After the Fact -- Thankfully

It was good for me to get to listen to Stan Moraski preach about “doubting” Thomas. It was helpful to consider how doubt can lead us to a deeper relationship with God. It was also a gift to me, after all the sermons of Holy Week and Easter, to be fed by someone else’s words. Without the focus and energy demands of delivering a sermon, I was able to worship more intently. The process of hearing other people preach and of discussing with the lay preachers both the preparation and the reaction to preaching has also given me new perspectives on the practice of preaching and has renewed my enthusiasm for the opportunity to express faith and to open up the Gospel for others.

After the Fact -- Sort Of

Alleluia!! He is risen!!



And we are now into the 50 Days of Easter, as well as the Octave (8 days) of Easter. Every day of this week is considered a major feast of the church. I’ll trust each of you to celebrate most of those days in your own way. We will celebrate as a small but close group on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and as a somewhat larger community next Sunday.
The celebration on Sunday was wonderfully warm, in spite of very unspringlike weather outside.

For those of you who heard me talk about the queen’s Maundy Money (in the Good Friday homily), here’s a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_money It’s so like the English to have such a precise tradition.

Jesus Christ Is Risen Indeed!!

It's not Easter for me until I've heard this!!

It was a pilgrimage

Here is the altar through the week

Palm Sunday

























Good Friday




























Easter Morning

After the Fact -- Maundy Thursday

I spoke about Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples as a way of preparing them and us for the many walks of our lives – the walk down the aisle toward marriage; the walk at graduation to start a new career. And I talked about Jesus’ walks from that supper – to the trials and to crucifixion. I didn’t say anything about the first walk, the walk to Gethsemane, the walk to prayer. Before we take the many walks of our lives, taking time to pray, to ask God for direction in our walks, reminds us that God accompanies us as we walk. Sometimes we probably don’t want to pray, because we’re afraid God will ask us to go down a hard path, as Jesus was called to do on Good Friday. And yet, if we always take the easy way, will we ever know how much strength God offers us? Will we ever realize the full meaning of life and all that we have been made to contribute?

Adagio for Strings

For Good Friday

Capital Campaign Approved!!

At the annual meeting on January 27, 2008, the parish approved going ahead with a capital campaign to build behind the memorial garden. Here is the comparison of the options considered for the vote.



Now the real work begins!!

This is what we knew on Sept. 30

This information was presented to the parish for discussion. Copies of this sheet are available in the narthex. This indicates that developing the Lovely property would cost $820, 000, compared to $517,000 for the north addition. So far we are attempting to determine whether building/renovating on the Licia House property is feasible given zoning restrictions.

Where the building project is now

On September 30 approximately 70 members of St. John’s met to decide the next step in the consideration of providing additional space for classrooms, offices, choir, and altar guild. The group decided to commission new drawings of an addition on the north side of the church – in a location which would not affect the Gill Garden. They also authorized a feasibility study to see whether a building of the desired size could be built on the Licia House property. If you have questions speak to the rector or a member of the Vestry.

Here's where we are now

Options Being Considered As of July 17

Proposed North Side Addition:
Option Changes:
Moving the addition forward so that it does not impinge on the garden

Putting dormers on the north side with gothic windows shaped like the stained glass ones in the church in order to maintain the traditional look of the church

Lovely Property:


Demolish the existing structure

Build a 2000 foot one-storey building — same size as proposed addition

“Choir Room” in addition to be used as “Youth Room” in this option

Unfinished basement to be used for the mechanicals

Build and maintain a sidewalk from the Lovely property to the church

Licia House: (2 Options)

Demolish Pat’s office and garage, and build new

Renovate the main structure (how extensively to be determined)

Classroom space on 1st floor

2nd floor may be possible with adjustments for those with handicaps

Office space would need to be on 1st floor

Renovation would presumably include current tenant space

Additional parking may be needed
(A combination of 1 & 2 may be the eventual plan.)

It began with a gift

There has been a fair amount of discussion lately about gifts to the Church and how they should be honored. It is worth noting that the church began with the most important gift of all -- Jesus Christ. What is the best way to honor that first gift?

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

A Collect for Pentecost

Somehow this seems especially important these days:

Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be peaceably governed by your providence; and that your Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Who is transfigured?

Sermon at St. John's Pine Meadow CT
Feb. 18, 2007



This is the 8:00 am sermon edited in case you missed it. I am certainly learning some of my weaknesses.



MP3 File

Wednesday Homily 02/07/07

It's not great, but give it a try.




MP3 File

What a pageant!!

From Pageant 2007

Every year the pageant brings a greater sense of the vitality of the parish!! Thanks to Cheryl and many helpers, this year was no exception.

Bravo to all!!

You may not feel rich, but . . .

This link is a way to find out how rich you are compared to all the people in the world, not just the people in CT. What an eye opener!!!

How rich are you? >> I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 51,263,593 richest person on earth!

A Good Resolution

The Diocese of Eau Claire in Wisconsin had its convention recently and passed what seems to me to be one of the most sane resolutions passed or rejected in the last three years. Here are the details.

The resolution said that the diocese, "as a Christian family," affirms that:

• "God has not abandoned his Church. The Holy Spirit continues to guide and be present in abundance with the Episcopal Church."
• "A time of crisis can become a moment of grace-filled opportunity and we desire to work towards that end with God's help."
• "The heat of the moment must be tempered with a larger historical perspective over ongoing moral and ethical debates. We urge patience and unity during the protracted discussion and caution against hasty actions by any which would further split the Body of Christ."
• "We desire to affirm the classical 'middle way' of Anglicanism in order to avoid extreme positions or actions of any kind which would limit or foreclose rational debate and deliberation, always respecting the dignity of every human being."
• "We pledge our allegiance to the ongoing process of determining what is God's will for his Church and affirm that we shall do so together in faith and good will."
• "We adopt the words of St. Augustine of Hippo as the traditional guiding beacon to avoid less than holy behavior and consequences: 'In fundamentals of faith there must be unity. In disputable matters there must be freedom for debate. But in everything else there must be love.'"

St. John's is also a "Christian family" which needs to put love and respect before issues.

Here's something new

Parish Breakfast

Well, the pictures aren't too new. They were taken in September. But the ability to let you see them as an album on the blog is new. I just keep fooling around.

And there shall be music

It's beginning to look something like Christmas. Before the 10 am service (and on Tuesday night) the adult choir practices. After the service the children are getting ready to sing at 5 pm on Christmas Eve and at the Epiphany Pageant at 10 am on Sunday, January 7. They will certainly make a joyful noise -- as well as joy for the rest of us!!

Happy All Hallows Eve

Thanks to Susan Read Stanton for the pumpkin shot! All those faces make me think of the saints -- how they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and looking both ordinary and special -- and most importantly just like themselves.

Have a good, safe, and warm evening!!