Advent 2023

Greetings from the St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer!

FORMING DISCIPLES OF JESUS IN EVERY CONGREGATION

The St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer exists to form disciples of Jesus in every congregation. It seeks to do this by equipping and resourcing local congregations for the tasks and joys of faith formation, teaching and learning, catechesis, and the life of prayer.

It’s been an exciting Fall at TSPC - and our newsletter mailing list has grown considerably! Welcome to all our new readers. (You can read the previous newsletters here , here and here; and you’ll also find the original ‘ribbon cutting’ email here.) As we start the new church year - and approach the end of the calendar year - we have exciting news to share of events which have happened and which are yet to come!  If you’re reading this because someone shared it with you, and you’re not yet on our newsletter mailing list, please do sign up here, so you’ll be sure to receive all future news from TSPC!

A THOUGHT FROM THE DIOCESE

GOD’S GRACE AND PEACE

- by Alec Vaughn, Associate for Congregational Life at St. Barnabas’s Episcopal Church, Falmouth (Shared with his kind permission.)

In this season of preparation for the coming of God on Earth we are often so very busy with the end of semester, end of quarter, end of year hustle and bustle that rattles our bones from our waking before dawn to the moment our heads hit the pillow at night. How wonderful would it be to take a moment and center down into the season of joy, hope, and peace?

If I could take credit for this I would, but I must give credit to my forbear the Rev. Howard Thurman who writes in his book Meditations of the Heart a reflection titled “How Good it is to Settle Down.” Thurman saw the busyness of his time as one that, while necessary, clouded humanity’s judgment from seeing what was truly important and ordering the days of our lives.

If only we took a moment to connect to that eternal Spirit within all living things that helps to order our lives? 

I encourage you to take a moment between now and the coming holidays to catch yourself in passing and perhaps for a moment reflect on where your heart is calling you and where your source of peace is? Do you find peace in the passing of the Spirit’s breath among your days dotted with moments of joy? How might you experience more of these moments? How might we all center down in the peace of God’s presence among us in the days ahead?

God’s peace to you.

• Alec Vaughn 

WHAT’S ON AT TSPC

EARLY 2024 

Lay Worship Leader Training - further opportunities

Lay Eucharistic Visitor Training will be offered via Zoom on two consecutive weeknights (you must attend both): Tuesday January 16 and Wednesday January 17, 6.30-8.30pm. Register here.

To be licensed by the bishop as a lay eucharistic visitor, one must complete training, be up to date with Safe Church training and have signed authorization from their congregation’s clergyperson. The application for licensing is online here.

For questions or additional information, contact Martha Gardner, Missioner for Networking and Formation at mgardner@diomass.org  

ONGOING 

A reminder of resources available now, for formation in your congregation

As you consider the months ahead, perhaps planning formation opportunities in your parish, you may find it helpful to explore a couple of resources available for your use, here at TSPC. 

Our Learning to Pray Video Series offers six videos exploring different practices of prayer, considering how and why we pray, and different forms of prayer that might enrich our spiritual lives. You can watch the videos online, and read our Conversation Guide (at the link given on the webpage) for ways to use the Learning to Pray videos in your community. We hope to expand this series going forward with other forms of prayer as well, offering an ongoing series for congregations and individuals.

Our summer Why go to Church? event included a booklet for participants to take home. You can find the booklet on our website; divided into three sections, the booklet provides a structured opportunity for churches and small groups to reflect, discuss, and pray together through this central question. Download it for free!

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PAST EVENTS

‘THE LEARNING CHURCH’ WITH ROWAN WILLIAMS – NOV 4TH 2023

On November 4, we were honored to have Dr. Rowan Williams join us (from his home in Wales, via zoom) to deliver an insightful and inspiring talk on the subject of ‘The Learning Church: Theology and Christian Maturity.’ He then stayed online with us to answer questions - which were submitted from folks watching in-person at the cathedral and online, ably presented to Dr. Williams by Jarred Mercer, who was acting as interviewer for that part of the proceedings. 

Following this time with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, those who had gathered at the cathedral celebrated Eucharist together, and then enjoyed lunch and discussion of the morning’s events and the thoughts raised by what Dr. Williams had to say. 

We were delighted to have over 250 people sign up to watch online, from all over the USA, and from Canada, Germany, the UK, Italy, France, Jamaica, US Virgin Islands, Ethiopia, and Australia. In addition to the group at the cathedral, other churches in the Diocese hosted their own ‘watch parties’, gathering to enjoy the event together. Dr. Williams displayed warmth, wisdom, and generosity of spirit; he has the gift of being profound and yet utterly accessible. He is not afraid to look honestly and openly at the errors and failings of humanity and of the church; his faith and hope for the future are in no way discouraged by the wrongs of the past. As he said, ‘We go on with the Eucharist; we go on returning to that table, where on the night He was betrayed, the Lord gave himself. There are moments when we are very conscious of standing at the Eucharist, in the light of betrayal, our own betrayal … and yet He takes the bread.’

Here are some of the thoughts and comments which viewers shared with us, after the event:

‘Thank you so much for the opportunity to hear Rowan … it meant a great deal. His book 'Being Disciples' has given me a rule for being the best human being I can be.’

‘I really appreciated the wonderful invitation and words of wisdom shared by the Emeritus Dr. Rowan Williams.’

‘To listen to someone who knows what it is to listen to God was a privilege and a blessing; being able to do this from the comfort of our leisurely Saturday breakfast table was what worked at the end of a busy week.’

‘[I enjoyed] his demeanor; his humility; how genuine and receptive he was to his audience. Truly a great man.’

‘[The talk] was brilliant and life-giving, as was his presence itself. ‘

‘His unpretentious, intellectual clarity, making a serious topic available to my listening and hearing him was splendid. And he was delightful and real.’

‘I appreciated his capacity to talk about complex issues in easier to understand ways.’

For those who may have missed this wonderful event - or who would like to enjoy it again! - you can find it on YouTube, here. All the team at TSPC offer thanks to Dr. Williams for his time and his words; and thanks to all who joined us to watch!

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OTHER HAPPENINGS WITHIN THE DIOCESE

From time to time, we’d like to share with our newsletter readers other events in Massachusetts which may be of interest, particularly in the arts.

Coming up at the cathedral, Enigma Chamber Opera will present Benjamin Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace. This ‘church parable’ (a kind of chamber opera, with orchestra and singers) tells the story from the Book of Daniel, of the testing and miraculous survival of the Israelites Ananias, Misael and Azarias, who find themselves at the mercy of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. 

Britten wrote three church parables; Enigma Chamber Opera have already staged Curlew River and The Prodigal Son at the cathedral, so they are excited to be returning to complete the trilogy. These works are inspiring and thought-provoking explorations of faith and humanity. 

The Burning Fiery Furnace performances (presented fully staged) will be February 16 and 17 2024, at 7pm, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston. The production will then be available to watch online, from February 23 through March 1. The previous two parable performances will also be made available to watch online, so you can explore the entire set of these fascinating works! For all details, and to find out how to purchase tickets for watching in-person or online, visit Enigma Chamber Opera’s website or contact them at team@enigmachamberopera.org.

CLOSING WITH … ADVENT INSPIRATION

Kirsten suggests:

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. This delightful book has a chapter for each day of December up to the 24th, as it follows the journey of a young girl back in time and across Europe and beyond, to be at Bethlehem for the birth of Christ. (It’s an easy read, so even if you don’t start until a few days before Christmas, you’ll still be able to make it to the stable by Dec 24th!) Gaarder is a skilful, accessible writer, and this is a tale which will appeal to children (I suggest age 8+) and adults alike. It is thoughtful, magical and full of wonder, as well as lessons about what it means to follow Christ: ‘Jesus came into the world to teach people to be kind to one another. No other lesson is more difficult for a human being to learn, or more important’. Read this book as you make your own journey to stand by the manger on Christmas Eve.

Amy suggests:

The Anglican Tradition from a Postcolonial Perspective by Kwok Pui-Lan. Christ’s coming always disrupts our patterns and expands our vision of God’s work. In this sense, this wonderful new book is a great Advent read, inviting all Episcopalians and Anglicans to broaden their understanding of their own tradition, its historical biases and limitations, and the urgency of centering new voices from the growing majority of Anglicans from the Global South. 

Where do you find inspiration as you prepare for the Light which is coming into the world? Let us know your thoughts - our email inbox is always open!