Saint Nicholas Family Festival - Dec. 5, 5:30 PM

What a wonderful night - a taste of Christmas early in Advent! The church was bright with happy children and a spirit of sharing in Christian community. During the sermon, I talked with the kids about the differences between Santa Claus and the Christian saint, Nicholas of Myra. So when Saint Nicholas (instead of Santa Claus!) bounded in at the end of the service, with crozier and mitre, they were thrilled! Many thanks to Jimmy Tolfree for playing Saint Nicholas this year.

"O good holy Nicholas, you who brought joy to children, put in my heart the spirit of childhood about which the Gospel speaks. Teach me how to spread happiness around me. Amen."

Fr. Chris +

Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance - 12/7/09 - Long Beach

A Prayer for Pearl Harbor Day

The Rev. Dr. Christopher King

Almighty God, by whose hand this nation and its people have been graciously blessed with freedom, opportunity and plenty, we give you thanks for the heritage of this land and acknowledge before you our solemn duty to be its stewards for generations to come.

On this day that will always be known as “A Day of Infamy”, we keep bright the torch of remembrance for those brave men and women who served and died in Pearl Harbor. We commend them to your mercy, O God, as we do the families who loved them and grieved their passing.

We ask your blessing today upon all of America’s veterans, and upon those in active service, who have heard their country’s call and answered with everything they have.

By your providence, their sacrifices have not been in vain but have served to set many free from tyranny.

Do not let us fail to stand by those who have stood up for us. Do not let us presume upon your favor but, so far as we are able, to place our pride upon the altar of your sovereign will. And do not let us be idle, but stir up in our hearts an ardor for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people here and everywhere.

We thank you, O Lord God, for our American veterans and for their noble struggle to give this world an honorable peace. May we never forget them and may we never forget this day.

Amen.

Saint James of Jerusalem Redux

St. James is home to quite a few beautiful and interesting pieces of sacred art. One of these is a santos style statue of a mitred bishop holding a scroll. The parish acquired it some years ago, and the vicar emeritus painted it with new colors at that time. Because the parish had no other image of its patron, it was given his name and placed in the sanctuary.

In anticipation of the Feast of Saint James of Jerusalem this year (October 23), I spent a few evenings adding some detail to the statue, plus some new color here and there. The topmost picture is "before" and the bottom two are "after." Good fun!

Yes, this is how the clergy while away their hours!

Father Chris+

A Pastoral Instruction on Holy Communion

A Pastoral Instruction on Holy Communion
Father Chris King

Periodically, widespread concerns about the threat of infectious disease raise questions about some of our customs in worship, especially drinking from the common cup and exchanging the Peace. Are they safe? Can they ever be suspended? Are they really all that important anyway? These questions abounded during the worst years of the AIDS epidemic, as one might well imagine, and more recently with other outbreaks like SARS, tuberculosis and now the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

Recently, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in response to the anticipated H1N1 epidemic, recommended that parishes of the Church of England suspend sharing the chalice at the Eucharist. The directive was well intentioned but not based on actual research. In a 1998 study, for example, the Center for Disease Control reached the conclusion that “… no documented transmission of any infectious disease has ever been traced to the use of the common cup.” In fact, sipping from the chalice is a significantly less risky transmission vector than any number of daily social interactions, such as shaking hands. You might also be interested to know that in most churches, the priest drinks any wine remaining in the chalice after everyone else has received. If the common cup were not safe, the clergy would be the first to know it and show it!

I realize that some of this might appear to defy common sense. Yet, there are frequently times when common sense is wrong and acting on it sets a bad precedent that is hard to undo. The Church certainly does not want to expose anyone to risk. However, I am fully convinced that our traditional Eucharistic worship is safe when conducted intelligently.

As your priest, I am accountable for our collective wellbeing, but we all have to make an effort to be conscientious. This pastoral instruction is intended to help. I will first briefly explain why the Episcopal Church thinks that the common cup is so important. Then, I will set forth some guidelines for making our own communion practices at St. James safer for everyone.

The Common Cup

First of all, what is the “common cup”? You might have visited churches where they use individual cups at communion. Well, it isn’t that! The common cup is a single, real, ample cup that everyone shares. The Episcopal Church teaches that the common cup is an essential and non-negotiable symbol of our Christian life and identity. But why do we believe that it’s so important?

First, the common cup – or chalice – is the unique Cup of Blessing, symbolically identical to the cup that Jesus shared with his disciples in the Upper Room. The consecrated wine that the chalice bears is truly the Blood of Christ, of incomparable holiness. Yet the chalice itself is a powerful symbol of our communion with one another, in and through Christ Jesus. Just as there is "one bread", so too there is "one cup of blessing which we bless." In partaking of the “one bread”, we show that we are organically one body. In partaking of “one cup”, we express our share in one spirit and solidarity in times of joy and times of sorrow. We’re all in this thing together, for real.

This symbolism is potent even if we don’t use one physical loaf of bread (as we will someday do here) and even if large parishes and cathedrals often have more than one chalice when communion is distributed. The Book of Common Prayer requires us to use "only one chalice on the Altar" because this symbolism is so central to who we are and how we worship. References to this "cup" permeate the language of both worship and prayer, because the iconography of the cup is so powerful.

The common cup has also been a primary focal symbol throughout history. You might have seen portrayals of an angel collecting the blood and water streaming from the wound in Christ's side at the Crucifixion. This is an ancient image, one that emerges again in the stories of the Holy Grail. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, therefore, that during the Middle Ages the Western Church took the chalice away from the laity, thinking that it was too holy for the hoi polloi. For centuries, only priests and bishops could ever drink from the Cup of Blessing. This was wrong. Its return to common usage was a hard-won victory for the Protestant Reformers. We must not underestimate the privilege of having access to it.

The sacramental nature of the common cup is perhaps more vividly plain to us precisely because we do not ordinarily drink from common vessels. This makes it an even more robust reminder that this is no ordinary meal, but is, in fact, an anticipation of the Heavenly Supper of the Lamb. This Church will not surrender the sacrificial quality of this tradition. Drinking from a common cup is simply too powerful a sign of trust, fellowship and commitment.

Some Guidelines for Holy Communion

There is very little risk in drinking from the common cup. We use a fortified wine that is naturally antiseptic and cleanse the cup repeatedly during communion with a special napkin called a purificator. The chalice bearer wipes both the outside and the inside of the lip of the cup, with a clean part of the purificator, each time the cup is administered..

Many of us prefer to receive by intinction (dipping the Sacred Host into the cup). This is an acceptable practice, but it is unsanitary for communicants to put their fingers into the chalice. Not only do fingertips often end up in the wine, but the bread itself can also spread germs from the recipient’s hand to the cup. If communicants have a personal preference for receiving the Sacrament this way, it is only the priest – having cleansed his hands in the lavabo – who intincts the host.

To increase our safety as a worshiping community, we will observe the following guidelines when taking Holy Communion:

• If the Celebrant or any of those assisting in the service feel ill, they should excuse themselves from worship that Sunday. The same holds true for members of the congregation who do not feel well. They should excuse themselves from attending Church that Sunday.
• The Celebrant will always cleanse his hands before Mass and immediately before the Eucharistic Prayer, in the lavabo. Worshipers are urged to wash their hands before the service.
• If you wish to drink from the chalice, you may receive the bread in your hands. Please do not try to take the bread with your fingers. Instead, open your right hand and place it palm up over your left hand. The priest will put the bread in your palm. When the chalice comes to you, guide it to your lips by taking hold of the base, not the bowl, of the cup. The chalice will be cleansed between communicants.
• If you wish to receive by intinction, please signal this to the priest by holding your hands together in a prayer position. The priest will dip the Host in the chalice and place it on your tongue. If you intend to intinct but mistakenly receive the bread in your hand, please consume it and ask the priest to communicate you by intinction. No one will be allowed to intinct the bread for themselves. This is unsanitary.
• Although it is preferable to receive the fullness of the sacramental sign, you may also receive it “in one kind”; that is, you may take the bread alone. Christ is entirely present in the consecrated bread as well as in the consecrated wine. Every sacramental grace will be appropriated to you.
• If you wish only to receive a blessing, indicate this to the priest by crossing your hands over your chest; or simply tell him. The priest will pronounce a blessing, making the Sign of the Cross over you.
• About the Peace: at St. James, worshipers usually greet each other with a handshake, or even an embrace. This is a wonderful and appropriate expression of our fellowship and affectionate regard for one another. It is also a prime opportunity for the spread of germs, so please use common sense. Don’t be offended if someone stands back at the Peace. They’re probably protecting your health!

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Father Chris at FrChrisLongBeach@me.com or call him at 516-432-1080.

The Sacrament of the Present Moment (Homily for Year B, Proper 9)

“Jesus said to the apostles, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place”.

I’m sure that we’re all familiar here with the “hard sayings” of Jesus – teachings like “sell everything you have and come follow me” or “you must hate your father and mother, if you would be my disciple”. Then there are his paradoxes, parables and obscure sayings – “If you would gain your soul, you must lose it” or “The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed” or a “pearl of great price” or a sower and his seed.

Today, though, we get something different – something that we might think of as one of Jesus’ “painfully obvious sayings”. These are words of Jesus that say something so evident – at least so evident to anyone with even an ounce of sense – that they make us wince to hear them.

Listen again to what Jesus says to the Twelve as they prepare to hit the road for their first apostolic mission: “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place”.

That’s a bit like saying, “I found it in the last place I looked” or “Wherever you go, there you are!”. After all, it sort of goes without saying that you have to stay in a place until you leave it. How could it be otherwise? Yogi Berra would be proud.

But let’s look a little closer at what’s going on here. Maybe things aren’t so obvious as they seem.

Jesus reminds me a bit of a mother sending her child away to summer camp for the first time: “Don’t forget to change your socks. Write home every day. Don’t wander off! Be careful about strange looking plants! Have fun!”. You can picture the scene. Here he is, maybe twelve years old, rocking from foot to foot, wondering why mom is wasting his time with this stuff. Everything she’s saying is so obvious, and he can’t wait to get out the door.

Then the first week of camp passes, and he’s only changed his socks once, not a single letter has been written, he’s gotten lost in the woods, picked up a bad case of poison ivy, and isn’t even sure he likes camp at all! Suddenly he remembers his mother’s parting words and wishes that he had taken them to heart. They don’t seem so obvious now!

Jesus realized – just as that mother understands – that often it is the most obvious things that we most quickly forget when the pressure is on and we’re faced with distractions. And Jesus also knew that the main reason we so easily forget the obvious things and get caught up in non-essentials is this: our minds are usually several steps – sometimes many miles and days – ahead of our bodies and souls. We’re usually not really rooted where we are standing. We usually not fully present to the people right in front of us.

Think about what’s really going on when that mother is giving her son all that advice. In his mind’s eye, he’s already out the door, on the bus, at camp, and half-way through a carefree summer. He hasn’t even walked out the door, but he’s so far away in his imagination and anticipation that everything his mother is saying – all that obvious stuff – is just the distant buzz of background noise. He hasn’t left home… but he isn’t quite there either.

“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place”.

Jesus understood that the moment the apostles began to dwell on the future – whether with excitement or fear – more than they dwelled in the present, they could never really carry his kingdom into the world. They would always be double-minded procrastinators, distracted by cares and fantasies, when the one thing necessary is to be utterly open to God’s real and caring presence in what the French mystic Pierre de Caussade called “the sacrament of the present moment”.

You see, the present moment is a sacrament because it is the one bit of time where we can find God now. We can’t find God yesterday. We can’t find God tomorrow. For neither yesterday nor tomorrow -- in fact, not even the last minute or the next – exists anywhere except in our heads.

We can only find God only in the present moment. And only in the present moment can we discover the next right thing, because it is only in the present moment that God calls and that our best motives and true duties can come fully to light.

And very often, we will discover that the next right thing to do is also the most obvious thing of all. It might be to act. It might be to wait. It might be to pray. But whatever it is, we will only discover it if we really stay – rooted and present – in the place where we are until God calls us to move on.

“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place”.

Amen.

Fr. Chris King +

Blessing of Bikes and Boards!

"God is the source of every blessing. The energy of everything we see around us today tells us that God lives and loves this world; and all the ways that we find delight in being alive inspire us to praise and bless the Lord with our selves, our souls and bodies. By this celebration of our joy in riding our bikes, surfboards and skateboards, we express our belief that everything is working together for the good of those who love God, wherever he wills to be found."

So began our 1st annual (Lord willing!) "Blessing of Bikes and Boards" on the morning of Saturday, June 13, at the Magnolia Street boardwalk here in Long Beach. 

Our little city by the sea is home to an enthusiastic recreational community - cyclists, surfers, skateboarders, swimmers, volleyball players, and runners. Long Beach can be a sleepy place during the (long!) winter, but when we're "in season," it's hopping! But some of these sports can be dangerous, too, and safety is a top priority. We came together ask God's blessing on the fun and to pray for a safe and carefree season.

Nearly 50 people took part - church members, people who had seen our flyers, and passersby. We were blessed with clear skies - no small miracle, given the weather we've had lately! Parishioner Maria Milillo led the C Group of the Long Island Bicycle Club on a ride from Lynbrook to Long Beach for the service, and pushed through in spite of three flat tires en route! The service included a reading from John's Gospel ("You must be born from above... The wind blows where it chooses... so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit", 3:1-8), a brief homily, special intercessions, blessings (with plenty of holy water!) of the bikes, boards and the assembly, and a moment of silence for those who had died on the road or in the water during the last year. Dr. Donna Gaines, a member of St. James and an avid surfer, wrote a truly unique blessing for the surfboards ("Aloha! Mahalo Nui Looa, Great Kahuna!"). Everyone was invited down to St. James for grilled hot dogs and hang time on the church lawn.

"The prophet Moses saw the Divine Spirit surfing upon the waters at the beginning of the world; and the prophet Ezekiel saw God riding the road of heaven on an awesome vehicle, like wheels within wheels. God is always on the move!" (from the service)

Days like this remind us that "we live and move and have our being" in a God who is real, alive, and on the move. As St. Irenaeus wrote, "The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God." May we come ever more alive as we see ever more of who God truly is!

Father Chris King +

A Very Blessed Saint Nicholas' Day! December 6, 2008

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+