Open Letter from Rev. Clarence, 11/28/22

Dear Members and Friends of St. James,

I am obliged by Canon Law and pleased as a priest serving in this jurisdiction to announce again the visitation to St. James on Sunday, 11 December, the third Sunday in Advent, of our Bishop – diocesan, the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates.  This visit will be the first since my arrival in March 2018 and the first since the beginning of the pandemic.  Previous episcopal visits were undertaken by our suffragan bishops.  It is my hope that you will all, as circumstance allows, join us on this occasion.  You may invite friends and the curious who might be interested in learning more about the Anglican/Episcopal tradition.  On that Sunday, Bishop Gates will be celebrant and preacher at Eucharist.  There following will be opportunity to meet him in a reception in St. Francis Hall. 

The vestry of the parish met on yesterday, the first Sunday of Advent, following Eucharist.  As you are aware, lay leadership is essential to the support of our mission and the upkeep of our campus.  Thanks to the hiring of a sexton (part-time) and the collaboration with neighboring parish St. John’s Church – Arlington, the interior of our building and our grounds show a site that from appearance alone invites old and new members and younger generation as well.  There remain, however, still steps which must be undertaken, before we are able to reinstate our ESL (English as a Second Language) program to recently arrived non-English speakers in Somerville.  The vestry is pleased to report that our parish is proceeding on a more secure financial footing during this post (?) pandemic period which will facilitate those necessary renovations. 

Although we have just begun our spiritual Advent journey to the celebration of the birth of Christ, I am reminded by the chair of our Altar Guild of two very important items.  The first is that the flowers that appear Sundays on our altar are not placed there by magic.  On the contrary, they are given in memories of loved ones who, although no longer physically with us, have influenced and continue to influence our lives.  Likewise, the beauty of our sanctuary, St. Francis Hall, and our grounds happens because of your contributions to the Flower Fund.  Names of those whom you wish to remember at the holy and joyous celebration of Christmas should be sent to Mrs. R. Parsons, along with your financial contribution.  She must have them by 18 December, if the names are to appear in the service leaflet. 

The second item comes also from our Altar Guild.  On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, 18 December, following Eucharist, we will undertake the annual Greening of the Church in preparation of our Christmas celebration.  In previous times this has been a truly fun community activity.  Please consider remaining afterwards to lend a hand.

And now a word about our Christmas observance on 24 and 25 December:

• Christmas Eve:  The traditional congregational hymn/carol sing begins at 6:30 p.m.  Our new young organist promises moving instrumental interludes between hymns.  Bring children along, for they are less inhibited in giving voice to some of our most beautiful carols.  The Liturgy for the Holy Nativity of Christ, the Mass of Christ, begins at 7:00 p.m.  There will be a brief community reception following the service in St. Francis Hall.  Plan to remain for a brief time and share a bit of Christmas cheer.
• Christmas Day:  Because our liturgy will begin after sunset, your vestry and I have decided to count the Christmas Eve Eucharist as fulfilling our obligation of Sunday Worship.  There will be no Service on Sunday, 25 December.  The next Sunday Eucharist will be held on Sunday, 1 January, the Feast of the Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our usual 10:00 a.m. time is in place.

In closing, I offer an addendum to my attached homily.  Because of the state of our world, both abroad and at home, I looked to the past, in order to gain wisdom on how best to direct our spiritual journey during this Advent.  Thanks to a distant colleague, my attention was drawn to the 16^th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.  My attached meditation makes direct reference to President Lincoln’ s Proclamation of Thanksgiving.  It is my own theological belief that Advent, all fanfare and preparation for Christmas notwithstanding, is a period of thanksgiving to God for the birth of Christ that has taken place.  For that reason, I read yesterday to those present at Eucharist the entire proclamation of Lincoln.  It is not attached to my homily, but I dare attach here Lincoln’s prayerful appeal to the nation, an appeal which is as pertinent and applicable to our own time as then:

While offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, [we], with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.  (President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation of Thanksgiving, 3 October 1863)

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you, and those whom you love, for ever.  Amen.

Your fellow traveler in The Way,
CEB+

See also https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm