St. James Episcopal Church
1170 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 666-1063
The Parson's Letter
Autumn, 2007
Autumn Harvest
With the change of the calendar to October many of us begin to think of colder weather and harvest. We remember childhood visits to apple orchards and apple barns and selecting a pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern. Those of us who are older remember the nostalgic smell of burning leaves, or we might look for the first frost. No matter our age, we notice fewer hours of daylight. In the natural order, the cycle of the seasons has made its autumnal appearance; there is change in the air.
In addition to those natural occurrences, there are signposts of God’s harvest as we come into the last months of the liturgical year. All Saint’s celebrates a gathering of all of God’s people, the living and the departed that we call the Communion of Saints. It reminds us that all parts of our lives fit together and that there is congruence. When we feel alone and disconnected in this life’s busy-ness, tragedy or sameness, it is a great comfort to recognize ourselves as a part of the family of God, and that without us, God’s family would not be complete.
In Thanksgiving Day celebrations we give thanks for the fruits of the earth and those who harvest them. It is a day on which we pray to be made more faithful stewards of God’s great bounty—we pray not only for our necessities, but also for those who are in need.
The crown of our liturgical life, just before Advent, is the celebration of Christ the King, the last Sunday after Pentecost. This year, as we baptize one into our fellowship, we pray that we may all be brought together, freed from our divisions, and made one under the Prince of Peace.
This is the season of ripening which brings a great sense of bounty, but there is also a sense of things coming to an end. We all have experiences of loss and grief. We must always take away the knowledge that in the economy of God, nothing is ever lost, so that we can move into this season of change with hope and not despair. The generosity of God never ends.
20th Century theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, wrote very powerful words that speak to us in this season:
“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final favor of love which is forgiveness.”
Blessings and peace on your journey.
The Rev'd Michael Dudley
Priest-in-Residence