Dear Members and Friends of St. James, Admittedly, a sense of normalcy seems to have set in: Zoom meetings; pastoral connections via email, telephone calls, and handwritten notes to and on your and our communal behalf; and visits to our church grounds and buildings. I rush to assure you that on my part, I have …
Please join us and many throughout the nation in prayer on line in a service of healing. “Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will lead a live-streamed prayer service from Washington National Cathedral, Holding on to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness, on All Saints Sunday, November 1, at 4:00-5:30 p.m. EST.” Join the Episcopal Church live on …
20 Pentecost Psalm 99; Exodus 33:12 – 23; I Thessalonians 1:1 – 10; Matthew 22:1 – 14 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Ps.24:1 I. The Question. What motivates us to pose the question? At some point in our lives, the question “who …
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. James! With concern, I included in my weekly update last week a letter from our Bishop diocesan, Bishop Alan Gates. I write this week with joy to report that our Bishop, being attended by an excellent medical staff and your prayers, has returned full-time to his ministry. Indeed, …
19 Pentecost Ps. 106:1 – 6, 19 – 23; Exodus 32:1 – 14; Philippians 4:1 – 9; Matthew 22:1 – 14 Finally, beloved, whatever is true…honorable…pure…pleasing…commendable, if there is any excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things…and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8 -9 “Transparency,” “fact-checking,” “connect the …
Dear Members and Friends of St. James, I write, as always, in the hope that you continue in good health, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It has been seven months since we last gathered in communion with each other, as the COVID-19 pandemic in its relentless hold on our behavior has made even memories of a …
18 Pentecost Psalm 19; Exodus 20:1 – 4, 7 – 9, 12 -20; Philippians 3:4b – 14; Matthew 21:33 – 46 The ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. Ps 19:9b “Mirror, Mirror on the wall! Who’s the fairest of them all?” Nursery rhymes offer us often unadulterated opportunities to truth. That …
Dear People and Friends of St. James, This past week afforded me again the opportunity to commune with all of you in prayer, alone, of course, in our sanctuary. In addition, I attended via Zoom Conference the bi-monthly meeting of Clericus, a meeting of clergy in our deanery, the Alewife Deanery. At that time we …
17 Pentecost 2020 A Psalm 78:1 – 4, 12 – 16; Exodus 17:1 -7; Philippians 2:1 – 13; Matthew 21:23 – 32 “What do you think?” Matt. 21:28 You say “to-mah-to,” and I say “to-may-to.” Are we imaging the same object, a vegetable that was once considered poisonous; is our respective image different in …
Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. James, On this typical fall day, I send you warm greetings from my study—shelter-in-place, virtual liturgies, longing for communal gatherings—while the neighbor’s miniature dog reminds me that we live still in community. I report that as required by diocesan canons, I have completed via ZOOM part two of our …