Announcements

Next Sunday, the 23rd of February, is the last Sunday before Lent begins. Can you believe it? I love Lent! I am always excited about the prospect of preparing for Easter, of taking on a spiritual project in order to get ready to receive the greatest and most profound truth there is, the truth that has reordered the universe and which makes all the difference, the truth that gives us hope in death and peace during this life—the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  If preparing for THAT doesn’t make you excited, I don’t know what will. 

Now is the time to begin thinking about what is called a Lenten Rule of Life. A Rule of Life is an intentional pattern of spiritual practices that help shape and form you in a more Godward direction. It is not meant to be a spiritual straight-jacket or an extra to-do list that ends up just making you feel bad about yourself. Rather, a Rule should be a living and life-giving set of practices, ideals, intentions, and hopes. Making a Lenten Rule is about being intentional in your spiritual preparation for Easter. I am rather haphazard sometimes, so the act of being intentional is really helpful for me.  

A Lenten Rule can be as simple as “I am going to give X for Lent.” However, to get the most out of Lent I would encourage you to take a more holistic approach. God wants to be part of every aspect of our lives. It is not really possible to partition off your spiritual life from other aspects of your life and it is really unhealthy to try. So, in your Lenten Rule you might try to engage several aspects of your life in a holistic way. Think about a way to engage different aspects of who you are in Lenten preparation: mental, physical, emotional, etc. You might think about engaging your mind spiritually through taking up a Bible study, by reading a devotional book (I’ll have a bunch of suggestions next week, or you can find your own), and/or by engaging in our Soup Group discussions (Wednesdays during Lent at 6:30PM). 

Fasting is about engaging your physical body, its hungers and desires, in the process of forming yourself to be more like Jesus. Fasting is a very individual thing and should take into consideration your overall health. For instance, folks who have trouble regulating their blood sugar have no business whatsoever in fasting from food in any significant way, but they might consider fasting from other things they enjoy. There are other ways of fasting that have more to do with making mental and emotional space for spiritual growth, such as a fast from social media, or by limiting the amount of screen time we engage in.  

Every Lenten Rule should include prayer. Prayer is the essential tool for spiritual development and is our lifeline to God. As Christians, we should not be able to (or want to) imagine living a day without prayer, however simple our prayers may be.  Even wanting to pray is a prayer in and of itself. Prayer is what integrates us, body, mind, and spirit, and helps to make us whole.  There are many ways to pray. Do some exploring this Lent. Try out a new way to pray.  

Next Sunday, our annual Lenten Offerings booklet will be available (let me know if you’d like me to mail you one!). This booklet will detail the resources that will be available through Holy Apostles for your spiritual growth this Lent, but don’t let that be end of your exploring. Do your own research. And of course, I *love* to talk about this stuff. If you want to discuss spiritual disciplines, prayer, fasting, or Lent in general let me know!

In Christ,

James+

Next Sunday evening, February 16, we are very blessed to host the Choir School of Delaware for a special service of Evensong!  It will also be a gentle first performance for our own Holy Apostles Choir School who will join their Delaware counterparts for several pieces.  You are not going to want to miss this.  

The Choir School of Delaware, located in Wilmington, began as the Cathedral Choir School of Delaware in 1883.  It is one of the oldest continually operating children’s music programs in the country. When the Episcopal Cathedral closed in Wilmington, the Choir School continued independently. Today it is a thriving program which serves the children and youth of inner-city Wilmington, offering under-served families world-class music instruction, mentoring, homework help, college preparation, and more. The Choir School has performed in concert halls and churches all over the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, including singing Evensong at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York City.  Just wait until you hear these kids. You are going to be blown away.  

The Director of Music and Operations for the Choir School of Delaware is none other than Arreon Harley-Emerson, who also directs our Choir School and frequently sings in our choir. Arreon is a gifted educator and a world-class professional musician. He oozes a contagious excitement for music and joy for living. He holds advanced music degrees from the University of Delaware and has conducted choirs in such venues as St. Peter’s in Vatican City, the Kimmel Center for the Arts in Philadelphia, and the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.  Have I mentioned that you are not going to want to miss Evensong on the 16th?

Evensong, or Sung Evening Prayer, is moving and beautiful service; one of the glories of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition.  Though it follows the familiar pattern of Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer—psalms, readings from Scripture, and prayers—almost the entire service is sung by the choir and the officiant (although there will be several congregational hymns on the 16th).   Not only will the music be beautiful, but since most the responsibility for audible prayer is delegated to the choir, the congregation has the opportunity for silent prayer and meditation, letting the prayerful music roll over them.  It promises to be a peaceful and stress-relieving experience, and a perfect way to start a new week. Seriously, come to this service and invite all your friends and neighbors. It will not disappoint.

In Christ,

James+

It’s a busy and exciting Sunday.  We will have our annual parish meeting and luncheon immediately following the 10AM service of Holy Eucharist.  Apparently, there is also some sort of sporting event going on later in the afternoon, but our business will be finished long before then.  Liturgically, there is a lot going on today as well. Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. It’s part of the Church’s fixed Calendar as it always falls exactly 40 days after Christmas.  In some Christian traditions, you wouldn’t even think of touching your Christmas decorations to put them away until after this feast.  

I’ll talk more about the Biblical origins of the feast and its connections to the themes of Epiphany in my Sunday sermon.  However, there is another layer of liturgical interest about this feast. The Presentation of Our Lord is also called Candlemas.  This name comes from a late medieval custom of blessing candles on this day for parishioners to use throughout the year. These “holy” candles (holy, just means set apart, remember) were often reserved for use in times of fear or distress.  For example, in times of extreme weather, people would bring out the candles blessed at Candlemas and light them as a prayer of safety and for a return of seasonable weather. In Roman Catholic Poland, candles blessed at Candlemas are called “Thunder Candles” for this reason.  Modern meteorology may have taught us a lot about the origins and workings of weather, but I will admit to finding some comfort in lighting a candle during a storm, a reminder that Christ is present throughout the storms of life.  

So, today’s feast of Candlemas is associated with praying for seasonable weather and looking forward to warmer weather, even as the beginning of February around here usually means a long slog between now and Spring.  Mix this with the fact that February 2 is also a “quarter day” which falls, more or less, between the Winter solstice and the Spring equinox, a day which is the traditional beginning of a farmer’s yearly work, and you have the formula for the growth of a number of fascinating folk traditions in many cultures around the word that associate Candlemas and the prediction of weather.  In England and Scotland, there is a traditional saying: “If Candlemas is fair and clear / There’ll be twa winters in the year.” Of course, the most famous of these folk traditions—at least around here—is Groundhog’s Day, which has its origins in German folk traditions that mix Candlemas with badgers and their kin.  

You’ll be relieved to know that we will not be mixing badgers with our liturgical celebrations today (or groundhogs for that matter).  We will bless candles, however. Due to our annual meeting, the need for healing prayer, and other pressures on our time at the 10AM Eucharist, the Blessing of the Candles will take place immediately following Morning Prayer which begins at 8:30AM.  Everyone is invited to come and participate in this fun, faith-building tradition provided that you stay (or come back) for the annual meeting! If you have to choose to come only to the 10AM service, don’t worry. The pre-blessed candles will be available for everyone at the 10AM service as a reminder that Christ who is the Light of the Word is present with us always. 

In Christ,

James+