Fountains

 New York City’s reservoirs are at just over eighty percent of capacity.  The city is not in immediate danger of running out of water but adjustments must be made.  Sidewalks cannot be washed every morning.  Car rental agencies do not wash cars as frequently.  Restaurants do not automatically pour water for customers.  There are signs everywhere urging people to conserve water.  These are small inconveniences, even the dirty sidewalks.  What I really do miss are our beautiful fountains.

Prayers of the Assembly

The Prayer Book begins with a title page, a page with our Church’s certificate stating that it is The Book of Common Prayer.  (We use a certificate because the Church has never copyrighted her book in the United States.)  Then, there is a Table of Contents (widely overlooked), and two historic documents: the text of the Ratification of The Book of Common Prayer from the first American book and the Preface from that same book, adopted in 1789.  Next is found the really new and important restatement of the work of the Church today: “Concerning the Service of the Church.”

Perspective

I’ve been jogging on the bridle path and around the Central Park reservoir a lot this summer.  For the first time since the summer of 1998, my knees and feet seem to be cooperating with my desire to jog.  I’m sure the gentle tracks of the bridle path and the reservoir are helping.  It takes me about 50 minutes to do a little more than 4 miles outside.

Always the Leader

The weekday guests were from the University of the South.  Observing the Calvary Shrine, with candles blazing before it, the visitor remarked, “That’s very catholic.”  Your rector responded – with a smile, “We think of it as very Episcopalian.”  The person’s eyes had the “new data” look in them.  I love it when someone suggests to me that the world is a bigger place than I had imagined it to be; I love it when I as a Christian can suggest to another that the world is bigger than he or she thought it was.  I hope our guest realized that the Episcopal Church is something larger than what she thought when she arrived.

Men in Black

Last Sunday Father Weiler, Father Smith and I went to lunch after the Solemn Mass.  I think this is the first time the three of us have tried to do this on a Sunday.  We went last week because it was the opportunity for the three of us to talk about plans for the fall and winter.  Father Smith had just gotten back from vacation.  Father Weiler leaves on Monday, July 15.  Carpe diem.

Community Spirituality

At the heart of this parish community is the massive and beautiful high altar.  Daily, members of this parish community and others gather near it to pray.  There are a very, very few occasions during the course of the year when perhaps one member of the clergy alone is present.  This is the exception instead of the rule.  Normally the parish clergy pray the Offices together with the assembly.  The Eucharist, of course,

Confidence

I have confidence in the future of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.  My confidence is born of my experience here that Jesus Christ is the center of the common life of this parish community.  I absolutely believe the Holy Spirit is present among us.  I also believe the Spirit will reveal to us new dimensions of the mission of this community and take us to new places.

Confidence

I have confidence in the future of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.  My confidence is born of my experience here that Jesus Christ is the center of the common life of this parish community.  I absolutely believe the Holy Spirit is present among us.  I also believe the Spirit will reveal to us new dimensions of the mission of this community and take us to new places.

Episcopal Church Beliefs

Two creeds are regularly used in the worship of the Church, the Nicene Creed, during the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays and appointed feast days, and the Apostles’ Creed, at Daily Morning and Evening Prayer and in the ministration of Holy Baptism.  The Nicene Creed also has a particular use in the liturgy for the ordination of a bishop.

Worship Fuels Mission

After Evensong last Sunday I overheard Bishop Taylor and Father Weiler talking about the Church.  My ears perked up when I heard Father say to Bishop Taylor, “Worship fuels mission.”  I wrote it down.  A+, Father Weiler.  These three simple, direct and good words articulate a primary and essential purpose of Christian worship.  Our worship is in tune with God’s purposes when worship “fuels” our mission as a Christian community and as individual Christians.

Trinitarians

Our parish will always be, I hope and pray, an explicitly Christian, and that means, explicitly Trinitarian community.  God has revealed himself to us in the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  I respect other faiths; but I am a convinced Christian.  This means that I believe and confess to others that Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God

FROM ROBERT McCORMICK: THE ASTOUNDING AEOLIAN-SKINNER

Parishioners, friends of Saint Mary’s and passers-by are all deeply appreciative of our Aeolian-Skinner organ.  It is truly something to treasure.  Not only is it an historically important instrument built by G. Donald Harrison, but also the match of this instrument and our incredible acoustic is hard to beat.  Beautiful, subtle, complex—and, can it ever make a lot of noise!  I have had numerous conversations with colleagues and organ enthusiasts who speak of our organ in hushed, reverent voices,

FROM FATHER SMITH: THE REAL PRESENCE

Shortly after I was ordained deacon in 1989, I began working at an Anglo-catholic parish in New Haven, Connecticut.  The rector there knew Saint Mary’s a bit and often talked about it.  On more than one occasion he recalled how, as a young Lutheran seminarian, he had gone to Benediction at Saint Mary’s one Easter Day afternoon and had never forgotten the experience.  Indeed, that hour at Saint Mary’s seems to have played a part in his decision to become an Anglo-catholic and a priest of the Episcopal Church.  He always ended the story the same way: 

FROM JOHN BEDDINGFIELD: WHO’S TO BLAME?

It happened again the other night.  We had just concluded Evensong & Benediction with the visiting choir of men and boys from Christ Church, Greenwich.  The service was glorious.  The singing was prayerful, the preaching was strong, the incense dense and mysterious.  But then, someone pointed out to me that we had not made a special sign made for the street, announcing the guest choir.

I AM NOT THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The Second Sunday of Easter was for many years known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” from the theme found both in the Epistle (I Peter 2:19) and the Gospel (John 10:11) appointed for that day.  This is no longer the case—at least not in the Episcopal Church.  For the Second Sunday of Easter, the lectionary of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer now appoints a large portion of the twentieth chapter of John’s Gospel.  The passage is the story of Jesus’ first appearance to his disciples and his appearance to Thomas.  The shepherd discourse and the stories that

Easter Songs

Every Sunday during the Easter season we are singing the traditional Easter Day sequence – “sequence” is the church word for a hymn assigned by tradition to be sung on certain days before the proclamation of the Gospel.  It’s not used at the Easter vigil.  The historic sequence for the Vigil is Psalm 114 – “When Israel came out of Egypt.”  But on Easter Day it is “Christians to the Paschal victim” (Hymn 183).

Warm and Smiling

Among the many kind notes we received in the parish office after the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter Week was one that spoke of how much it meant to receive a “warm and smiling welcome” at the door of Saint Mary’s, a welcome that continued through the liturgy.  I was delighted by her words, of course, and very proud of our parish community.  Our intentional welcome does matter, because when someone walks through the door, he or she is our brother or sister.

Phenomenal

This year on Maundy Thursday I did not go into the Mercy Chapel before the Transfer of the Eucharist to the Altar of Repose.  It was a phenomenal experience to walk into that sacred space in the midst of the candles of the altar servers, choir and assisting clergy while bearing the Blessed Sacrament for the communion of the Church on Good Friday.  I was as close to speechless as a celebrant can or should be. 

Witnesses

Near the end of the Palm Sunday procession, just before the deacon, subdeacon and I turned from Seventh Avenue onto Forty-sixth Street, a woman brought me a small pile of palms.  She said, “These had fallen down.”  I smiled and thanked her; but as soon as we turned the corner, I slowly dropped them.  Smiling, I turned to Father Weiler and said, “Witnesses.”