7 March 2025 ~ From the Rector's Desk ~ "What is saving you now?"

 

St. Mary’s Newsletter, 7 March, 2025

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☩From the Rector’s desk☩

“What is saving you now?”

The wonderful author and priest, the Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, tells of a time when she was about to give a presentation at a church and she approached the rector to ask his advice about what should be the topic of her talk.  

As a bit of background, she has written a dozen or more books, and is a noted preacher and presenter at conferences, and is extremely well-known in the larger Episcopal Church.  Many of her books retell portions of the Biblical story with her beautiful writing, and her wry sense of humor.  I have read and re-read most of her books many times.  

Back to our story, Barbara+ asked the rector for his thoughts about what should be her focus of her talk.  He answered, “tell us ‘what is saving you now?’”  She was surprised, and left to ponder this simple, and yet deep question: “What is saving you now?”  The sentence itself is, of course, in the present tense, and the tense is active.  What is at work, saving you?  What is energizing you?  What is giving you hope?  What is saving you from the doldrums?  What is pushing you out of bed every day?  What is saving you? Right now, at this point, in your actual life, in the messy, happy, sad, grouchy, chaotic, disorganized, functional and dysfunctional ways that your life exists right now?

This list is not a bad set of questions for us to ponder at this very time, in this very place.  

Perhaps it is music.  Perhaps it is friends.  Perhaps it is comedy film.  Perhaps it is poetry.  Perhaps it is exercise.  Perhaps it is fine food.  Perhaps it is meditation.  Perhaps it is prayer.  Perhaps it is writing.  Perhaps it is BritBox.  

Whatever it is that is bringing us toward that best version of ourselves, is, of course. enlivened by the Holy Spirit.  God works in mysterious ways, even through long walks, classic rock and roll, and playing bridge with friends.  Our true Joy and Gladness, are enlivened by Jesus, who knew only too well the suffering, pain, and difficulties of life.  And yet, he lived joyfully, lovingly, and enthusiastically.  Jesus’ own incarnation teaches us that God works on us through the things of the world.  So, even (and especially) in this time of Lent, embrace your Joy, ponder the shortness of life so that you might fully live, take up what you love, and allow it to transform you. 

What is saving you now?

The Very Reverend Peter Carey, Rector

 

7 February 2025 ~ From the Rector's Desk

 St. Mary’s Newsletter, 7 February, 2025

From the Rector's Desk

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From the Rector’s desk

“We cannot always do great acts, 

but we can always do small acts with great love.”

Saint Mother Teresa

The problems and challenges of the world are plentiful at all times, including our own.  If you are anything like me, I have to balance between staying aware of the current events of the world and feeling overwhelmed.  While the challenges are many, we can always embark on actions which do make a difference.  Here at St. Mary’s, we have a decades-long tradition of giving generously to organizations that help people in need, both near and far.  In addition, the members of our parish are extremely kind and live out their faith in loving actions of charity.  

As Saint Mother Teresa once said, “we can always do small acts with great love.”  Our giving is best, and is generative, when our giving is tied to our deepest love.  Our actions may include a regular practice to call our friends and relations on the telephone to connect and share time with them. Sending a note to shut-ins, or sending a card to those whose birthday is upcoming are great ways to connect with one another and share our love and concern.

Perhaps our actions include keeping a Prayer List of those who are in need, which may include our own family, but also perhaps our parish’s prayer list, as well as praying for those in need around the neighborhood, the nation, and the world.  

I have heard that there are those who make it a yearly practice to plant trees, which have nearly no negative consequences.  I remember as a child our small town would give out seedlings to kids in the schools and encourage us to plant them on Arbor Day.  If you can’t plant a tree, perhaps you can give funds to a group who does.  

There are a plethora of organizations where we each might give a portion of our own gifts, our own money.  As a church, we have long partnered with organizations such as North Light Community Center (see the feature on this great organization below) as well as other organizations locally and globally which do amazing work to help a world in need.  

I encourage you all to take on a new practice of “doing small acts with great love,” and I would love to hear what ideas you have for sharing our goodness with the world.  I would love to hear what you are doing.  Taking on a new practice need not be difficult nor complex.  Some ideas may be praying over our church’s Prayer List each week, bringing food items to the church to donate on Sunday, encouraging our friends and family in difficult times, giving directly to an organization whose mission tugs at our heart strings. 

The Very Reverend Peter Carey, Rector

30 January 2025 ~ From the Rector's Desk

Saint Mary's Episcopal Church Newsletter, January 30, 2025

From the Rector's Desk

The Feast of Candlemas at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

This coming Sunday, February 2nd, has long been known as Candlemas.  In the church, this day is also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, and the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Joseph and Mary. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22–40.  You will see that this Sunday’s liturgy will be a bit different than our usual liturgy, and will include a procession and the blessing of candles.

Candlemas day by Marianne Stokes, 1901

The feast falls on the 2nd of February.  On Candlemas, over the course of many centuries, Christians brought their candles to their local church, where they were blessed and then used for the rest of the year. These blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who is referred to as the Light of the World.  This Sunday, we will have candles for you, as well as LED “candles” which we will bless and have for you. 

Interestingly, for us, we probably think of February 2nd as Groundhog Day, and not many folks may realize that Groundhog Day has its roots in the observance of Candlemas.  The Roman church's custom of blessing candles by the clergy  found its way to Germany. The Germans developed a tradition that if the sun appeared on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, making a "second winter."  German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought this tradition to the United States, and the hedgehog was somehow morphed into the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.

So, join us this Sunday, bring your candles, and pray that we will be emboldened by the Light of Christ throughout the year!

In God’s blessed Light and Peace,

The Very Reverend Peter Carey, Rector

"real" prayer

“How easily we slide into thinking of our prayers as the “real” prayer. What is the “real” prayer, the grace we say at the table, or the meal that follows it? And if we pray at all times, as we should, our eating and drinking will be real prayer. Gratefulness will turn the whole meal into prayer, for after we pray our prayers, we will pray our soup, salad, and dessert.”

-David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer

Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer

by David Steindl-Rast

"real" prayer

“How easily we slide into thinking of our prayers as the “real” prayer. What is the “real” prayer, the grace we say at the table, or the meal that follows it? And if we pray at all times, as we should, our eating and drinking will be real prayer. Gratefulness will turn the whole meal into prayer, for after we pray our prayers, we will pray our soup, salad, and dessert.”

-David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer

Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer

by David Steindl-Rast

Willing to thank God

“In the same way that I am willing to thank my husband for a gift even before I have opened it—because I trust his love of me—I am willing to thank God for my life even before I know how it turns out. This is brave talk, I know, while I can still pay the bills, walk without assistance, and talk someone into going to the movies with me. My hope is that if I can practice saying thank you now, when I still approve of most of what is happening to me, then perhaps that practice will have become habit by the time I do not like much of anything that is happening to me. The plan is to replace approval with gratitude.”

-Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World

Link to order book on Amazon

Willing to thank God

“In the same way that I am willing to thank my husband for a gift even before I have opened it—because I trust his love of me—I am willing to thank God for my life even before I know how it turns out. This is brave talk, I know, while I can still pay the bills, walk without assistance, and talk someone into going to the movies with me. My hope is that if I can practice saying thank you now, when I still approve of most of what is happening to me, then perhaps that practice will have become habit by the time I do not like much of anything that is happening to me. The plan is to replace approval with gratitude.”

-Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World

Link to order book on Amazon