Dear Members and Friends of St. James, Today we did a test run. Winter is before us, and to be met with almost frigid weather (50 degrees Fahrenheit) in our buildings presented us with a challenge. As in 2015 (before my arrival on the scene in 2018, when confronted with a similar situation, documented by …
24 Pentecost Psalm 127; Ruth 3:1–5; 4:13–17; Hebrews 9:24–28; Mark 12:38–44 Unless the Lord builds the house, their labor is in vain who build it. Ps. 127:1 I begin my reflections this morning with two citations. There are both from the Rev. Richard C. Halverson (1916–1995), a Presbyterian minister who was Chaplain to the United …
Dear Members and Friends of St. James, “Spring forward; Fall back!” I am pleased to note that no one appeared to forget that jingle which alerts us semi-annually to change in times and change in seasons. The major hurdle in “getting to the church on time,” inasmuch as we are an urban parish, remains still …
All Saints Sunday, 23 Pentecost Psalm 24; Wisdom of Solomon 3:1–9; Revelations 21:1–6a; John 11:32–44 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals.’ Revelation 21:3 Everyone knows—even fourth and fifth graders—who saints are and where they can best be seen. In paintings in museums or …
The Feast of All Saints and parish notes Dear Members and Friends of St. James, We observed today at Eucharist the Feast of All Saints, to celebrate the lives of those who contributed to the life of our parish. Our senior warden produced for me, the original Charter of Founding and Admission into the Diocese …
22 Pentecost Psalm 34:1–8, [19–22]; Job 42:1–6, 10–17; Hebrews 7:23–28; Mark 10:46–52 Jesus said to Bartimaeus, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Mark 10:51 On the road where I live in Watertown, affixed to two light standards—one at the beginning of the road as it goes sharply uphill to Whitney Hill, and …
Dear Members and Friends of St. James, I send you greetings as a beautiful fall day leans towards its close. There is something comforting, at least for me, to be reminded that there remains a power over which we of humankind have no control, but that is shared by and with all. That a seasonal …
21 Pentecost Psalm 104:1–9, 25, 37b; Job 38.1–7, 34–41; Hebrews 5:1–10; Mk. 10:35–45 God answered [Moses], I am that I am. Tell them that I AM has sent you to them. Exodus 3:14 In our desire—nay, I would go so far even to say, in our need to describe for ourselves and to others who …
Dear Members and Friends of St. James, It is indeed ‘a good and joyful thing,’ as we settle into a new routine, to be able to report to you that a new normalcy brings relief to our lives that have been battered and altered by the COVID pandemic. And to that end, please know and …
20 Pentecost Psalm 22:1–15 ; Job 23:1–9, 16–17; Hebrews 4:12–16; Mark 10:17–31 Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27 Good people, I am very much aware that, on this 20th Sunday after Pentecost, I stand not in a classroom …