Bishop Lee Reflects on Imperfection

If you attended Julianne's ordination, you know Bishop Lee gives a good sermon. The Episcopal Café is currently featuring this 10-minute video of the bishop:

Jeffrey Lee, "Wounded Gifts" from 30goodminutes on Vimeo.

Julianne's First Eucharist (as a priest, that is)

At the 8 a.m. service, with "Diapers for Jesus" at her feet, Julianne celebrated her first Eucharist.

Pictures at an Ordination

A good crowd of St. John's folks were privileged to witness Julianne's ordination to the priesthood on the Feast of St. Clement, Saturday, December 5. In the interest of sharing pictures as quickly as possible, there will be little narrative to this post. Any picture can be enlarged by clicking on it. Click on your browser's back arrow to return to the post.

The scene – St. James Cathedral, Chicago:


The vestments at the far end of the rail are Julianne's:

The ordinands prostrated themselves at the beginning of the service. The bare feet are Julianne's.




Former Chicago Bishop Persell was there to participate. Here Bishop Persell gives Julianne a Bible:

Bishop Lee presided:




Bishop Lee asked to receive the first blessing of the new priests:

Advent I sermon

Jeremiah 33:14-16 St. John’s Episcopal Church
Psalm 25:1-9 The First Sunday of Advent
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 November 29. 2009
Luke 21:25-36 The Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer

Home Depot Greeter

I admit I am proud that I never shop on the weekend after Thanksgiving; I like to stay home and enjoy leftovers. However I found myself on Saturday, needing to do some Advent shopping. If my Sunday School class was going to make Advent wreaths I needed supplies. So I found myself in Home Depot on Saturday afternoon looking for greens for our wreaths. As I entered the store I heard a voice from behind a mound of Christmas decorations singing “Here comes Santa Claus” in a loud and somewhat out of tune voice. I thought he was mocking the Muzak so when I saw the Home Depot greeter I said, “You’ll be sick of that pretty soon.” “I know!” he said in a cheerful voice, “But it’s the first day of Christmas shopping and I love it!” He turned to the next customer coming into the store, “Welcome to Home Depot!” he handed out a sale flyer. Gosh I felt like a curmudgeon!

It was kind of like going into church on the first Sunday of Advent. There are beautiful greens by the front door, and wreaths inside, the Advent wreath is up, and the vestments have finally changed from months of green to beautiful purple. And then Jesus walks down the aisle and says, “Watch out! The world is going to end!”

I’ve been preaching for seven years, so it is no surprise to me that I have to preach the end of the world on the first Sunday of Advent. But it still annoys me. I still can’t understand why we are reading about the end of the world. Can’t we have some Advent peace and quiet?

We are lucky this year. We are reading from Luke, and he’s a little softer than the other gospel writers on the end of the world stuff. As I read and sat with it this week, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. These warnings seem to go from global to personal; and Jesus gives a bit of advice about how to deal with the warnings.

First, Jesus talks about global disasters, “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars.” These are natural disasters, part of living on this earth. These warnings sound a bit like the global warming warnings we hear now. Jesus says that when these natural disasters hit we should lift up our heads and have hope. Some people react to the warnings about global warming by denying it; or not caring because they won’t be alive when the world falls apart. On the other extreme, some people react with fear, paralyzed with the realization that everything they do harms the earth in some way. But Jesus suggests a different way, the way of hope. These warnings are an opportunity to do something, to change our ways, to take seriously the call given in our ancient story of creation; that we are not owners of the earth, but stewards, charged with caring for the gift of creation. In the face of disaster, we can act with hope.

In the second paragraph of the gospel, Jesus gets more local. He tells a simple story, “Look at the trees,” he says, “You know when they blossom that summer is near.” Read the signs he says, look at the realities. If kids have nothing to do after school but paint graffiti on our garages there is something wrong at home, something needed in our schools. Read the signs. If there are people pan handling at Six Corners then they need affordable housing, they need health care, and they need skills so that they can get jobs. Face the realities, says Jesus. But Jesus says that when we see these signs we know that God is near. Get close to the people who are suffering, because that is where you’ll see God.

And then Jesus turns the heat on. “Get rid of these distractions,” he says, “Dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life.” The harshest warnings are reserved for our personal life. My kids are tired of hearing me say it, but screen time sucks brain cells. Dissipation is entertainment, whatever distracts us from facing the realities of life. Alcohol does that too…drinking is an escape from the real stuff we need to face in our own lives. Worries of this life? Too much shopping! Whoever says religion is an escape has never listened to the readings for Advent. Jesus’ words shine a bright light right on our personal stuff. And Jesus’ advice? Be Alert! Get rid of the distractions so that you can face reality.

In fact we should all be more like the greeter at Home Depot. He wasn’t thinking about the 25 days he’d be listening to the same song over and over again. He wasn’t thinking about the pressures he’d face if sales didn’t rise. He didn’t think about the day after Christmas when he’d be out of a job because the holiday rush was done. He was living in the moment, enjoying the music, connecting with the people who came his way, even the grumpy priest who didn’t want to be shopping.

When there are global disasters, Jesus says, “lift up your heads, have hope!” When there are problems in our community Jesus says, “Look at the signs! God is near!” When our lives are crumbling, Jesus says, “Let go of your worries and be alert! Pay attention to the moment, so that you will be ready for Christ to come into your heart.

Thanksgiving

I don't think anybody knows exactly how many years St. John's has put on a Thanksgiving Dinner, so I'm declaring this year's to be the 25th. You can declare it to be another year, if you'd like, but 25 has got to be close to right. The dinner was the idea of Irene and Bolton Anderson, both of whom I was privileged to know in my first years at St. John's, though both passed away about a decade ago.

There have been only a few changes to the menu in the years I've been around. I'll never forget standing at the stove with Gary one Thanksgiving eve as the turkey gravy, made from a roo rue roux according to instructions handed down from Bolton and Irene, burned to the bottom of the pot. What do you do when when you're supposed to serve 75 people Thanksgiving Dinner, and your gravy tastes like burned flour?

Answer: Pretend it doesn't. Guess what! One guest said it was the best gravy he'd ever had!

That was the last year for gravy prepared from a roux.

This year was another major change. For years we had served a revolting concoction known as "Jello Salad," which was Jello (with extra Knox gelatin added to keep it from melting - yum!) on top of a romaine lettuce leaf, covered with a runny topping made with yogurt, mayonnaise, and sugar. Blech! This was, I'm sure, a very popular dish in the Midwest from about the Depression through the 1950s. My mother-in-law served the same thing (minus the added gelatin) until I knew her well enough to make barf noises.

Bill and Dave had guilt pangs after preparing last year's Jello.

"How can we feed this to people?" they wondered.

"It's tradition!" was the cheerful reply.

And as you know, tradition is one of the legs of the Episcopalian three-legged stool, so we have to take it seriously.

But this year the menu was an appetizer of mixed nuts, cheese and crackers (a new tradition!), a relish tray, turkey, stuffing, green beans almondine, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin bread, cranberry nut bread, and pie, pie, pie. N0 Jello Salad.

Some preparations for Thanksgiving Day dinner begin in October (when Suellen, aka the Turkey Commissar, starts making gravy and turkey stock), but you don't notice much at church until the Sunday before, when the turkeys get piled in the refrigerator and various canned goods get piled around the church hall. The real action begins on Tuesday night, when the round tables are put away, the rectangular tables are put out, and the tables are dressed with tableclothes, napkins, and silverware. It's a short but physically demanding night, made easier this year by the appearance of two wonderful volunteers from the Old Irving Park neighborhood

Wednesday night is food preparation night. Fifty-five pounds of potatoes are peeled:

and cut into quarters in preparation for cooking on Thanksgiving morning:

As on Tuesday, we had extra help, as neighbors (like Joe and Kim, seen in the above pictures) answered a call for volunteers in an Old Irving Park newsletter.

Gary's mother, known as the Celery Queen, comes down from Wisconsin every year just to help:


While here, she also pops by to visit her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren for a few minutes.

Nora, Deborah, Julianne (not shown), and Kim prepared floral arrangements for the Thanksgiving tables. (Hugh's just walking by.)




Finally, it's Thanksgiving morning, and the church kitchen is ready for action:

We're nervous. We have 92 reservations – almost maximum capacity – and attendance generally exceeds reservations. In 25 years, we've never turned anyone away for lack of a reservation.

It doesn't take long before the action begins.

Meanwhile, upstairs our guests have been arriving. Many attended the 11 a.m. service, and have been waiting since. Talented members of the congregation, like Susan, below, have been leading them in hymns or playing music for them.

Table assignments have been made to the volunteers, who wait for word from the kitchen that all is ready.

Some of the kitchen crew pose for a picture:

The volunteers pose for a group picture just before the doors open (click on the picture for a better view, then use your browser's back arrow to return here):

As you can see, we had an abundance of volunteers this year – a blessing, but an organizational challenge – ably handled by Lourdes, allowing Suellen to focus on activities in the kitchen.

And right on time, our guests are invited to come down for dinner:

Total attendance was almost 100.

Suellen: only 10 months until gravy production begins again.

Rite 13

Yesterday a new liturgical celebration came to
St. John's in the form of "Rite 13", a ceremony marking the passage to adulthood of teenagers in the J2A (Journey to Adulthood) program. As the Worship Wizard wrote in the morning's service bulletin, the teenagers are welcomed "to the journey of becoming adults." In part, this service arose from a decision by the Episcopal Church to encourage delaying confirmation beyond the early teens, making it more of an adult choice.

The photographs below were taken during the service. Most of them look a little better if you click on them to enlarge them. Return to the blog by clicking on the back arrow.

What would a 10:30 service be without a Procession? For this service, nearly half the congregation (teenagers, parents, sponsors, acolytes, and choir) were in the Procession. Mason led off with the Processional Cross:

As you can see, if Mason raised the cross much higher, he'd take out the chandelier. Unfortunately, the photographer was changing positions when the celebrants and their parents processed (good planning, that, eh?) but managed to catch the choir:


We heard a reading from 2 Samuel:


And from the first chapter of Revelation:


The Gospel reading was from John – the part where Pilate asks Jesus: "So, you are a king?" (Thus the liturgical designation of the day as Christ the King.) After the Gospel reading, Emma M. and Madeleine collaborated on a remarkable sermon:


The congregation was led in the Prayers of the People, much of it written by the day's Intercessor:


Then began "Rite 13" itself. The teenagers came forward with their parents and sponsors. Each of the sponsors, in turn, announced: "I present [Marlon, Mason, Elena, Nora, Emma, Zoe, Jackson, Emma, Claire, Ben, or Madeleine], who this day moves from childhood to adulthood."


Kara addressed the eleven young people standing before us:

By the grace of God you have lived through the pains and joys of childhood, and have grown strong. Now, as men and women, it is given to you to share God's power of creation. Human beings, because they are made in God's image, are the only creatures on earth who can choose how to use their creative power – not only to create new life, but also to shape the world according to God's purpose. God calls us to use this gift to build and not to destroy.

"Are you aware of God's gift to you," she asked them, "and the responsibility to use it wisely?"

To which they answered, "I am."

There was then a prayer for the parents, who knelt while their sons and daughters laid hands on them:

O God, bless the parents of these young people. Rejoice with them as their sons and daughters become men and women. Strengthen them that they may support their sons and daughters as they begin the journey to adulthood.

Uphold them by your Spirit, that they may comfort them although they can neither walk their road for them nor shield them from pain. Carry them all safely through this journey, so that one day they may stand together as adults and friends, a joy and a comfort to each other all the days of their lives. Amen.

After which it was the young people's turn to kneel while their parents placed hands on their shoulders.


Kara and Julianne came to each of them and prayed:

[Marlon, Mason, Elena, Nora, Emma, Zoe, Jackson, Emma, Claire, Ben, or Madeleine], may Almighty God fill you with courage, wisdom, and joy. May Jesus Christ, your strong companion and never-failing friend, make you strong in faith and defend you on every side...

...And may the blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, rest upon you this day and for evermore. Amen.

After which we passed the peace, and through dewy eyes the proud parish did not seem very worried about H1N1.

For the Eucharist, the congregation's eleven honored members joined Kara and Julianne around the altar. For most it was not an unusual position, as they had served or continue to serve as acolytes.




Finally, Communion.


The energy, earnestness, and character of these young people play a big part in making St. John's the kind of place it is.

Congratulations to all of you.