Once again, we stand at the beginning of a new  liturgical year. The season of Advent reminds us that our salvation is nearer than we think. Salvation; it sounds like such a "churchy" word. So think about the mom bandaging her son's wounded knee with a salve. Or the dad who is helping his daughter with her school project, and takes her to the recycling center to find old things that can be salvaged and given a new purpose. Like people, we can understand words by the company they keep. God's salvation is about the promise of restored health. It is about the promise that with God nothing is wasted. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

 

 When Hathy and I became "empty nesters" late in August, I mistakenly thought we would be in for a quiet fall. In hindsight, I am really not at all sure why I was so delusional about this. I guess I figured without all of those events at the high school we would have more "free time."  On top of that, I had no Bishop Search Committee to Chair this fall (as I did last fall) and I am no longer teaching over at Assumption College. Clear sailing with plenty of time for contemplation and reflection! Or so I thought...

 

As it has turned out, this has been one of the busiest falls I can remember as your rector. In addition to the normal fall schedule at St. Francis (which includes things like the welcome back picnic, start up of Church School and Youth Groups, CROP Walk, Church Mouse Fair, etc) there have been four big events: hosting a goodbye party for the Scrutons, welcoming our bishop-elect for St. Francis Day, dedicating the new organ and being a Trinity Institute partner site (which because of Hurricane Sandy has been delayed to this coming month.) There have also been a number of new families coming to St. Francis and we've had numerous (and well attended) adult educational opportunities. And funerals, weddings, and baptisms. All great things, and all filled with blessings. All of them, truly, signs of God's salvation. But hectic, even so.

 

So this thought may be crazy (and it's definitely counter-cultural) but here goes: I'm hoping that we can make time, all of us, this Advent for more prayer and reflection. I'm hoping that we can intentionally slow things down a bit as 2012 winds down, and be a haven for Sabbath rest. Karen is going to be leading a program called The Advent Conspiracy on Sunday evenings, a movement designed to help us prepare for a Christmas focused on Christ, with less stress, less debt, and more joy.   You can read more about it elsewhere in this issue of The Little Portion.  I encourage you to participate, and to make this a priority as a way of staying grounded in this month of busy-ness.

For my own part, I am going to be focused on preaching and worship. The Wednesday night service, which feels very monastic and quiet is particularly powerful for me at this time of year as we light candles in the darkness, remembering together the Light that is coming into the world. It is that still point in a turning world. Weekend worship in Advent also focuses us on the One who is Coming - not Santa Claus, but the other guy: the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is our light and our salvation. In the midst of the culture's insistence that "Santa Claus is comin' to town" and that we need to "deck the halls with boughs of holly" we are going to be focusing in our preaching on four Advent songs: the Psalm appointed for First Advent (Psalm 25:1-9) and then on the three subsequent weeks, the Canticles that are appointed: the Song of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79), the First Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 12:2-6) and the Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55). How might these ancient songs be inviting us to join "the Advent conspiracy" this December and bring with them less stress, less debt, and more joy? How might they offer glimpses of hope, and signs that our salvation is very near?

It can sometimes feel (especially when we are feeling overwhelmed) like we don't have time for prayer and worship. My experience has taught me that we need to be intentional about keeping first things first. It is prayer that we must make time for, and then all the rest falls into place. So there is less happening this next month at St. Francis than there has been throughout the fall, and that's on purpose. It's so we can all make it a priority (with God's help) to "slow down" at a time when the world around us is speeding up. I'm going to try to practice what I preach, with God's help, and I invite you to join me in this practice of making time for Sabbath rest. Yes, even in December. Especially in December.

In Christ,

Rich

 

Our parish library could use some TLC.  You don't need to be a librarian; maybe just someone with an organized mind.  If you would like to give up a Saturday morning or a Wednesday afternoon to help organize the shelves a bit and help make the room more inviting, please feel free.  You can contact the Rector if you are interested in doing this; if there is more than one person who is interested perhaps they can work together.  Not a life-time appointment to a never-ending job; just a clean up day!