Tonight we welcomed nearly 70 people - and more than 25 children - to our annual Saint Nicholas' Day Family Service and Potluck Supper. There was lots of singing, a rowdy call and response reading of Psalm 145 ("God is good, all the time!") and a homily about the humble generosity of Saint Nicholas - with bags of "gold" (foil wrapped chocolates) for all the kids.
Moments after the blessing and dismissal, Saint Nicholas - in his more familiar guise as Father Christmas - burst through the doors and handed out gifts to an excited crowd before leading the whole assembly to the undercroft for supper. What a feast it was, and the undercroft has never felt so bright and festive!!!
One of many heartwarming moments: In all the activity during the homily, some big clumps of foil confetti had fallen on the floor. I was going to move on with the service and clean it up later. But two of our youngest worshipers just weren't going to be happy as long as there was a mess in front of the altar. So, while the rest of us said the Prayers, they dutifully gathered up every strand with great care and placed it all in a neat pile next to the lectern. It was a touching example of heartfelt reverence for God's house.
And what a joy it is for God's house to be full of children like these!
Special thanks to Mary Ellen Blizzard, Don and Margie Fraser, David and Valerie Horvath, Karen Martin and Jimmy Tolfree for making this year's celebration a night to remember.
Faithfully,
Father Chris+
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Preparing our hearts for our Patronal Feast (October 26)
This coming Sunday, October 26, we will celebrate our Patronal Feast. This is a special Sunday on which we honor the saint after whom our parish is named, Saint James of Jerusalem, the brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a little bit like a birthday party for the congregation, and so we’ll be thanking God for the gift of another year of parish life and ministry in the city of Long Beach.
But our Patronal Feast is more than just a commemoration. It’s also a time for us to remember who we are. Much as religious orders strive to express the charisms – the unique spiritual gifts for mission – of their founders, we are called to express the charisms of our church’s patron saint. In a very particular way, that means renewing our commitment to the vision that St. James of Jerusalem stood for. So, this Sunday, we'll reflect on that vision, asking his prayers, and God’s gracious help, to make that vision real in the world around us.
So, who was James of Jerusalem? What was his message? What charisms did he express?
The New Testament tells us that James was a near kinsman of Jesus who was favored with a special appearance of the Lord before his ascension (1 Corinthians 15:7). Eventually, he became the first Bishop of Jerusalem and presided there over the first church council, when conflict erupted over whether Gentile converts should be held to the letter of the Mosaic law. James, a strictly observant Jewish Christian, exercised visionary leadership on a breathtaking scale, confirming the council’s decision with these words: “My judgment is that we should impose no irksome restrictions on those Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). For his wise guidance, purity of heart, and liberality of spirit, he came to be surnamed "the Just".
In the epistle traditionally attributed to him, James urges us to the practice of real discipleship: Faith without works is dead. He warns us against destructive habits and attitudes that, if we don’t keep our eyes open, can creep in through the church’s back door: formalism, which clings to ceremony but forgets love and purity of heart (1:27); extremism, which uses religion as a pretext for violence (1:20); worldliness, which gives preferential treatment to rich people and gives poor people second best (2:2); false witness, which uses words to manipulate others (3:2-12); party-spirit (3:14); evil and divisive speech (4:11); showing off (4:16); and abuse of power (5:4). And, in turn, he exhorts us to be supernaturally patient – in trial (1:2) , through performing good works (1:22-25), when provoked (3:17), when oppressed (5:7), when persecuted (5:10) – knowing that there is nothing to fear, for the Lord himself is near.
James' epistle is also the chief biblical text for the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. James writes:
"Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven." (5:14,15).
How are we being called to express the spirit, message and vision of St. James of Jerusalem – James the Just! – in the year ahead?
“Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Lesser Feasts and Fasts, collect for Saint James of Jerusalem)
Father Chris+
But our Patronal Feast is more than just a commemoration. It’s also a time for us to remember who we are. Much as religious orders strive to express the charisms – the unique spiritual gifts for mission – of their founders, we are called to express the charisms of our church’s patron saint. In a very particular way, that means renewing our commitment to the vision that St. James of Jerusalem stood for. So, this Sunday, we'll reflect on that vision, asking his prayers, and God’s gracious help, to make that vision real in the world around us.
So, who was James of Jerusalem? What was his message? What charisms did he express?
The New Testament tells us that James was a near kinsman of Jesus who was favored with a special appearance of the Lord before his ascension (1 Corinthians 15:7). Eventually, he became the first Bishop of Jerusalem and presided there over the first church council, when conflict erupted over whether Gentile converts should be held to the letter of the Mosaic law. James, a strictly observant Jewish Christian, exercised visionary leadership on a breathtaking scale, confirming the council’s decision with these words: “My judgment is that we should impose no irksome restrictions on those Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19). For his wise guidance, purity of heart, and liberality of spirit, he came to be surnamed "the Just".
In the epistle traditionally attributed to him, James urges us to the practice of real discipleship: Faith without works is dead. He warns us against destructive habits and attitudes that, if we don’t keep our eyes open, can creep in through the church’s back door: formalism, which clings to ceremony but forgets love and purity of heart (1:27); extremism, which uses religion as a pretext for violence (1:20); worldliness, which gives preferential treatment to rich people and gives poor people second best (2:2); false witness, which uses words to manipulate others (3:2-12); party-spirit (3:14); evil and divisive speech (4:11); showing off (4:16); and abuse of power (5:4). And, in turn, he exhorts us to be supernaturally patient – in trial (1:2) , through performing good works (1:22-25), when provoked (3:17), when oppressed (5:7), when persecuted (5:10) – knowing that there is nothing to fear, for the Lord himself is near.
James' epistle is also the chief biblical text for the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. James writes:
"Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven." (5:14,15).
How are we being called to express the spirit, message and vision of St. James of Jerusalem – James the Just! – in the year ahead?
“Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Lesser Feasts and Fasts, collect for Saint James of Jerusalem)
Father Chris+
Saturday, May 03, 2008
"To an unknown god" - Sixth Sunday of Easter - April 27, 2008
What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. Acts 17:23b
In medieval Europe, a woman unable to care for an infant would sometimes place half a torn playing card among the child's effects before giving it over to the care of an orphanage, keeping the other half for herself. The card would be torn precisely so that there could be no question that the two halves belonged together. The mother hoped that, one day, she might be able to reclaim her child by reuniting the halves.
Imagine being such a child. If you knew what that torn playing card was for, it would be more precious to you than anything else you possessed, no matter how worthless it looked to anyone else. And if you didn't know exactly what it was for, well, you'd still treasure it, if only because it was something left with you by the one who gave you life. Either way, whether you knew it or not, it would be a priceless clue to finding the answer to the most important question of your life: Who am I?
When Saint Paul spoke to the learned Athenians at the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31), his eye was drawn to one altar among the many dedicated to the pagan gods. Unlike the other altars, this altar was practically derelict: no elaborate sacrifices, no lush rituals, no myths to explain why it was there, no priests to maintain it. Someone, long ago, had set it up, maybe just in case some strange god was in that place, or maybe for some other reason... but who can remember?
And on that altar was engraved this dedication: To an unknown god. They might as well have carved a huge "?" in that stone. It was as if that altar was pleading, "For whom am I made?".
To anyone else, that altar would have seemed a worthless thing. But Saint Paul saw in it something like that torn playing card. He saw in it evidence that the pagan heart was aching with the question: Who am I? Which is really the question: For whom am I made?
And Saint Paul wanted those wise Athenians not just to ache with that question but to burn with it.
So Saint Paul gently but relentlessly unveiled for them the truth about that much neglected altar "to an unknown god" - that its very incompleteness is what made it the best and wisest and truest of all the altars. Why? Because of all the altars in the Areopagus, this was the only one that didn't pretend to be sufficient. It was the only one that left open the question: For whom am I made?
And it was therefore the only altar that left silence enough, and humility enough, for an answer to be given. That we are made for the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That even though we grope for him, as if in darkness, he is truly very near us. That we are his offspring. That our calling is high - and to neglect it, perilous.
Every child born into this world has, among its possessions, a torn playing card. In its heart, there is built an altar upon which is written: To an unknown God. Worthless things, in and of themselves. Except that there is One who holds the other half. Except that there is One who longs to be known as much as you long to know.
Your incompleteness, your brokenness, is the only thing that God requires. If only you seek, God will give you everything else.
In medieval Europe, a woman unable to care for an infant would sometimes place half a torn playing card among the child's effects before giving it over to the care of an orphanage, keeping the other half for herself. The card would be torn precisely so that there could be no question that the two halves belonged together. The mother hoped that, one day, she might be able to reclaim her child by reuniting the halves.
Imagine being such a child. If you knew what that torn playing card was for, it would be more precious to you than anything else you possessed, no matter how worthless it looked to anyone else. And if you didn't know exactly what it was for, well, you'd still treasure it, if only because it was something left with you by the one who gave you life. Either way, whether you knew it or not, it would be a priceless clue to finding the answer to the most important question of your life: Who am I?
When Saint Paul spoke to the learned Athenians at the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31), his eye was drawn to one altar among the many dedicated to the pagan gods. Unlike the other altars, this altar was practically derelict: no elaborate sacrifices, no lush rituals, no myths to explain why it was there, no priests to maintain it. Someone, long ago, had set it up, maybe just in case some strange god was in that place, or maybe for some other reason... but who can remember?
And on that altar was engraved this dedication: To an unknown god. They might as well have carved a huge "?" in that stone. It was as if that altar was pleading, "For whom am I made?".
To anyone else, that altar would have seemed a worthless thing. But Saint Paul saw in it something like that torn playing card. He saw in it evidence that the pagan heart was aching with the question: Who am I? Which is really the question: For whom am I made?
And Saint Paul wanted those wise Athenians not just to ache with that question but to burn with it.
So Saint Paul gently but relentlessly unveiled for them the truth about that much neglected altar "to an unknown god" - that its very incompleteness is what made it the best and wisest and truest of all the altars. Why? Because of all the altars in the Areopagus, this was the only one that didn't pretend to be sufficient. It was the only one that left open the question: For whom am I made?
And it was therefore the only altar that left silence enough, and humility enough, for an answer to be given. That we are made for the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That even though we grope for him, as if in darkness, he is truly very near us. That we are his offspring. That our calling is high - and to neglect it, perilous.
Every child born into this world has, among its possessions, a torn playing card. In its heart, there is built an altar upon which is written: To an unknown God. Worthless things, in and of themselves. Except that there is One who holds the other half. Except that there is One who longs to be known as much as you long to know.
Your incompleteness, your brokenness, is the only thing that God requires. If only you seek, God will give you everything else.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Welcome Fr. Chris King
Fr. Christopher King has joined us as our new priest in residence. We at St. James extend him a warm welcome and look forward to his guidance as we begin a new era in the history of our church. We wish Fr. Tony all the best in his retirement and thank him for his invaluable service over the past years.
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