outing Sunday such a success! The Armitage Men’s Club and their auxiliary helpers in the kitchen, the choir for a sublime performance in worship as well as at Comerica Park, The Altar Guild members who helped in the morning and Suzie Decker and Chris Golembiewski who helped at the wedding, as well as the Ushers who helped at the wedding after a long afternoon in the sun.
And a special thank you to all who invited friends and family to join us for Church and the game following. A special kudo goes to John Barge who brought over 75 people with him to the game!!!! There were others who had more than 10 or 15 tickets sold. Several first time visitors mentioned that they are going to return again this Sunday - may it be so (perhaps I should have mentioned we don’t have hot dogs every week).
Today is the start of our ‘summer’ season. We start it with a feast day - Corpus Christi. We celebrate the gift of the Sacrament of our Lord’s own Body and Blood under the auspices of the bread and wine. Although the actual grand celebration of the Feast was Thursday, we keep the propers (lessons) today as well. It is so nice we celebrate it twice!
The Choir is now down to quartet size for the summer, the Sunday School is on hiatus, and our dress becomes perhaps a bit more casual in anticipation of the warmer temperatures during worship. But all this being true, our Lord still expects us to be present every Sunday at worship, whether here at St. John’s, or near where you might be traveling during your holiday.
Our Lord doesn’t take a summer vacation from showering his love and grace upon us, we should not expect to take a vacation from our loving and grace-filled response by worshipping Him in His Church!

Rector's Rambling - May 30, 2010

2010-07-07T13:38:00.001-04:00

Although parishes are linked by a common heritage, basics concerning the worship form, and hopefully a common faith, each parish has its own unique set of circumstances that affected its character.
Sometimes this uniqueness is manifest by its adherence to the more ancient forms of worship, well honed by years of theological and liturgical contemplation and participation, such as we have here at St. John’s. Sometimes its character is formed by the physical church structure, which points toward an appropriate expression of faith. The history of a parish, particularly if there is some persecution involved, can also make an indelible impression on a parish. And, of course, the members themselves affect who the parish is and how it expresses itself.
One other way a parish’s character is formed is by its location. An affluent suburban parish will be different in many ways to a struggling neighborhood urban church.
Today is one of those days that we manifest the unique character of St. John’s due to the circumstance of our neighborhood! Our Tiger Baseball Outing Sunday is one of our largest Sundays for attendance! We are certainly grateful for the many friends, family, and neighbors who are joining us this Sunday for worship, fellowship, and of course the baseball game following. No other Episcopal Parish in the Diocese has this unique circumstance of having a Major League baseball stadium built 250 yards away from her back door!
It is hard to imagine today that when this parish was opened about 151 years ago, this building was out in the country! Since then the city has grown up and around her, changing the neighborhood and the make-up of the congregation, as it has changed from rural to residential to commercial and now chiefly entertainment related.
And yet the one thing that does NOT change is Jesus Christ, the faith revealed to us by Him in Scripture, and that same faith propagated in the Anglican tradition through the Book of Common Prayer (1549 - 1928 editions). May God grant us a long lifetime of fidelity to Him.

Rector's Rambling - May 23, 2010

2010-07-07T13:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to The Church! Today is the day we account as the birthday of the Church as God the Holy Ghost empowers Jesus’ disciples to continue His work!
The past 9 days many people have been praying a nine day prayer intention for the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Below is a summation of those gifts.
“Holy Fear – a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend him. Piety – begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father.
Fortitude – the souls is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in performance of duty. Knowledge – enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth, in their relation to God. Understanding – helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. Counsel – endows the souls with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Wisdom – the most perfect of gifts! It strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree.”
From these gifts we begin to see the Fruits of the Holy Ghost. As St. Paul describes them in his letter to the Galatians, Chapter 5, beginning at verse 22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
As our nine-day prayer intention states, “The gifts of the Holy Ghost perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Ghost, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are know as Fruits of the Holy Ghost. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, to serve Whom is to reign.”
Novena by The Holy Ghost Fathers, 1912 www.ewtn.com

Rector's Rambling - May 16, 2010

2010-07-07T13:35:00.000-04:00

Eastertide has now come and gone, and in a few weeks we will be back in the ‘green’ of ordinary time, also known as Trinitytide.
Easter is certainly the primary feast of the Church calendar. It is by Jesus’ death and resurrection that we have the price of our sins paid, and death conquered by Jesus himself.
Ascension Day, which was last Thursday, is the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus takes his human body, resurrected, with Him back into the Godhead to intercede for us.
Today we are between times. Like the disciples we are preparing for the promise of the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. We have been praying since Friday a Novena for the gifts of the Holy Ghost, just as the disciples spent those 9 days between Ascension and Pentecost in prayer. You are most welcome to join this novena—there are forms for it at the back of the Church, and it is being sent daily to the St. John’s Email list.
Sunday, May 24th is Whitsunday, also known as Pentecost. In this day we celebrate the birthday of the Church by the coming of the Holy Ghost to empower the followers of Jesus to continue His work and propagate the Gospel.
The following week we have Trinity Sunday, when the Rector feebly tries to explain this vital dogma about God being 1 God in 3 persons. Trinity Sunday this year is also our baseball outing Sunday.
The following Thursday, June 3rd we have our festive celebration of Corpus Christi—the Body of Christ. We rejoice and give thanks that Jesus feeds us with his own body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. We will have a guest preacher this day (to be announced soon), and the grandest liturgy we have. It will be followed by a torchlit reception in the Garden.
The following Sunday is our last hurrah for the white vestments before getting into the long green liturgical season.
So even though Easter is past, we still have several weeks of exciting, important Sundays to come.

Rector's Rambling - May 9, 2010

2010-07-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

Today is a day chock-full of events. First, it is Rogation Sunday, the Sunday before Ascension Day (Thursday, May 13). We will have a symbolic “beating the bounds” of the parish at the 10am Service by singing the Litany Hymn in procession around the outside perimeter of the Church building.
We will also be inducting five new members into our Chapter of the Daughters of the King, have our Spring UTO ingathering - and also celebrate the secular Mother’s Day
We also introduce and welcome our Summer Intern, Mr. Alex Quick. A native of Saline, Michigan, Alex is a graduate of Hope College. He is currently studying for a Masters degree in Divinity (MDiv) at Wycliff College at the University of Toronto, and hopes to be ordained a priest. Alex is not a stranger to St. John’s. He has been a regular visitor to our parish since last summer. He is a college and larger church friend with people currently or formerly at St. John’s, and has also met many parishioners in his visits here during school breaks.
The purpose of this summer internship is to immerse the intern in all aspects of parish life and work in preparation for professional pastoral ministry. In other words, Alex is getting an introduction into the life of being a parish priest, although he is not yet ordained.
Alex will be with us on Sundays learning various aspects of how the parish functions on its primary day of worship and education. He will also be at St. John’s on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as other weekdays occasionally, to participate in pastoral hospital and home calling, administration and vestry meetings, the Alpha Course, and other projects inside and outside the parish.
It is a privilege for our parish to be able to mentor future priests and to help to train up the next generation of leaders in His Church.

Rector's Rambling - May 2, 2010

2010-07-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

Today we are back to our regular celebration of the Easter Season, having taken a slight deviation last week with the celebration of the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. It was wonderful to use the new red Solemn High Mass vestment set which will make its next appearance on May 23rd for Whitsunday.
More immediately, next week is a week chock-full of events crammed into one day. First, it is Rogation Sunday, the Sunday before Ascension Day (Thursday, May 13). On the rogation days, we pray God’s blessing on the parish, particularly with the planting of crops - but by extension on all human labor as well. In a symbolic “beating the bounds” of the parish, we will start the service with a procession, singing the Litany Hymn around the outside perimeter of the Church building.
We will also be inducting five new members into our Chapter of the Daughters of the King, already the largest in the Diocese. We are blessed to have so many women involved in this ministry of prayer and service, both here and at the Diocesan level.
Thirdly, it is our Spring UTO ingathering - be sure to bring a check made out to St. Catherine’s Guild ECW for the amount that you have placed in your “blue boxes” for offering of thankfulness celebrated this year.
Finally, it is the secular Mother’s Day and we will be honoring moms, living and dead, at the altar. Be sure to insist that mom join you for the service here before brunch, and moms be sure to insist that the husband/children join you here for worship on that day before the rest of the festivities. Let us not only thank them for their love and care, but also Thank God for them as well!
The primary reason we come to Church is to worship the Good God who sent His Son Jesus Christ to reconcile us to Himself by His own blood and to nourish us in Word and Sacrament. But it is a nice ‘bonus’ to have these extra events to add to our celebration!

Rector's Rambling - April 25, 2010

2010-07-07T13:07:00.002-04:00

Although we are still in the midst of our Eastertide celebration, today we have a “Feast” within the season of Easter. Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. On page 6 of this Chronicle there is a short bio of the writer of the Gospel that bears his name, believed to be a companion of St. Peter the Apostle, who recorded Peter’s teaching about Jesus for this gospel account.
Today is a “Feast Day” within the season of Easter. It is also known as a “Red Letter” day from the earlier editions of the Book of Common Prayer, when the calendar printed in red those feast days that took precedence over the Sunday of a church season.
Although no longer printed in red, our 1928 Book of Common Prayer contains a calendar for the major Feast days of our Lord, his mother, and the apostles, on pages xlvi - xlix. Other feasts not noted on that calendar fall on other days of the year, but do not have precedence over the Sunday of a church season (such as Eastertide or Epiphanytide). How to figure out what can be moved or used when you can go to the Tables and Rules for the Movable and Immovable Feasts, together with the Days of Fasting and Abstinene, through the Whole Year found on page l - li in the prayer book. OR you can just use the Ordo Calendar distributed at the beginning of the year or check out our parish website!
This can all seem very confusing, but it is a simplified version of the ‘rubrics’ (instructional notes) found in the old monastic office calendar, on which Archbishop Thomas Cranmer based the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer!
Today we are about St. Mark! Tomorrow we are back into the week of the Third Sunday after Easter with its Collect and readings appointed for the days of the week.

Rector's Rambling - April 18, 2010

2010-07-07T13:07:00.001-04:00

As we continue our Easter Celebration (Easter is 40 days, just like Lent was 40 days), we have now come to Good Shepherd Sunday.
As a city/suburban boy, the idea of a Shepherd is not an every day reality for me. But it certainly was for Jesus and for most living in Palestine during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Even those who lived in a big city like Jerusalem (which compared to today’s big cities was quite small) would have experienced shepherds, or even had members of the family who were shepherds.
Journalist and historian Paul Johnson has recently published a book called Jesus: A biography from a believer (Viking Press, 2010). I heard a radio interview with him in which he engages in some speculative history. Musing about those years between ages 12 and 30, when we have no gospel account of Jesus’ life, Johnson hypothesizes that perhaps Jesus himself spent some time as a shepherd.
Although I have heard of some awful theories about those hidden years (the worse being that he went to India to learn tantric magic to use for healing ministry), Johnson’s thoughts are backed up with some loving care and discernment. The tender way that Jesus speaks of shepherds, and their care and concern for his flock leads Johnson to theorize that Jesus speaks from some experience with caring for the sheep.
Whether or not Paul Johnson is correct about those hidden years, we do know that Jesus holds up the shepherd as an example of one who cares for his sheep, and is willing to even give his life for them. Jesus himself is the Good Shepherd, and the word “pastor” comes from the Latin word for shepherd. It is a fine reminder to us clergy that we are called to not be hirelings (who care not for the sheep), but to be shepherds to the congregations committed to our care.

Rector's Rambling - April 11, 2010

2010-07-07T13:06:00.000-04:00

Remembering that Easter is not just a ‘day’ but a ‘season’, I wish you all a blessed Eastertide! For 40 days we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, leading up to The Feast of the Ascension (May 13th this year). After that we have 10 more days of celebration in Ascensiontide, leading up to the coming of the Holy Ghost on Whitsunday/Pentecost.
After all the glorious worship last Sunday — full choir, brass, and a pretty full Church — today is known in Church circles as Low Sunday. Low because the liturgy seems a bit more subdued, with no brass, and the choir at half strength. And yes, compared with last week, attendance is considerably lower. I wish it weren’t true, but I am writing this on Wednesday morning with the assumption that we will have fewer people in the pews on the First Sunday after Easter than we did on Easter Day (I would love to be proven wrong). But whether pretty full, or not so much, God is still glorified, we are nourished in Word and Sacrament, and we are equipped for ministry.
Having said farewell to Richard Newman last week, our new Edwards Organ Scholar begins his term today. We welcome Aaron Tan as he begins his stay with us.
Finally, Detroit Tiger Baseball is upon us. The parish outing to a game will be May 30th. Be sure to invite our friends and neighbors to join us. Please note that with the exception of May 30th, your membership at St. John’s does not entitle you to park in our lot for Tiger games. We have a contract with Olympia Parking which allows us to use their parking spaces for our services (in addition to our spaces) and entitles them to sell our spaces for games, for which we are remunerated. Your St. John’s Parking window decal is to identify your car during Church events, not for free parking during other events at the stadiums. Please respect the attendants on event days as they manage traffic flow, and benefit St. John’s financially.

Rector's Rambling - April 4, 2010 (Easter Day)

2010-07-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

The Liturgy for Easter begins with this joyful acclamation that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and although we don’t get to say it very often, it should be said with great gusto! It is a solid and vital statement of faith and who we are as members of the Body of Christ - His Church! We are a “Resurrection People” who have been reconciled to God through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, who has conquered death and hell by rising from the dead on this third day.
Easter is wonderful in so many ways. After a long Lent full of extra sacrifices and extra devotions we look forward to savouring those things we have given up for 40 days (assuming they aren’t sinful things we should be giving up permanently). The approaching Spring weather lightens our hearts and moods, appropriate for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection! And the change of tenor of the hymns and readings moves our hearts and minds from the sins from which we are repenting toward the grace-filled forgiveness we have received as this free gift from God in His Son Jesus Christ.
And there is no better way to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead than to be here today with the great joy and gusto of this grand celebration. Thanks be to God for all who are here with us to for this great Feast!
But Easter is not just a DAY, it is a church SEASON. Eastertide, like Lent, is 40 days of celebration, including all the Sundays between now and the Feast of the Ascension (May 13th this year). And Ascension begins another 10 days of prayer and anticipation for the Feast of the coming of the Holy Ghost (Whitsunday or Pentecost).
So let us continue the celebration today, tomorrow, next Sunday, and the weeks to come. Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

Rector's Rambling - March 28, 2010 (Palm Sunday)

2010-07-07T12:02:00.000-04:00

There is no better time to invite people to join us for worship at St. John’s than Holy Week and Easter! God is calling more and more people to come and worship Him, and YOU might be the vehicle He is using to drive them into our fellowship (figuratively and literally).
Let us be like the sower in the gospels who takes the seed and scatters it in all places regardless of what soil it might be. Let us sow our invitations to all we meet and with whom we interact.
This can be done simply by saying, “do you have a place to go to Church on Easter?” If they say “no”, or hesitate, then be quick with an invitation to join you for services at St. John’s. Offer a ride if they seem leery about coming downtown! And then pray for them as they decide.
Continue to pray for them, even if your invitation is declined. You may never know when that invitation today may find fruit in coming years. Remember you are just scattering the seed. Another may water but God will give the growth. We have one member of the Vestry who was invited to St. John’s by our former choirmaster years before, but did not come for the first time until a few years later – and has been coming regularly ever since.
Let us not neglect a more primary invitation to attendance at St. John’s – to our own PARISHIONERS! I would be remiss if I did not mention my disappointment with our average Sunday attendance since the beginning of this year. Extreme weather, sickness, and being out of town is certainly a valid reason one might not be in church on a Sunday for worship.
But let’s be honest with ourselves. Would the reason we miss Sunday worship cut it with Jesus? Would you be willing to stand at your judgment day and tell our Lord, who died on the cross for your sins, that you missed worshipping Him because _________ (fill in the blank)? Could you not find 90 minutes or more to give to Him on Sunday morning?
The good news is that He is about forgiveness! And each Sunday is a new start to this right relationship in Christ. This week, next Sunday and the Sunday afterwards and you are back in the habit again!

Edited from “From The Rector” - The St. John’ Eagle, Eastertide 2010

Rector's Rambling - March 21, 2010

2010-07-07T12:01:00.000-04:00

Today we head into Passiontide: the last two weeks leading up to Easter. We become hyper-focused on the last two weeks of Jesus’ life, concentrating not just on our sin (for which we must repent) but begin to look towards our Lord’s Passion as he suffered for the price of those sins.
St. Bonaventure was a 13th century theologian, the first great theologian of the Franciscan Order (who while St. Francis lived, forbade the use of books because being able to read was, in Francis’ eyes, a sign of pride). He was a contemporary of St. Thomas Aquinas, the great Dominican Theologian (followers of St. Dominic’s rule of life which put a priority on learning). Both Ss. Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas died in 1274.
Legend has it that they met occasionally, and at one meeting at St. Bonaventure’s austere friary (the Franciscan’s placing a high priority of poverty and humility) St. Thomas Aquinas was surprised to see that St. Bonaventure had no books in in his cell (bedroom). When asked “where are your books?” St. Bonaventure is said to have pointed to the crucifix on the wall and proclaimed “That is all the book I need”.
Whether apocryphal or not, the story shows what can be a good focus for us as well. To meditate on what Jesus suffered for us is the crux of what this Passiontide is about. Next Sunday we will hear the story of His passion for the Gospel Lesson, and of course will also concentrate on it on Good Friday. Between now and then let us spend some time looking upon a crucifix and thinking about what Jesus went through for OUR OWN SINS. Read the 4 gospel accounts of his arrest, trial, beating, and crucifixion, and ask God for the grace to claim for yourself the Good News of His sacrifice for our sins.

Rector's Rambling - March 14th, 2010

2010-03-10T22:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Laetare Sunday! This Sunday is also known as Rose Sunday (take a look at the vestments and hangings today to figure out this title), and in our mother Church of England it is known as Mothering Sunday (like our Mother’s day in May).
Still a Sunday in Lent, this Sunday is a mid-point when we “lighten up” a bit. The deep penitential purple vestments are replaced with the lighter rose. The Latin title gives us a hint as to this lightening up of the day. Laetare is the opening word of the liturgy in Latin, on which our Liturgy is based. The first word of the Introit, sung by the choir at the 10am Service, is “REJOICE”.
Although a penitential season, on this Sunday we rejoice that we have passed the half-way point of Lent. We rejoice because Passiontide (the last two weeks before Easter) and Holy Week are in sight. We rejoice because Easter is just around the corner. We rejoice because to date we have kept a good Lent OR because we still have a chance to have a good Lent starting today. But above all we rejoice because we have a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who paid the price of our sin. We rejoice that in Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of those sins and are reconciled unto the Father through His blood.
Speaking of rejoicing, we will be celebrating, in anticipation, the feast of that great Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Be sure to join us downstairs after the 10am service for a Corned Beef and Cabbage Luncheon. All are welcome for this time of lightening up and enjoying yourself among our happy fellowship.

Rector's Rambling - February 21, 2010 (Lent I)

2010-02-15T15:52:00.000-05:00

Today we give thanks to Almighty God for the beginning of Lent.
Although we have been “in the purple” for 3 weeks already with the “gesima” Sundays, we begin in earnest our Lent fast and disciplines.
Most of us know that one suggested discipline is to “give something up for Lent”. This is certainly a good start. This “something” can be something bad for you (and should be given up anyway) or perhaps something that is not necessarily bad for you but it would be a good discipline to live without as an offering to God.
The key is that this is done as an ‘offering’ to God. The word “sacrifice” comes from the Latin phrase “sacrum facio”, which means “I make holy”. When we think of sacrifices we might think of the Old Testament offering for sin of bulls, lambs or doves. Or perhaps we even think of Jesus’ “one sufficient sacrifice, once offered” on the Cross for the sins of the world.
But in Lent we ask you to ‘sacrifice’ some thing or another as an holy offering to God. It doesn’t atone (pay the price of) your sins (Jesus did that already) or somehow appease an angry God.
This offering, this “I make holy”, is a gift of thanksgiving and praise to God for giving us new life. Both in giving something up and taking things for disciplines in Lent we Thank God for eternal life, and the grace to live holy lives, by offering this sacrifice as a small token, as well as learning that we are not at the demands and whims of our flesh and its impulses.

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ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.

Thanks for all the compliments

2010-02-12T13:56:00.002-05:00

By God's grace I have lost quite a bit of weight since November (started in earnest on the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the parish). I am eating Low Carb (pretty much along the Atkins New Diet Revoltion tradition) which works very well for me and is recommended to me by my physician. I have also been doing an exercise program called P90X. It is an hour to hour and a half workout, 6 days a week: push-ups, pull-ups, weightlifting, cardio, yoga, kenpo karate, etc.
Info on P90X can be found here
www.beachbody.com

So my clothes are much looser, I am feeling much more fit, and my Cholesterol, at the last check at the end of December was 140.

I have a goal - to start rowing again, probably by summer.

But it is hard to be boastful or proud of the progress - it is my own fault I got so far OUT of shape.

But thank you for the compliments. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (all to the greater glory of God!).

One week from today....

2010-02-12T13:53:00.004-05:00

The Tiger pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training!

My Andrew, still rehabing after breaking his arm at Christmas, started indoor practices last week.

Little League Registration is open.

Yesterday I confirmed that the parish choir is singing the National Anthem at the Tigers game on Sunday, May 30, and reserved 350 tickets for the day.

Baseball! Thinking Baseball!

Rector's Rambling - February 14, 2010

2010-02-09T14:58:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrate several overlapping “Feast” days, only the last of which is well known.
First, it is Quinquagesima Sunday, the Sunday next before Lent. Besides being fun to say, it signals to us that this is our last few days of FEASTING (especially on Shrove Tuesday) before we begin our Lenten FASTING on Ash Wednesday. Please be sure to attend either the 12:15 or 6pm services on Wednesday to begin Lent the right way by worshiping, receiving Communion, and being ‘smudged’ with ashes as a reminder of your mortality and need for penitence.
Secondly, it is the Feast of Ss. Cyril and Methodist. Who? They were 9th century monks, bishops, and missionary to the Slavic people. S. Cyril invented an alphabet for their language (the cyrillic alphabet) in order to teach about Jesus through the bible and the liturgy in Slavonic (still the official language of the liturgy of the eastern Church in that region). Both met resistance from both the political forces of the pagan lands, and those Church leaders who did not approve of liturgy in a “barbarous” tongue. The Roman Catholic seminary in Orchard Lake is named after these two saints.
Of course most people know that today is also St. Valentine’s Day. Athough “Saint” has mostly been dropped from the title by the secular forces who see it as a commercial opportunity, it is based on a Holy Day dedicated in memory of one of the saints. St. Valentine was a priest who was martyred in the 3rd century in Rome. His crime, legend says, was performing marriages for Christian couples and helping those who were being persecuted under the Emperor Claudius. Once imprisoned he inflamed the situation by trying to convert the emperor! He was beaten, stoned, and eventually beheaded. The majority of his relics now rest in the Church of St. Praxedes in Rome.
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Be sure to read the enclosed Lenten Brochures “Lenten Disciplines and Devotions” and “Keeping an Holy Lent” in preparation for the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Rector's Rambling - February 7, 2010

2010-02-09T14:57:00.001-05:00

As we continue in the midst of the “-gesima” Sundays we should be looking forward 11 days to the coming of Lent.
One way is to begin thinking about what disciplines and devotions we are considering taking on. What are we “giving up” for Lent? This is not necessarily something that is bad for us (those should perhaps given up anyway), but even something enjoyable and good but that we use as both an offering and an opportunity remind ourselves that we have control (by His grace) over our bodily impulses. As I write I am in the midst of weaning myself back off coffee. Coffee in itself is not bad, in moderation. But the last few years I have given it up as an offering and a reminder that I don’t need it. Of course there are other things in my life that I will be giving up as well.
But in addition to giving something up, I am piling up some books I want to read as some fodder for mediation, and some projects I want to do as both a discipline and devotion. Both of these types of things not only build up now, but can be things that carry-over beyond Lent.
If you haven’t given Lent a thought yet, start thinking and praying now about what Disciplines and Devotions might be helpful in addition to the Church’s prescribed Fasts (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) days of abstinence from flesh meat (all Fridays in Lent) and devotion (Weekly attendance at Church).
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TODAY - after the 8am and 10am services, at the Altar Rail in the Chapel, we will have the BLESSING OF THROATS in honor of the Feast of St. Blase.
An ancient tradition of the Church, blessed (unlit) candles are crossed and placed upon the throats of all those desiring this healing blessing. The priest prays, “At the intercession of St. Blase may you be freed and protected from all ailments of the throat, and all other infirmities, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
More information on the tradition can be found in the Teaching Note on page 6.

Cold, snowy, and thinking of BASEBALL

2010-02-02T11:29:00.003-05:00

Andrew and Sam had the mitts out yesterday for a little catch. Johnny Damon's agent says he wants to be a Tiger. And the Tigers report for Spring Training Feb 18 (Pitchers and Catchers), and Feb 22!

Rector's Rambling - January 31st, 2010

2010-02-02T11:27:00.001-05:00

Today we gather for the parish’s 150th Annual Parish Meeting, and my 9th as your Rector.
The Annual Parish Meeting is the opportunity for us together downstairs after the 10am Service to elect new members of the Vestry (all of whom are excellent candidates), and to review and act on the ‘business’ of the parish from the year past and God willing the year to come. A soup luncheon will be served, and hopefully it will take about an hour conduct the business necessary for the day. The newly elected Vestry will then meet for 5 to 10 minutes to electe its officers for the year.
By the end of this year, God willing, I will be the fifth longest serving Rector of this parish. Fr. Worthington served 17 years (1868 to 1885), Fr. Woodruffe served 12 years (1922 to 1934), Fr. Johnson served 28 years (1934 to 1962) and Fr. Frisby served 25 years (1962 to 1987). It was a humbling honor to have been elected as your rector in 2001, and now of the 13 rectors in our 150 year history to move into that length of tenure behind only four others is further humbling to me. May God continue to grant me (and all of us) the grace necessary to continue steadfast in His faith here at St. John’s.
Very much has changed in my nine years here. Great increases in attendance and our more recent leveling off, wonderful opportunities for ministry in common and uncommon circumstances (ministering as the feeding center for the police during the Super Bowl stands out as unusual), and challenges as well as great joys have been abundant over these past years!
This past year has had particular challenges, especially with the finances as concerning the endowment income. By God’s grace, the vestry’s diligence, and the parish’s generosity, we can report that we ended the year without a deficit! But 2010 will be another year of financial vigilance and challenge as well.
But more importantly 2010 needs to be a year of individual and corporate spiritual growth and deepening discipleship. We must continue to be, and become even more, the Church that God desires us to be!

Rector's Rambling - January 24th, 2010

2010-02-02T11:26:00.001-05:00

After two weeks away it sure is great to be home! I enjoy going away and being on vacationwith my family, but I miss being here on Sundays to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness with this parish family.
Today’s return is doubly gratifying because Bishop Jackson C. Biggers is with us today. Bishop Biggers is the retired bishop of Northern Malawi in Central Africa.
Bishop Biggers is a native Mississippian. After a time as a missionary in Malawi he returned to the United States and was the rector of a parish in Biloxi, Mississippi. His election to be bishop of the newly formed diocese was a surprise, and relatively swift compared to the long, drawn out process in the Episcopal Church USA.
Being a new diocese (and a position without a salary) the fellow priests of the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC) banded together and began supporting Bishop Biggers and his new diocese. Our own Fr. Michael Bedford, at that time recently retired for the first time, suggested that St. John’s support Bishop Biggers’ ministry and we have been doing so ever since. In addition to direct support of the bishop and the diocese, St. John’s over the years has supported the foundation of the Community of St. Mary in Malawi, help with AIDS orphans and their grandparents caring for them, and study bibles for seminarians at the Leonard Kamungu Theological College in Malawi.
Bishop Biggers has asked St. John’s to become the American Commissary to the seminary and the Vestry has agreed to take on this ministry. We will be the US clearing house for collecting tax-deductable funds in support of the seminary. We will be making appeals to parishes and individuals to support the seminary, which is able to educate priests with sound theological training for work in the Church in Malawi and beyond.
We welcome Bishop Biggers’ return to St. John’s. Although Malawi is home for Bishop Biggers, he comes to the United States almost yearly, and we are honored that he is able to join us almost yearly!

Rector's Rambling - January 17th, 2010

2010-02-02T11:22:00.000-05:00

This week we begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Held each year between January 18th (The Feast of the Confession of St. Peter) and January 25th (The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul). Between these two Feast Days the Church prays with special intention for the Unity of the Church.
Jesus prayed that we all be one as He and the Father are one! But it did not take long for the members of the Church, affected by original sin, began to have disagreements with each other and before long forming divisions.
For the most part the Church held together, occasionally having to anathematize small groups of those holding false doctrines in order to bring them to repentance and the true faith. The first big division of the Universal Church came in the 11th Century when the Eastern Church and Western Church divided over political and theological considerations.
Later, by the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the seeds of further division were sown, and the Protestant Reformation rent asunder the western Church.
These divisions are NOT God’s will, but a manifestation of our fallen nature. In fact it is a SCANDAL to the body of Christ that we are divided. Jesus said the world will know we are his disciples if we love one another. Yet we can’t even come together on basic doctrine.
Our divisions are based on real issues, but it must be our prayer and work to build up the body of Christ by learning to love one another and become united so that we can witness with one voice the truth that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! If we start there then we will go a long way to building up not only the kingdom of God, but he unity of the Church as well.
In fact, this ‘week’ was started in 1908 by a group of former Episcopal Franciscan Friars, now known as the Greymoor Friars. The ‘bookends’ of Ss. Peter and Paul’s feast days are mirrored by our two statues above the altar of Peter (with the keys) and Paul (with the sword). May God use us to his greater glory and unity!

Rector's Rambling - January 10th, 2010

2010-02-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

Winter has settled in here in Detroit, and we are all trying to avoid the “hibernation” mode of staying inside too much, fattening up, and isolating ourselves from the rest of the world until Spring.
But we are not bears! Instead we are called to get up and get out, even if the weather itself is not completely cooperative! Thankfully for most of us the modern convenience of central heat makes winter less immediately life-threatening, but staying locked away is not healthy - spiritually and psychologically. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as our selves, and this assumes some contact with them. Church is of course a great starting place for this!
We have now entered the Church season of Epiphany. This past week we celebrated the coming of the Magi - the Wise Men - to worship the newborn Jesus as the great King and God whose very birth is announced by the appearance of a new star. Unlike the shepherds who arrive on the night of his birth and represent the people of the original covenant, the Magi are not Jews. Their arrival signals to us that the Gentiles, those outside that original covenant between God and the Hebrew people, are going to come to know Jesus Christ and ultimately to be incorporated into this New Covenant with God that Jesus Christ himself will seal in his own blood on the hard wood of the cross.
The Magi’s mystical gifts of God, Frankincense, and Myrrh are gifts for royalty and represent and acknowledgement by those who ‘dwell in darkness’ outside God’s revelation in the Old Testament that this child is a God (incense), King (Gold), and Sacrifice (myrrh - a bitter perfume used at a burial).
From now until mid-February (when Lent starts) we are called to deepen our understanding of Jesus as God and King and Sacrifice! This should be a deepening “epiphany” to us - a showing forth of the deeper and deeper truth that Jesus Christ is Lord.
So let’s get out of our hibernation mode and throw ourselves deeper and deeper into relationship with each other and the Good God who loves us!

Rector's Rambling - January 3rd, 2010!

2009-12-26T23:29:00.001-05:00

Happy 2010.
On January 1st the Holy Communion was celebrated here at for a special Holy Day. Not “New Year’s Day” (the Church New Year started on the first Sunday in Advent back on November 29th), but the Feast of the Circumcision.
Jesus, born into a family of the original Covenant with the people of the Hebrews, was circumcised as the outward sign of his membership in that Covenant between God and His chosen people.
There are several theologically important things happening at this event on Jesus’ eight day of life.
1) Jesus, as the fulfillment of the promise of God to send a Messiah as the fulfillment of the Law, keeps the law by being Circumcised.
2) This covenant, as all ancient covenants (agreements between two parties), was sealed in blood. An agreement between two parties involved a shedding of blood of some sort as a sign of the importance and long term effect of it. The shedding of this first blood through circumcision was also a permanent reminder of that membership in as God’s chosen people. MORE IMPORTANTLY it is a foreshadowing of how the NEW COVENANT would be sealed - by the shedding of Jesus’ own blood on the hard wood of the Cross!
3) On this eight day another very important thing happens in the life of the Jewish male - he officially receives his name! And of course, the Name of Jesus is not only the name given by the Angel to Mary when she conceived Him by the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:21), but the Name of Jesus is THE ONLY NAME UNDER HEAVEN BY WHICH WE ARE SAVED! (Acts 4:12).
So while many were recovering from the celebration of the new secular calendar year we have started this year off with a wonderful remembrance of our Salvation through Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 15:57

Rector's Rambling - December 25th and 27th

2009-12-26T23:28:00.001-05:00

A hearty welcome to all those joining us for worship at St. John’s. In our 151 years we have been a church of ‘destination’, with people coming from far and wide to worship in this beautiful building with its sublime music, traditional Anglican liturgy, and wonderful people.
Although up until the invention of the automobile that ‘far and wide’ probably meant the city of Detroit itself, St. John’s is now the Church home of choice for parishioners who drive in regularly from as far as Algonac, Ann Arbor, and Clarkston - and some from even further for special occasions (up from Ohio and from beyond Saginaw)!
Why St. John’s? You could ask a dozen parishioners and get a plethora of answers. Some come for the music, others for traditional liturgy as expressed by the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (the last in the line of classic Anglican prayer book tradition). For many it is the adherence to, and propagation of, the “Faith once delivered to the saints” as revealed in to us in The Word of God. Others might say they like the preaching, and yet others that it is wonderful to worship in a building that actually looks and feels like a Church! I would add that it is all those people with their various reason who bring it all together by being a group who welcomes newcomers and visitors, and is open to having more and more people joining the fellowship of this parish.
It has been a long time since St. John’s averaged a high of over 2000 people on Sunday. But it has also been over 10 years ago that we hit a low of 37! God has been at work in rebuilding St. John’s, and we believe that not only is He not done, but that there are amazing things ahead for this parish and its parishioners - both those here now and for those not YET members of it!
If you are visiting today we would invite you to consider joining in on all the wonderful things God has in store for this parish! Become a ‘regular’ by worshipping with us on Sundays and becoming involved in the ministries and activities of the parish and the neighborhood.
You are most welcome to join us!

A problem we'd love to have!!!

2009-12-26T10:34:00.001-05:00

from the website of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York City www.saintthomaschurch.org

Christmas Eve Seating
Many people ask about available seating on Christmas Eve. Here is how it works:

Our church holds approximately 1,850 people, including the seats in the rear gallery and the south gallery. Many more than 1,850 people would like to worship with us on Christmas Eve, and that warms our hearts. Yet, unfortunately not everyone who wants a seat may get one.

Our pledging members (those who have given to the Every Member Canvass for 2010)are given tickets to arrive through a side door at 9:30pm. If you have tickets, please arrive between 9:30pm and 10pm and take your seat. We do not reserve pews. The best selection are available to those who arrive first.

Approximately 800-1,000 seats may still be empty at 10pm, when we open the Fifth Avenue doors to those who do not have tickets. The line outside the Fifth Avenue doors may begin to form at around 9pm, depending on the weather and other factors. Year to year the number in line has varied, so it is a bit unpredictable. All we can say is early is good; late is not.

If you are concerned about getting a seat, might we suggest you avoid the long lines and come on December 25? We have a nearly identical service at 11am on December 25. That service, too, is often crowded, but lines do not form. Last year, the attendance at the 11am Christmas Day service was about 1,000, somewhat full, but with room left for more.

Rector's Rambling - December 13th, 2009

2009-12-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

First, let me wish everyone a Happy St. Lucy’s Day, and a blessed Rose Sunday.
No one likes to be told to “lighten up”, but that is exactly what we are doing this Sunday.
After the last two weeks of deep purple vestments and altar hangings to begin the season of Advent (signifying the penitential aspect of this season), this week we ‘lighten up’ with the Rose colored vestments and hangings, and even have flowers on the Altar this week. Or perhaps you hadn’t noticed that we haven’t had flowers recently?
So how is Advent going for you? Have you given much thought (other than on Sunday in Church) to the fact that we are in more than just ‘pre-Christmas’? Have you revived or increased your prayer life? Opened your bible and read it? Taken on a charitable cause or two (the ECW at St. John’s has had opportunities to help others less fortunate, and other opportunities abound)? Examined the state of your soul? Repented (and even made a sacramental confession) of those sins you have observed in the examination? Have you shared the reason for your hope, Jesus Christ himself? Invited someone to Church for a Sunday? Invited them for Christmas Services?
If you have done any of the above - THANKS BE TO GOD! And if not, enjoy ‘lightening up’ today, and start fresh for the rest of Advent! Our Lord is coming back, and the celebration of his first coming is coming soon. Let us be in a State of Grace for both!
(reprinted from 12/14/08)
PS - St. Lucy was a virgin martyr who died about the year 303 at the age of 20. Her name means “Light” - something in short supply in mid-to-late December!

God help the Episcopal Church!

2009-12-07T14:17:00.003-05:00

After this weekend's election of an unrepentant lesbian as suffragan bishop in Los Angeles, the Archbishop of Canterbury issued the following statement.

"The election of Mary Glasspool by the Diocese of Los Angeles as suffragan bishop elect raises very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole.

The process of selection however is only part complete. The election has to be confirmed, or could be rejected, by diocesan bishops and diocesan standing committees. That decision will have very important implications.

The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold."

God help us all.

Rector's Rambling - December 6th, 2009

2009-12-03T16:09:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

In the midst of the penitential season of Advent, when we are preparing ourselves, our souls and bodies, for not only the commemoration of Jesus’ nativity (Christmas) but also his coming again in glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, there are a few Feasts in the midst of the Fast.
One of these feasts is St. Nicholas’ Day. St. Nicholas of Myra, a city in modern day Turkey. He was tortured and imprisoned for faith in Jesus Christ, and died about the year 342. His name is enrolled among the bishops who attended the Council of Nicea in 325, from which we get the Nicene Creed (recited each Sunday at Holy Communion). He is considered the patron saint of sailors, and of children. His remains were moved to Italy in the 11th century (rescued from the mohammadens who had taken over Turkey) and became a popular saint in Northern Europe. The Dutch brought his reputation to America, as well as the tradition of giving gifts to children on St. Nicholas’ Day, in his name. This has morphed into a bigger tradition, a few weeks later in the month, under his dutch name.
As an aside, the first meeting of the founding families of the parish 151 years ago was on December 6th. Instead of picking St. John’s as our name (the day we incorporated - December 27th) we could have been St. Nicholas’ Church!
Another big feast this week is the feast of the Conception of Mary on December 8th. Although no where as miraculous as our Lord’s conception (occurring by the Holy Ghost, and known as the Feast of the Annunciation), Mary’s conception by her natural parents, Anna and Joachim, has since ancient times, been honored by the Church because the Archangel Gabriel addressed Mary as “thou who are highly favored” or “full of grace’. The Church believes that from her conception God had prepared Mary for the special ministry of taking flesh from her by the Holy Ghost, and giving birth to the Son of God himself - thereby being “highly favored” or “full of grace”.
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Why isn’t the Church decorated for Christmas yet? - because it isn’t Christmas yet! We are keeping Advent in Advent. The Church will be “greened” for Christmas on Sunday, December 20th, after the 10am Service for the 4th Sunday in Advent. Some ’pre-greening’ will be done the day before, but all are encouraged to stay for an hour after Church to decorate for the big celebration!

Rector's Rambling - November 29th, 2009

2009-11-30T12:36:00.000-05:00

Happy New Church Year!

This Sunday begins the season of Advent, which means that we start the year all over again. In the course of the year we have gone through the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity-tide. Today we start it over again.
One criticism independent churches have of Anglican/Episcopal Churches is the rigidity of the liturgical calendar. Some even berate the celebration of things like Christmas at all (not the birth of Jesus, but setting a date to celebrate it).
But as human beings we live in this space and time, and the cycles of the year (winter, spring, summer and fall) are a reality. So too is the reality that the Church calendar takes this into account and helps us to order our year around different aspects of the story of our salvation through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Those without a set calendar or lectionary find themselves stuck with the whim and whimsy of the pastor’s preaching choices. Having a set year, which remains mostly unchanged in about 1900 years of Church history, frees us to cover multiple aspects of our Lord’s life and ministry. And in our unhappy sinful divisions, it is a comfort to know that we follow a like calendar with the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and many Reformed Churches as well.
So bring on the purple vestments and hangings! It is time for us to begin by looking at the end (of time that is...our Lord’s return) as well as the preparation of the people of original covenant for the fulfillment of the coming of their Messiah in the birth of Jesus.
And just as with the secular New Year we make resolutions, perhaps the Church New Year is a good time as well. Here are some suggestions!
1] Attend Church every Sunday (great for your spiritual health AND God wills it). 2] Pray every day.
3] Read the bible every day (you can use the lectionary for the Daily Office printed on page 3 of the Chronicle as a guide).
4] Choose a Church ministry or organization to become involved in if you are not already doing so (Adult Education, Altar Guild, Ushers, Acolytes, Lay Readers, Episcopal Church Women, Daughters of the King, Armitage Men’s Club, Brotherhood of St. Andrew, Sunday School teacher, Alpha Course, Faith Alive planning committee, Coffee Hour host, etc.).
5] Help with the outreach ministries of the parish (Can a week, Christmas gift program, mitten tree, toiletry collection for Salvation Army, baby clothes and supplies for Pregnancy aid) just to name a few.

Rector's Rambling - November 22nd, 2009

2009-11-30T12:34:00.000-05:00

7418 baptisms, 3402 weddings, and 5276 burials later, St. John's Church in Detroit begins her second 150 years of ministry (God willing). What a great celebration we had on Tuesday night as we gathered in the Chapel to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the first services held in that same building. The building was nearly full, and we sang Evensong in traditional Anglican fashion, as is not only our foundation but our present as well. Our diocesan Bishop was present, as the Bishop of Michigan was on that first day, and he was suitably impressed by the attendance on a Tuesday night as well as with the worship. We had many guests, including former parishioners, far-away parishioners, government officials, and clergy and members of surrounding congregations.
Such a landmark occasion makes one look both backward and forward. Backward to the past as a reminder of who we were founded to be and how God has blessed us in so many ways in good and hard times. From the parishes foundation until the late 1920’s St. John’s quickly became the largest Episcopal congregation west of the Allegheny mountains. From the 1930’s to the 1990’s St. John’s experienced a precipitous decline, bottoming out at an Average Sunday Attendance of less than 50 people on Sunday. In the past 9 years we have seen several spouts of growth, to our current levels, give or take 10 or so.
But as we begin our next 150 years, we must be challenged to be renewed in heart and mind in order to take up that mantle of ministry left to us by those who have gone before us.
This past year or so has been one of great malaise. It has been hard to get people motivated to go deeper and wider in their spiritual life. Many ‘regular’ attenders miss Sunday worship for minor secular reasons. Getting volunteers for ministries and other opportunities around the parish, until recently an easy task, has become much tougher. And this week we also had to postpone our FAITH ALIVE WEEKEND in February because we could not get people to volunteer to sign up to head committees in order to organize it.
Is it the general malaise of society in this economic downturn? Fears and depression over the theological state of the Episcopal Church and its possible impact on our existence? Poor discipleship?
As we move forward ,solutions to all the things above start with prayer and intercession, and then getting up and getting into action to the greater glory of God. We cannot rest on our laurels. Rather, we must build on it until the day Jesus returns!

Rector's Rambling - November 15, 2009

2009-11-18T11:53:00.001-05:00

This Sunday, 150th years ago, must have been one of great anticipation. A century and a half ago on this weekend a group of Episcopalians worshipped at St. Paul’s, Christ Church, and the Mariner’s Church for the last time. The Senior Warden of St. Paul’s resigned his position as head of the Vestry of that original Detroit parish. Others resigned vestry positions, as well as membership in various guilds and organizations, in their current parishes.
They did this not in protest or disagreement with their parishes, but in anticipation of what was to come! On that third Sunday in November 1859 they would be worshipping in their parishes for the last time because the following week, on the 17th, they would gather out in the country, on the corner of Woodward Avenue and High Street, for the first service at the newly built St. John’s Chapel. The Bishop of Michigan was to be there to consecrate the new building, something that can only be done if it is free of encumbrances. Being no debt or mortgage on the new parish, the building would be dedicated for use to the greater glory of God at two services that day.
The former St. Paul’s Senior Warden, Henry Porter Baldwin, dreamed of founding a new parish outside of town, and nearer to his country home. He had purchased the land and had a church and chapel designed before ever pitching it to his neighbors the previous December.
Since then subscriptions were secured, the building constructed, a priest hired, and a boys choir trained for just this moment.
There must have been some sadness for those folks leaving to be a part of this new venture. But little could they imagine that within another week not only would the new parish be a ‘success’, but would be too large for the 125 seat Chapel they had built! Plans for a larger Church, seating over 1000 people had been planned for several years down the road. It now had to be constructed immediately! But that is a story for another day.

Rector's Rambling - November 1, 2009

2009-10-28T11:11:00.002-04:00

Today we deviate once again from the “Sundays after Trinity” in order to celebrate a grand holy day. Today is the Feast of All Saints. On this day we celebrate with great liturgical and musical solemnity all those holy women and men who have gone before us and are now in the presence of God.

The Roman Catholic Church has a very formal process for proclaiming someone a ‘saint’. It involves collecting materials and testimonies, miracles attributed to the deceased’s intercession, and a process from venerable, to blessed, to saint. This process was codified over time to assure the faithful of the holiness of the person being remembered, and to avoid the over-excitement about that holy person developed in local cultus around him or her.

The Anglican Church, particularly our American Episcopal Church, recognizes those early saints of the early church, as well as those recognized by the East and West in more recent times. We also have a ‘process’ to add someone to our calendar to be remembered, usually on the anniversary of their death (their heavenly birthday). This roll of people is commemorated in the Book Lesser Feasts and Fasts. The deceased are proposed to a committee established by the General Convention for investigation, possibly added to the calendar for trial use, and the approved by the Convention itself. Some additions in recent years have, unfortunately been added for political motivation rather than the person’s holiness of life. God is sorting that out.

It may be of interest to note that in our register of services we have the signatures of several American Episcopal “saints”. Bishop Jackson Kemper of Wisconsin consecrated our first Rector here at St. John’s to be his successor. Fr. James Lloyd Breck, founder of 3 seminaries (only Nashotah House remains) and countless parishes, preached and celebrated here, and Fr. James DeKoven, twice elected and then overturned to be a bishop, (for being too traditional) preached our first rector’s funeral here as well. And I would also guess, known to God alone, that many saints have sat in our pews this past 150 years, and some are sitting here now.

Rector's Rambling - October 25, 2009

2009-10-28T10:55:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the 175th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The Diocese officially came into being 25 years before St. John’s was founded, with a small number of parishes that were being cared for by Canadian bishops who traveled across the Detroit River from Windsor. St. Paul’s, then located on Woodward near the river (now located at Woodward and Warren in their 3rd structure) is considered the mother church of our diocese. It was the long-time Junior Warden of that parish, recently elevated to Senior Warden, who called for a meeting of neighbors living ‘out in the country’ near his new house to found a new parish, St. John’s.

18 months after the parish was founded, and 7 months after the Chapel was opened, the Convention itself met for an special afternoon session to help with the laying of the cornerstone of our Church. In there was placed a document from the Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen of the parish while included this…

“We are conscious and confident that we are building that which will outlast ourselves; and we rejoice in the hope that, within the walls we are permitted to raise, thousands, in successive generations, will worship GOD, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and confess our LORD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, in the sacraments and ordinances of His Gospel; and partake of all the blessings of membership in His Church, which are precious to our souls today. As Christians and Churchman, we thank GOD for our strong assurance and conviction, drawn from past history, that the Protestant Episcopal Church, for whose communion this building will be reared, is so grounded on the one foundation, Jesus Christ, so true to Him, in the ministry, the doctrine, the Liturgy, the sacred year, the entire system which she inherited; so careful of His complete Gospel, holding each and every part thereof, in its own due proportion and harmony; that however we and those who shall follow us may prove unworthy of her and of her LORD, among all the changes and chances of this world, she will remain, in all essential things unchanged.”

Although St. John’s remains “in all essential things unchanged” concerning the faith and worship of The Church, I wish I could report that yesterday’s Diocesan Convention does the same. (ie...legislation supporting funding of ministries at odds with biblical lifestyle choices, calling for action on climate change based on bogus research for 'global warming', and worship not at all in accord with Anglican Prayer Book worship) I would venture that The Episcopal Church 2009 is little that Henry Porter Baldwin and the other founders of our parish would recognize.

Rector's Rambling - October 18

2009-10-28T10:48:00.002-04:00

Welcome to all who are joining us today for our Homecoming celebration.

Begun in 2001, Homecoming Sunday is a chance to invite our friends, family, and regular visitors to join us for an extra festive Sunday of worship and fellowship. It is a “fall” opportunity to gather, just as many visit for “winter” (Christmas) and “spring” (Easter). This year we have added a “summer” opportunity with Founders Sunday in July.

As you have experienced, the worship at St. John’s is a great grace filled act of love and gratitude to the good God who loves us beyond comprehension. The richly symbolic liturgy, combined with sublime music, lifts our hearts and minds to greater and bigger things. Our participation is our offering to God, however imperfect we (and it) may be, because it our bounden duty and joy.
And the fellowship at St. John’s is certainly warm and inviting. Add to that a potluck luncheon and all the excitement of the Detroit Marathon and Detroit Lions game happening nearby and we have a glorious day all around.

In 1926 St. John’s was the largest parish west of the Allegheny mountains. Easter that year saw over 2500 communicants at seven Sunday Services! By the 1930’s attendance began to slide. A long-time member told me that a predecessor as Rector from 1932 to 1962, Rev. I.C. Johnson, told him that he was encouraged to come to St. John’s to stop the downward slide. Only in 2001 did we start increasing, building from 45 average Sunday attendance to over 200 in 2006. Things have backslid a bit since then, dropping to 196 last year.

In the coming months we will be having a Faith Alive weekend. I hope that it will be a chance for us to recharge and move forward once again. And from this recharged congregation more and more people will be brought into our fellowship through that renewal and evangelism.
Everyone here today is most welcome, and encouraged, to become a part of this renewal. “Get in on the ground floor” as we grow once again toward a full church many times over.

Rector's Rambling - October 4

2009-10-28T10:46:00.002-04:00

Thank you to all who made yesterday’s Community Flea Market a success! If not for the good planning work of many people involved in the process, as well as all who pitched in on the big day, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this. We not only made some money for the operating expenses of the parish, but we also made a good impression on the many vendors and neighbors who participated and enjoyed the day.

Today we are celebrating the Solemnity of St. Michael and All Angels. The feast day actually occurs on September 29th, but it is an important enough feast that it has an “octave” assigned to it - which means that it can be celebrated for 8 days! We are celebrating it on the Sunday within the octave.

It is an important feast day because there is a lot of misunderstanding about the ministry of angels and who they are in their created order. Keeping this feast day allows us to give thanks to God for their creation and their ministry, as well as be informed about who they are and what they do (and who they aren’t and what they don’t do) so we can dispel the myths and mis-information surrounding them.

Today, being October 4th, is also the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis lived in the 13th century in Italy. The son of a middle class cloth merchant, “Frenchy” chased after military glory in hopes of elevating his and his families status by earning knighthood. Instead God used him to renew the Church.

After a conversion experience in which Jesus told him to ‘rebuild my Church’ Francis embraced absolute poverty in order to preach the gospel without being attached to property concerns. Many others were attracted to his way of life and joined him. Three modern religious orders are the fruit of his call - The First Order Franciscan (brown robed friars), Second Order semi-enclosed nuns (the Poor Clares) and Third Order men and women following a rule of life but living in the world and their families.

Although the rule of life has changed over the years, the charism (‘spirit”) lives on in the Franciscan vocation. More info? www.fodc.net

An opinion on the recent Anglican/Roman news

2009-10-22T08:01:00.005-04:00

There is much buzz about the recent pronouncement from Rome setting up a pathway for en masse Anglican defections to the Roman Catholic Church. In many ways this mirrors a similar program already in effect in the USA only, allowing for re-ordination of married Anglican clergy and for parishes to continue to use Anglican Prayer Book worship while Roman Catholic (there are several in Texas, Massachusetts, and I believe Virginia already). This would now be available world-wide with the additional caveat that they would be able to set up parishes and have their own hierarchy without depending upon local RC bishops to give permission (a stumbling block in some places). What has not changed is that Anglicans still have to convert to Roman Catholicism and clergy have to be re-ordained (not have their orders recognized as valid).

Impact in the USA? Minimal to ECUSA I would think. Many who have been leaning Rome-ward have already jumped. It might be an attractive option to some of the alphabet soup of continuing churches who have already separated from The Episcopal Church, particularly those who separated in the 1970's and are of a more Catholic Anglican understanding. I would also speculate that only a minority of those who are recently separated into the Anglican Church in North America will be interested since most involved are of the Evangelical Party, and have adopted non-catholic understanding of Holy Orders (not to underestimate the long-standing animousity by evangelicals toward Rome). Those from the more Anglo-catholic dioceses of Ft. Worth, San Joaquin, and Quincy, as well as those under the new ACNA Bishop Ilgenfritz from Forward in Faith would have a better fit with Rome than the ACNA in the long run.

Impact on the Anglican Communion? This could be devastating to the Catholic Anglican movement in the Church of England, which has been pushed to the edge over recent legislation to introduce women into the Episcopate.

This could also gain steam in Australia and Catholic Anglican pockets in Africa.

And the formal document itself has not been released in full, so details are scarce at this time.

My biggest disappointment is that it will further weaken the witness of the Catholic position in the Anglican Communion.

So, what about St. John's on all this?
1) We are still a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan in good standing.
2) There are no plans for St. John’s to investigate this option.
3) I have a hard time believing Anglican Orders are "utterly null and completely void" as Leo XIII promulgated about us (or something to that effect). As the USA option currently stands, I am not eligible for re-ordination because I was confirmed as a child in the Roman Catholic Church. There is no hint by Rome that this would be changed.

We have had a small number of parishioners leave St. John's in recent years and convert to Rome, and we have also had former and lapsed Roman Catholics join us. Ultimately God is in charge and we remain faithful to the 'faith once delivered to the saints' as a parish, and as a priest, in The Episcopal Church. This puts us at odds with Rome (being in the Episcopal Church), and most of ECUSA (the faith once delivered to the saints).

May God help us all.

The Flea Market is coming!

2009-10-01T12:03:00.000-04:00

This week the Flea Market Committee will meet one last time, after the 10am Service, to make sure we are on track for our big fundraiser on October 3rd.
Originally conceived last spring to be a ride carnival, unfortunately the ride company was not able to squeeze us on their schedule for this fall. But by mid-summer we realized that rather than wait an entire year we need to have a fundraiser this fall as well. The Community Flea Market is the fruit of that desire.
There are several reasons I think this event is important. First, it is a community event. Various Churches, ministries, and other vendors will be participating. We are the hosts and in addition to selling our wares, we will also be selling food concessions and 50/50 tickets. It is a chance to gather various groups in our community together for a day.
Secondly, it is a chance for us to be ‘visible’ in the neighborhood. Our big building is hard to miss, but many pass by without ever seeing anyone come and go. This event in the parking lot is a chance for us to be seen by our neighbors who will (hopefully) be coming in to browse the items, meet parishioners, and hopefully develop a favorable opinion of us, opening up an opportunity to develop a relationship with each other and hopefully with them and the Lord.
And of course, it is a fundraiser. In our hard-pressed economic times, we cannot use any reserve funds because their value has been greatly depleted by the stock-market downturn, and the lack of growth and income in the account. Parishioners have been very generous in supporting St. John’s - this is a chance for others to have the opportunity to come to the Flea Market and to help us to cover our expenses.
Be sure you will be here Saturday during the Flea Market hours to volunteer AND welcome our many guests!
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Sunday School got off to a good start last week, as did Adult Education, but there are still children and adults in the parish (and in metro Detroit for that matter) who need to be involved for their sake and for the good of the parish!

Rector's Rambling on Sunday School

2009-09-21T14:32:00.000-04:00

Today we get back into the swing of the education program at St. John’s.

A few years ago there was a public service announcements that ended with the tag-line “never stop learning”. This is certainly true when it comes to our life of faith!

Most of us know that Sunday School is an important element of a parish church. ALL CHILDREN IN THE PARISH should be participating in Sunday School! We certainly would be shocked if a parent decided not to have their child educated by not sending them to school or arranging to homeschool them. And yet some in the body of Christ who faithfully do the secular requirements of education do not have the same vigilance to have their children educated in the things that have ETERNAL consequences. In Sunday School the children not only learn the facts of the scriptures, but also learn to love them because they point us to Jesus. As they grow they need this foundation of faith to fight against the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. What are we saying to our children when me make a great effort to get them to school Monday through Friday, but Sunday School (or God forbid Sunday Worship) can be put aside for other matters? Children absorb their parents’/grandparents’/guardians’ priorities.

What is true for the children in Sunday School is also true for adults. We also need to continue to learn more and more about our Lord and His Church. Reading and studying the Scriptures at home is a great start! Being involved in Adult Education at St. John’s is another great place to be! The Alpha Course is yet another great opportunity, as are other programs put on in this parish. And in the coming months we hope to branch out into small group ministry where people can gather together during the week to study the Word of God together.

Children and adults alike are called to keep learning! Let us do so to His greater honor and glory!

More on Sunday School

2009-09-21T14:28:00.001-04:00

This morning, as we resume our Sunday School and Adult Education programs, I thought it might be of interest to look at some of the things recorded in the history of St. John’s about the Sunday School program. Our 50th Anniversary book has this to say -

In the afternoon of the same day, November 20, 1859 , a Sunday School was organized. Its first enrollment, preserved for us by Mr. Charles H. Vernor (son of the inventor of Vernors Ginger Ale), who was one of those participating in the organizing, was of 28 officers and teachers, and 136 scholars. Mr. Henry Porter Baldwin was made Superintendent….

Later the book goes on to note

The Sunday School, which as we have seen began with 28 teachers and officers and 136 scholars, grew rapidly; in June 1861 it reported 451 enrolled, in 1866, 727.

The Annual Report for 1926 shows that St. John’s, once a country parish, had undergone some radical changes to the neighborhood. Surrounded by commercial rather than primarily residential properties, the make-up of the congregation had changed. Although the parish had 2430 baptized members, the author of the report laments

It is often asked whether it is difficult to keep a Church School going in a downtown parish. It is difficult...Our aim is to have as large a school as possible; but regardless of its size we try to make it the best.

In 1926 this enrollment was 180 children in Sunday School and 80 adults participating in the bible classes. That is less than 8% of the baptized membership in Sunday School and less than 4% of the baptized membership involved in the Sunday bible classes in 1926. Currently we have about 6% of our baptized membership participating in Sunday School/Children’s Chapel, and about 4% participating in Sunday Adult Education.

We can, and must do better by having members participate, and including new members as well.

Rector's Rambling - September 6th

2009-09-08T13:50:00.000-04:00

This week I got a phone call from the parishioner who so graciously edits for grammar and clarity our monthly newsletter The Eagle. He had a question about a phrase I used. We came up with a better one because the one I picked had a variety of meanings not related to what I intended.

That discussion morphed into one about about “Churchy Talk”. We use all sorts of great, ancient, specific words - often with Latin or Old English roots. They perfectly describe what they describe!

The problem is, unless you are an “insider” those words mean little to nothing to you. There are two ways to correct this problem. One, the preferred method by most is to just stop using the proper names. But for some of us, it is important to use the right words for the right things! The better solution is to use them AND explain them. For example, when I describe where coffee hour is I say, “In the Undercroft, which is directly beneath where you are sitting”. This way you learn the proper word AND what it means. Now for terms like Nave, Narthex, Sanctuary, Thurifer, Acolyte and even Rector we will have to work it into a conversation or perhaps a future Teaching Note.

I also want to wish you all a blessed Labor Day. Started primarily to celebrate the organized Labor movement in this country, for which many positive reforms in workplace resulted, we now broaden it to celebrate all human labor big and small. We pray for those who work the auto-line, push a broom, patrol our streets AND for those who take the risks to develop and grow businesses that provide employment opportunities.

The Roman Catholic Church has a history of encyclicals (teaching pronouncements) that encourage neither communism/socialism nor unrestrained capitalism. Instead, they promote a responsible business atmosphere that allows for private ownership and the opportunities for workers to make a dignified wage. Anglicanism, without a central teaching authority, would do well to start the conversation there, and pray God’s blessing on our common good.

Sad news for Anglicanism

2009-08-29T09:07:00.003-04:00

We need good, faithful religious to hold us up in prayer. The loss of the All Saints Sisters of the Poor is a deep one. Sister Mary Charles is one of the first Anglican nuns I ever met, and I have made several retreats there when I was living out east.

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10 Episcopal nuns in Archdiocese of Baltimore to join Catholic Church

By George P. Matysek Jr.

gmatysek@catholicreview.org

After seven years of prayer and discernment, a community of Episcopal nuns and their chaplain will be received into the Roman Catholic Church during a Sept. 3 Mass celebrated by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien. The archbishop will welcome 10 sisters from the Society of All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor when he administers the sacrament of confirmation and the sisters renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the chapel of their Catonsville convent. Episcopal Father Warren Tanghe will also be received into the church and is discerning the possibility of becoming a Catholic priest. Mother Christina Christie, superior of the religious community, said the sisters are “very excited” about joining the Catholic Church and have been closely studying the church’s teachings for years. Two Episcopal nuns who have decided not to become Catholic will continue to live and minister alongside their soon-to-be Catholic sisters. Members of the community range in age from 59 to 94. “For us, this is a journey of confirmation,” Mother Christina said. “We felt God was leading us in this direction for a long time.”

Wearing full habits with black veils and white wimples that cover their heads, the sisters have been a visible beacon of hope in Catonsville for decades. The American branch of a society founded in England, the All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor came to Baltimore in 1872 and have been at their current location since 1917.

In addition to devoting their lives to a rigorous daily prayer regimen, the sisters offer religious retreats, visit people in hospice care and maintain a Scriptorium where they design religious cards to inspire others in the faith. Throughout their history, the sisters worked with the poor of Baltimore as part of their charism of hospitality. Some of that work has included reaching out to children with special needs and ministering to AIDS patients. Together with Mount Calvary Church, an Episcopal parish in Baltimore, the sisters co-founded a hospice called the Joseph Richey House in 1987.

Orthodoxy and unity were key reasons the sisters were attracted to the Catholic faith. Many of them were troubled by the Episcopal Church’s approval of women’s ordination, the ordination of a gay bishop and what they regarded as lax stances on moral issues. “We kept thinking we could help by being a witness for orthodoxy,” said Sister Mary Joan Walker, the community’s archivist. Mother Christina said that effort “was not as helpful as we had hoped it would be.” “People who did not know us looked at us as if we were in agreement with what had been going on (in the Episcopal Church),” she said. “By staying put and not doing anything, we were sending a message which was not correct.” Before deciding to enter the Catholic Church, the sisters had explored Episcopal splinter groups and other Christian denominations.

Mother Christina noted that the sisters had independently contemplated joining the Catholic Church without the others knowing. When they found out that most of them were considering the same move, they took it as a sign from God and reached out to Archbishop O’Brien. “This is very much the work of the Holy Spirit,” Mother Christina said. The sisters acknowledged it hasn’t been easy leaving the Episcopal Church, for which they expressed great affection. Some of their friends have been hurt by their pending departure, they said. “Some feel we are abandoning the fight to maintain orthodoxy,” said Sister Emily Ann Lindsey. “We’re not. We’re doing it in another realm right now.”

The sisters have spent much of the past year studying the documents of the Second Vatican Council. They said there were few theological stumbling blocks to entering the church, although some had initial difficulty with the concept of papal infallibility. In addition to worshipping in the Latin rite, the sisters are expected to receive permission to attend Mass celebrated in the Anglican-use rite – a liturgy that adapts many of the prayers from the Episcopal tradition. Mother Christina said 10 archdiocesan priests, including Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden, have stepped forward to learn how to celebrate the Anglican-use Mass. The sisters expressed deep affection for Pope Benedict XVI. The pope exercises an authority that Episcopal leaders do not, they said. The unity that Christ called for can be found in the Catholic Church under the leadership of the pope, they said. “Unity is right in the midst of all this,” said Sister Catherine Grace Bowen. “That is the main thrust.” The sisters noted with a laugh that their love for the pope is evident in the name they chose for their recently adopted cat, “Benedict XVII” – a feline friend they lovingly call “His Furyness.”

http://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyarchnew.aspx?action=6750

Rambling on Weddings at St. John's

2009-08-21T23:32:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we had a wedding at St. John’s Church. Joseph Emond and Jessica Minott were united in Holy Matrimony; exchanging vows and rings, and receiving the blessing of God and His Church through my office and ministry as priest of this parish. We pray every blessing upon them and their new life together!

Weddings are not an uncommon occurrence at St. John’s. In 2009 we have had 4 already and have three more scheduled in October and November. Some years we only have 3 or 4 weddings. We probably receive at least 25 inquiries a year, phone calls or emails, from people who want to ‘rent the church’ for a wedding. All who call are informed that if they are not members of St. John’s, or active members of another Episcopal/Anglican congregation they need to begin attending St. John’s (and do so for at least 6 months) in preparation for their upcoming nuptials. As you see from the number of weddings done a year vs. number of inquiries, for many it is the aesthetics of the building that is the attraction, not the faith for which it stands.

Marriage is a sacrament, an assurance of God’s grace-filled blessing and a great aid toward holiness. But it doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The blessing is re-enforced in light of the other sacraments like baptism and Holy Communion, for which continuing active membership in the Church is our Lord’s desire.

Since becoming Rector of St. John’s Church in March of 2001 I have done 43 weddings. 12 couples now live out of state or over an hour away from St. John’s. 5 couples are divorced (that I know of). None of the divorced couples continued attending St. John’s after their wedding. 5 couples come regularly to St. John’s and 2 come occasionally.

Doing the math and you see that 19 couples either come to St. John’s or live too far away to do so. That means that 24 local couples promised me that they were intending to continue to attend after their weddings and don’t.

Starting in 2010 ALL COUPLES intending to be married at St. John’s will be expected to attend the Alpha Course. PRAY God that The Faith will be as important to all being married at St. John’s as the ceremony and celebration is to them. And PRAY for all those who have been married here, that their hearts may be moved to greater and greater holiness through their participation in The Body of Christ—the Church.

Coming soon - The Alpha Marriage Course for those already married!

News from Malawi

2009-08-20T07:28:00.001-04:00

From the Anglican Communion News Service via www.kendallharmon.net
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The Electoral College which sat at St Peter’s, Lilongwe, Malawi on Saturday 1st August 2009 elected the Revd Canon Fr Leslie Richard Mtekateka as the Bishop of Northern Malawi. The See fell vacant after Bishop Christopher Boyle resigned to take up a new post of Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Leicester in the UK.
Canon Mtekateka is presently serving as a parish priest in Karonga District, Malawi. He is one of the long serving priests in the Diocese having worked with the first Bishop of the Diocese Jack Biggers as his Chaplain, Diocesan Secretary and Archdeacon. He also served under Bishop Christopher Boyle.
The Venerable Fr Francis Kaulanda, Archdeacon of Lilongwe, was elected as Bishop to the vacant See of Lake Malawi by the Electoral College that met at St Peter’s, Lilongwe, Malawi on Saturday 1st August 2009.
The Diocese has been vacant since the passing on of Bishop Peter Nyanja in March 2005.
Fr Francis is a graduate of Zomba Theological College and Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Kitwe, Zambia. He is married with six children. He is currently serving as a Diocesan Youth Coordinator, Priest in Charge at Biwi and Archdeacon of Lilongwe.
Bishop William Mchombo
Acting Provincial Secretary

Rector's Rambling - August 16, 2009

2009-08-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, August 15th, was a major feast day in the life of the Church. Today we are commemorating that feast with the second Collect of the day.
Known in Anglicanism as The Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, August 15th is a day commemorated in honor of Jesus’ mother in Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and some Lutheran bodies.
For the Roman Catholics this day is known as The Feast of the Assumption. Tradition says that Mary, after her death, was bodily taken into heaven to be with her son. This is what the Church believes will happen to ALL OF US at the end of time, known as the General Resurrection. At that time all will rise from the dead with their resurrection bodies. The Roman teaching is that Mary received this in anticipation of the General Resurrection since it is from her body that Son of God Incarnate took his flesh. Although not explicitly contained in scripture, it is attested to by multiple early writers and by the lack of any bodily relics of Mary (something for which we have for all the apostles and many biblical characters).
For the Orthodox this day is known as The Feast of the Dormition, or the falling asleep of the Theotokos (God-bearer).
For Anglicans and Lutherans it is a recognition of the importance of Mary in the story of our salvation. She gives her ‘fiat’ to the Angel Gabriel’s announcement of her being chosen to be pregnant with the second person of the Trinity (Luke 1:38). She raises Jesus to be a good Jew in accordance with the original covenant. She is complicit in his first public miracle at Cana, interceding to her son, and instructing the servants to “do whatever he tells you” (John 2:3-5). She is faithful and present at His public ministry, His Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and the Coming of the Holy Ghost.
When Mary visits her kinswoman Elizabeth she deflects her praises, pointing instead to Our Lord. “My soul doth magnify the Lord…” and a recognition that “from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:45-56).
We call Mary blessed for Jesus’ sake.

Still alive....

2009-08-12T16:20:00.002-04:00

...just haven't posted here.

After coming back from St. Michael's Conference Sam wanted to get on Facebook with all his new friends. So we decided to do that with tight supervision. Jennifer was already on, so I registered on as well.

In two weeks I have 200+ 'friends'; people from St. Mikes, St. John's Church, SSC, Seminary, College and College Fraternity, High School and even Middle School. Others are friends of friends and family members as well.

So as I settle in there, I will spend less time there, and post more often again here.

Awesome, just awesome!

2009-07-21T08:06:00.003-04:00

St. Michael's Conference for Youth!

A great week with about 60 kids and 15 staff; worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness, teaching and learning The Faith as the Church as received it, and building an intentional community of believers for Jesus Christ our Lord!

Thank you to all St. John's folks who contributed to the scholarship fund this year!

Aweful...just terrible

2009-07-21T08:04:00.002-04:00

The results of General Convention.

The Episcopal Church's legislative body disregarded the pleas of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the primates of the growing, healthy parts of the Communion, and Scripture itself(!) and forged ahead with its own agenda trying to 'normalize' deviant sexual activity.

God Help Us.

A nice weekend

2009-07-11T23:09:00.002-04:00

Friday (the day off) I went with the boys to rowing. They are really coming along! It was great to see, and also to spend time with another dad there - Todd Platt, who was married at St. John's and a frequent visitor. His daughter is in the rowing class. Todd rowed for the Detroit Boat Club in the late 70's/early 80's. Great hearing about the DBC in those days, and getting to know Todd.
Video of the boys rowing can be found here
www.youtube.com/kelfam48230

Then on Friday and Saturday afternoon we had an air show over our house. For the Gold Cup races on the Detroit River there was a fighter jet demo Friday and Saturday with a jet flying a few hundred feet over out house.
Video can also be seen of that at the above address.

But overall, it was a great time being with family, paying hardly any attention to what is going on at General Convention, and getting ready for the St. Michael's Conference this upcoming week.