Rectors Reflections SEPTEMBER 2006

The lush and easy growth of summer begins to slow down with the first days of September. Even though the harvest of produce will soon be over, for St. John’s, September signals new beginnings – the Christian Sunday School year and the Church program year. This fall we will be undertaking two special programs – our second Alpha Course and the once a month Saturday Seeker’s Service to begin on September 9 at 5 pm with an informal potluck following the service. Some of you will have seen the rearrangement of the Great Hall to accommodate these programs.

The Alpha Course is a very special presentation of the Christian faith, for 10 weeks, that introduces people (especially outsiders) to the possibility of knowing God through Jesus in a very personal and life changing way. It is a nonjudgmental and hospitable way for people to explore the questions of life: Why was I born? Can God forgive anything? Who is Jesus? Why did he die? What does the Holy Spirit do? Does God heal today? Guests can come to a friendly luncheon on Sunday, September 10, at 12:30 pm, and see for themselves if the course interests them. There are invitation cards in the hallway that you can give your agnostic or atheist friends. Assure them that no one will chase after them, if they decide not to come back. They are simply welcome to come and see, as Phillip said to Nathanael, after he had met the Lord. “Come and see.”

A monthly, Saturday Seeker’s Service, will begin on September 9 at 5:00 pm. After that,
it will be held on the first Saturday of every month. The Methodist Praise Band,
Reconciled will be with us to provide music at our first gathering. The Service will be
a “come as you are”, contemporary, family and newcomer friendly, informal Holy Eucharist, with lots of opportunity for worship in song and prayer. Bring a dish to pass and your
plate, if you want to stay for a potluck afterwards.

One more slight change in the Sunday liturgy will be to only use full incense on Feasts and Festival occations. On other Sundays, the incense will be confined to the sanctuary for censing the Altar, the Gospel Book, and the gifts. It will not be used in the congregation. We want to see if this makes a difference for incense sensitive individuals.

“When, exactly, incense was introduced into the religious services of the Church it is not easy to say. During the first four centuries there is no evidence for its use. Still, its common employment in the Temple and the references to it in the New Testament (cf. Luke 1:10; Revelation 8:3-5) would suggest an early familiarity with it in Christian worship. The earliest authentic reference to its use in the service of the Church is found in Pseudo-Dionysius
(“De Hier. Ecc.”, III, 2). The Liturgies of Sts. James and Mark — which in their present form are not older than the fifth century — refer to its use at the Sacred Mysteries.”
Catholic Encyclipedia Online.

The Episcopal Church abounds with the use of symbols. These symbols are those realities which have the power and competence of manifesting God to men, signs which carry us beyond ourselves and themselves into the genuine union and knowledge of things eternal and divine. Incense is one such symbol: the symbol of rising of prayers, of spiritual sacrifice and of the sweet-smelling fragrance of the Kingdom of God. Incense can truly enhance our worship of God, as we try to engage all of our senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. But if someone is reactive to incense, worship becomes uncomfortable at best. This is why I switched the incense we use at St. John’s to the most expensive variety from Holy Cross Monastery (Episcopal) in New York. This is why I want to try confining it’s use to the altar area, and see if it is helpful to people. Please let me know.

I am writing this in the middle of August, before setting off on vacation for two weeks.
I am grateful to God for being able to serve our Lord with you, the people of St. John’s,
and after some R&R I look forward to seeing all of you in September.

Meredith +