TSPC Newsletter Advent 2025
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.
As we journey through Advent towards Christmas, we are drawing to a close our year of exploring the theme of Wilderness. What could be a better theme for Advent than voices crying in the Wilderness? This newsletter contains ideas for resources for Advent, Christmastide and Epiphany - plus news of happenings to come in 2026!
Don’t forget, you can find our previous newsletters online. 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 TSPC
A Voice in the Wilderness
Following the great Benedictus in Luke 1, Zechariah’s song at the birth of John the Baptist, we get a single line about John before he comes on the scene as an adult and we hear that “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Luke 3:2). The joyous shout of salvation that comes at John’s birth seems to lead to only more waiting. This one who prepares the way of Christ, who was “filled with the Holy Spirit, even in his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15), grows up, goes into the wilderness, and it is years and years before his life as a prophet, as the preparer, begins.
St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness, by Hieronymus Bosch
And as the word of God came to Elizabeth in what was counted as her disgrace (being barren into old age), and to Zechariah in his isolation, fear, and great silence (made mute until John’s birth), so it now comes to John in the midst of the wilderness. Luke quotes Isaiah 40:3–5 in reference to John: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” John is the prophetic voice preparing the world for the light that is to come, but he is that voice from the wilderness. He is so identified with the wilderness that he can simply be known as “the wilderness one,” and so identified with his message that he is “the voice crying out”—not, he has a voice, he is the voice in the wilderness.
John the Baptist’s life is so intertwined with the story of Jesus that he can only be known or understood, even thought of, in relation to Christ. And John knew this of himself as well: “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29–30). For John, the increase of Christ and the decrease of himself—welcoming Christ as a practice of self-denial, is not only essential, it is his joy. This from the one who lives the life of the wilderness.
Too often we find ourselves believing we are the center of our own story, that we must constantly and in every conceivable way continue to increase, increase, increase if we are to survive. And there is no joy there, only exhaustion, anxiety, pressure, and disappointment. John shows us what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus, and what it looks like to be able to prepare others, to bring others along to the wondrous love of Christ. We have to let go of the pretence that we are the single most significant person in our lives. This isn’t to think poorly of ourselves or devalue ourselves. It’s the opposite, actually. It is to realize ourselves for who we are: the fruits of God’s mercy, the gifts of God’s grace.
It seems in a way illogical that turning outward away from ourselves and living toward another is where we find joy, but this is part of the inexplicable poetry of life. It is also entirely coherent given the God who loved us into existence. We come from, we are made out of, God’s self-giving love, and as such, magnifying that love, turning outward toward another, Christ increasing as we decrease, is our most natural state. It is living as most authentically ourselves.
Just before John makes his glorious statement that he must decrease and Christ must increase, he says this: “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given them from heaven.” It’s here, when we know ourselves to be pure gift, that we can join John to say: “this joy of mine is now complete.”
Wishing you a blessed Advent,
Jarred
The Rev. Dr. Jarred Mercer, Rector, St. Paul’s Newburyport
WHAT’S ON AT TSPC - and beyond!
EARLY 2026
‘Forgiveness: An Alternative Account’ - with Guest Speaker The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts.
January 21st 6-8pm
During the week of Christian Unity, we are delighted that the Rev. Dr. Matthew Ichihashi Potts will be joining us at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, to speak on the subject of ‘Forgiveness: An Alternative Account’. The ‘blurb’ from his book of the same name tells us:
Matthew Ichihashi Potts explores the complex moral terrain of forgiveness, which he claims has too often served as a salve to the conscience of power rather than as an instrument of healing or justice. Though forgiveness is often linked with reconciliation or the abatement of anger, Potts resists these associations, asserting instead that forgiveness is simply the refusal of retaliatory violence through practices of penitence and grief. It is an act of mourning irrevocable wrong, of refusing the false promises of violent redemption, and of living in and with the losses we cannot recover.
Join us at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont St, Boston). We’ll have refreshments from 6pm; the talk will begin at 6.30pm, and will include time for questions. The event is free and all are welcome; please help us to plan by signing up HERE.
Coming in Lent: ‘Transformative Prayer: Ancient Practices from the Monastic Tradition: Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and the Gospel of Thomas’ - an online course with the Rev. Steven Bonsey
Please join us for this ONLINE course, exploring Wisdom prayer practices. The course will run on five Wednesdays during Lent, 7-8pm:
February 25th, March 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
The Rev. Steven Bonsey is a spiritual teacher and retreat leader with a calling to share in communities where contemplative practice and active service to the world are held together. Rev. Bonsey served in several Episcopal communities, including as Canon Pastor at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Boston) and as Episcopal Chaplain at Tufts University.
Find all details and sign up to attend this free course, HERE. All are welcome!
RECENT EVENTS
Sacred Journey to Deer Island - a Finding a Way walking journey
This past October, 16 students, young adults, and friends from the Harvard Episcopal Chaplaincy, the Diocese of Massachusetts, Unite Boston, and Province I partners walked over 50 miles to re-trace the traumatic journey of Natick Nipmucs who were taken from Natick, to Watertown, and then by boat on the Charles River out to Deer Island to be left to die over the winter in the first year of the conflict known as King Phillip’s war, 350 years ago. The walkers were hosted, fed and watered, and prayed for by some 50+ parishioners at St. Paul’s Natick, Good Shepherd, Watertown, and St. John’s Winthrop. The Rev.s Becky Binns, Andrew Goldhor, and Walter Connelly were invaluable partners in the journey.
At each stop we shared a meal with members of the parishes, prayed for the church and the journey, and shared conversation about the history and the work of dreaming of healing. Our walking took us through woods and meadows, busy streets, and even on a small sidewalk across I-95! The pace and the beautiful weather gave us time to reflect on the goodness of creation even as we tried to reckon with the sorrow and wickedness of the story we were listening with. We met members of the Coptic Orthodox church in Natick as we walked. We picnicked by a reservoir, walked amidst crowds along the Charles on a beautiful Saturday, and sat in the wind of the sea when we finally made it to Deer Island. Connecting the landscape in this way, in our own bodies and with the churches who welcomed us, made participants feel powerfully connected to each other, to God, to the land, and even to the possibility of the church in new ways.
When we arrived by foot to the Monday event organized by the Nipmuc families, we felt honored to be there. To dance and pray after so much walking was a gift. To be with the busloads who had come that day from Natick swelled the community. We remembered the iniquities of our past as a church as we honored the ancestors of the Nipmuc and others on Deer Island. Peter Silva, who led the ceremony, said “Our healing is bound up together. We must learn how to walk together.” That blessing had a special meaning for those who were able to walk some days with the memory and the place.
I’m looking forward to the next opportunities to walk with and explore the history beneath our feet in New England, the Dawnland. Stay tuned for details to come.
Resources for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany
In 2022, the Center for Spirituality created a beautiful devotional guide for Advent called "Even Now, Come Lord Jesus." The guide centers on the Book of Revelation and invites deep reflection on what it means to watch and wait for the coming of Christ.
You can see and download it here.
Suggested Advent reading:
Glad and Golden Hours by Lanier Ivester (maximalist approach to Christmas preparation)
Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben (minimalist approach)
The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder (great for reading with children)
Suggested Christmas reading:
What Are Christians For? by Jake Meador
For Epiphany - Many churches chalk the doors at Epiphany, an ancient and fun way to mark this great feast. You can read more about this tradition in a note (from 2021) from the Anglican Diocese of Leeds (UK), here.
This year, consider also adding a Blessing of the Waters to your Epiphany observances. Gather at the edge of the river, lake, ocean, or water purification center near your church, and offer a service that connects your theology of creation, the Baptism of our Lord, and the light of Christ shining into your community. Click here to learn how and why Christ Episcopal Church, Tacoma WA did this.
Suggested Epiphany reading:
Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
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We’d love to know how our newsletter is being received. What is useful or helpful to you? What would you like to see included in future editions? If you can spare a moment, we’d be grateful if you could complete our newsletter survey - click here!
CLOSING WITH … ADVENT THOUGHTS
Question for contemplation: I love walking at dusk in the early winter evenings, looking in at lit windows. What does home look like from the wilderness? What do we most cherish about it, when we are at a distance from home?
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Please share your thoughts - or your questions! - with us. Our email inbox is always open! tspc@diomass.org
TSPC Newsletter Fall 2025
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.
Already the leaves are falling from the trees, and school children and teachers are well settled in the new academic year. As churches embark on new programmatic schedules, we hope you will find useful ideas and information here in the TSPC newsletter. This time our theme is ‘Holy Ground’ - as part of our year-long consideration of Wilderness. Plus we have news of an exciting guest speaker coming up - a date for your calendars for 2026!
Don’t forget, you can find our previous newsletters online. 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 TSPC
Holy Ground
One of the privileges which comes with being a student at the University of Durham (in the UK) is spending time in Durham’s awe-inspiring Romanesque cathedral. Construction of that epic building began in 1093; 900 years later I began my student days there! My favourite time in the cathedral was the annual Advent service. You had to arrive early to get a seat at the very popular event! So I would find myself, on a dark, wintry evening in the North-east of England, sitting in shadowy obscurity in that ancient building, waiting for the choir to begin their candlelit procession from the rear of the sanctuary, slowly bringing light into the darkness.
The impressive stone walls and towers of Durham Cathedral
During those moments of blackness, I could sense the stones around me. The earliest Durham monks, in the 12th century, would have experienced the space this same way - a vast, cavernous darkness barely touched by the flicker of a candle. I felt connected to them across time, in this shared absence of electric light. The flagstones beneath me undulated with troughs carved by centuries of feet pacing back and forth over them. Those who had worshipped here before had left their marks - and had left the resonance of their faith, palpable to me in the stillness as we waited to sing, ‘O come, o come, Emmanuel!’
This was Holy ground indeed; made so by the many, many believers who had gone before. Slow drops of divinity soak into pews, pillars, stones, and over time a space becomes saturated. One of the locations where I have encountered this most strongly was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. I would challenge even the most committed atheist not to feel the vibrations of faith in that space; and of course there is a confluence of religions in that holy city. One does not have to share a belief to feel its resonance - to sense the echo of prayers offered again and again, by countless thousands, in a sacred spot.
So we construct edifices and, within them, build up layer upon layer of devotion. It is not, however, only in buildings, temples, sanctuaries, that we may discover these echoes of spirituality. In the beauties of creation we also encounter the divine - and can be stopped in our tracks by nature’s glory. There are places in my homeland - Scotland - where I find myself compelled to exclaim aloud, ‘Look at that!’ Buachaile Etive Mòr - the mountain whose name means the ‘great herdsman of Etive’ - rises up ahead of you on the journey through Glen Coe, and takes your breath away. All who stop to gaze in wonder feel the majesty of that place - however they encounter it within their own belief system. And so, over time, that environment becomes sacred not only because of the wonders of creation seen there, but also because of the reactions of those who have beheld those marvels. We share a moment with them, across the centuries, resonating with the same bewildered awe.
All ground is holy; all spaces can be sacred. God the Creator makes them so - but often we, the interactors with that holiness, are the ones who will communicate it to others. We scatter our own drops of belief, of faith, of amazement - and sometimes of terror, grief, despair - wherever we pause to encounter the divine. We leave behind the echo of those interactions, wearing down and shaping the flagstones with our soles and our souls. I am comforted by the thought of the future generations who will, in their turn, feel the reverberations of we who went before. In 900 years someone else may sit in Durham Cathedral and be touched by a ripple of a devotion I offered there. So we carve out holy ground, and cause the Wilderness to resonate with our prayers.
Kirsten Cairns
WHAT’S ON AT TSPC - and beyond!
FALL 2025
Lay Eucharist Visitor Training
Co-sponsored by TSPC with the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Four opportunities for Eucharistic Visitor Training are being offered in person this fall. Eucharistic visitors extend the altar to include those who are homebound or in the hospital. This important pastoral and liturgical ministry is offered by adult lay members of the congregation who are certified by the diocese. In order to be certified, eucharistic visitors must complete Safe Church training, be nominated by their priest, and attend a diocesan-approved training.
One training is scheduled in each region of the diocese:
• Tuesday, Oct. 21, 6:30-9 pm at Our Redeemer, Lexington (space limited to 7 people)
• Saturday, Nov. 1, 9 am-noon at St. Mary's, Barnstable
• Tuesday, Nov. 18, 6:30-9 pm at Our Redeemer, Lexington (space limited to 7 people)
• Training in Spanish: Sunday, Nov. 23, 2-4:30 pm at St. Anne's, Lowell (snacks included)
You can register for the above training sessions here.
Faith, Music and Holy Spaces
Fall, Advent and the run up to Christmas are seasons when church calendars are often full of musical happenings. Music is such an important part of our faith traditions - and is one of the ways a space can be made to feel particularly holy, as we chant, sing, and express our hopes and prayers through melody, imbuing our buildings with the sound of our songs of praise. At TSPC’s Central Region hub, The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, there are various musical events coming up in the weeks ahead, which might be of interest - to inspire, uplift, and entertain!
Taize with The Crossing: Oct 20th 7pm
Every third Monday of the month, The Crossing Boston offers a service of rest, peace, silence, and music, in the Sanctuary at the Cathedral.
Silent Movies with live organ music: Nov 8th from 4pm
A unique opportunity to see the classic silent movies ‘The Red Balloon’ and ‘The Kid’ (with Charlie Chaplin) accompanied with live music from internationally renowned silent movie organist Peter Krasinski. All details here.
Sung Compline: Nov 10th 7pm
In addition to a monthly Sung Compline on Zoom, from time to time the Cathedral offers an in person service of Compline. Come sing, breathe, pray, reboot in a quiet, candlelit service.
Messiah Sing: Dec 17th 5.15pm
For many, Handel’s Messiah is a vital part of their Christmas celebrations. Join the Cathedral Schola and sing along with Part 1 - all the Christmas story sections of this beloved oratorio. All details can be found here.
EARLY 2026
SAVE THE DATE: Guest Speaker The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts - January 21st
During the week of Christian Unity, we are delighted that the Rev. Dr. Matthew Potts will be joining us at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, to speak on the subject of Forgiveness. More details to follow in our next newsletter; please Save the Date!
Please note, our planned November 8th presentation with Sarah Augustine and Joe Hubbard is postponed to a future date.
We look forward to welcoming guests Sarah Augustine, author of ‘The Land is Not Empty’ and cofounder and executive director of the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition, and Joe Hubbard, Convener of the Episcopal Indigenous Justice Roundtable, at a future time, when schedules align!
RECENT EVENTS
BIG QUESTION DAY - ‘Where is God?’ Saturday August 23 in Newburyport, Cohasset and Boston
Each Summer The St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer hosts an in-person day to tackle a ‘Big Question’. This year we asked ‘Where is God?’
We were delighted to have more than 60 people sign up to attend the Big Question days in our three regions. In the Central Region, The Very Rev. Amy McCreath reported back that it was a pleasure to have The Rev. Dr. Matthew Potts co-host the day with her. The printed booklet (given to all attendees) was very well received. People particularly wanted to consider where God is to be found in suffering. Dean Amy reflected afterwards, ‘We found that this topic was more challenging to frame than those we tackled in previous years. We needed to address the nature of God, theodicy (the justice of God), and practical theology (how to live in light of our faith) in one short day! Nonetheless, those gathered were thankful for a space to meet at the intersection of these three topics, to receive what we had to offer, and to share honestly and prayerfully with one another.’
The Rev. Dr. Matthew Potts and participants at the Central Region event
In the Northern Region, The Rev. Rita Powell said they started by wondering, ‘How do we ask a big question?’ They then considered ‘God in Creation’ and ‘God in suffering’.
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold led the Southern Region event. One way they approached the topic was to ask, ‘Where do you WANT to find God?’ Looking at the newspaper from that day, attendees were asked to find something which spoke to them as a need in the world, which they all shared and prayed over - and sought possible actions they could take.
Feedback from participants regarding things they enjoyed about the day included:
‘[I enjoyed] people of faith joining together with a common belief’
‘I especially enjoyed being with people who take God seriously - and respect the Love commandment! I felt more a part of the 2,000 year stream of Christendom than ever before, and I appreciated in a new way that the sacred conversation is on-going and ever evolving.’
‘[I liked the] peaceful ambiance; excellent facilitation; warm engagement; new insights’
The booklet created for the day is available for your use here. We hope more folks will join one of our three regions next Summer, when we’ll be posing another ‘Big Question’! If you have suggestions for a topic you’d like to consider, our email inbox is always open!
Ministry Discernment Day - Saturday September 27th
TSPC was glad to co-convene another discernment day with the Commission on Ministry. Moving to a new schedule for discernment, the plan is to hold this day in the Fall going forward. It was a pleasure to see so many gathered to consider to what God may be calling them. Various guest speakers presented on a wide variety of vocations, both lay and ordained. Bishop the Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth also shared her thoughts and insight with those gathered. Thanks to all who attended, especially our guest speakers.
Bishop Whitworth addresses those gathered in the cathedral for the Discernment Day
Seeking your feedback!
We’d love to know how our newsletter is being received. What is useful or helpful to you? What would you like to see included in future editions? If you can spare a moment, we’d be grateful if you could complete our newsletter survey - click here!
CLOSING WITH … A THOUGHT ON SACRED SPACES
From Madeleine L’Engle’s The Young Unicorns comes this meditation on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on a November evening:
“The sun had set with winter abruptness, and its rays no longer came through the windows; the brilliance of stained glass was eclipsed by night. The columns were more somber, now, as though the whole Cathedral were settling itself to bear the burden of the dark.”
St. John the Divine
When the lights and colors of our lives feel dimmed by the griefs of our lives and our world, what pillars still stand, to bear that weight? What words are cried out by those stones, to give us promises we can trust, steadiness in the dark, until the dawn returns?
The Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold
Please share your thoughts - or your questions! - with us. Our email inbox is always open! tspc@diomass.org
TSPC Newsletter Summer 2025
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.
Through the hot, bright days of Summer we are continuing our year-long consideration of Wilderness: what it can mean in our lives, and where/how we may meet God there. Please join us on August 23rd to ponder the Big Question: ‘Where is God?’ Full details below!
Don’t forget, you can find our previous newsletters online. 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 TSPC
O Lord, arise, help us;
And deliver us for thy Name's sake.
O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have
declared unto us, the noble works that thou didst in their
days, and in the old time before them.
O Lord, arise, help us;
and deliver us for thy Name's sake.
Thus begins “The Supplication,” an optional addendum to “The Great Litany” in the BCP, appointed “especially in times of war, or of national anxiety, or of disaster.”
I’m guessing few, if any, Episcopal Churches are praying the Great Litany every Sunday, let alone praying it with the Supplication appended. But I know that this is the true prayer right now of most people in the cathedral congregation, most people I chat with at Ministry of the Steps on the front plaza of the cathedral, and the college friends I gather with on Zoom for a monthly reality-check. And it is my true prayer.
So much is so awful right now. Some name it as “evil.” Some name it as “devastating.” Regardless of how we name it, it is pressing on our souls.
God is good, all the time. But starving children are being shot trying to collect food aid in Gaza.
God is good, all the time. But our federal government is deporting people in droves and holding many more in detention centers under cruel conditions.
God is good, all the time. But floodwaters and forest fires are sweeping away communities due to climate change.
Where is this good God in the midst of all we are seeing, holding, enduring? Is God present “in” our enemies and those who wish us harm? Is God “in” the forest fires? How shall we pray and what shall we say if our prayers for justice do not appear to be answered?
These are questions of “theodicy” (from the Greek theos – -god – and dikē - justice). They are not new questions, of course. People have been asking and debating them for thousands of years. And our scriptures are full of both the questions (“My God, why have you forsaken me?” - Ps. 22:1) and an array of answers – “To everything there is a season.” – Eccl. 3:1, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died .”– Jn. 11:21, “All things work together for those who love God.” - Rom. 8:28.
TSPC invites you to join us to sit with the question “Where is God?” for a day on August 23rd. To ponder, pray, revisit our assumptions, and hear what our tradition has to offer in answer to the question. We won’t figure it all out in one day, of course. But we’ll support one another in acknowledging how important the question is, share wisdom, sharpen our sense of how to pray in these times, and prepare one another to host conversation with others in our congregations. I hope to see you there.
The Very Rev. Amy McCreath
WHAT’S ON AT TSPC - and beyond!
SUMMER/FALL 2025
BIG QUESTION DAY - ‘Where is God?’ Saturday August 23, 10am - 2.30pm, in Newburyport, Cohasset and Boston
Each Summer The St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer hosts an in-person day to tackle a ‘Big Question’. This year we’re asking ‘Where is God?’
Please join TSPC to explore this important question together, in honest and open conversation. All are welcome - clergy and lay, Episcopalians, seekers, and ecumenical friends, those who feel they know God well, and those who are still searching. Our day will include teaching, conversation, reflection and prayer. All participants will leave with materials to bring back to their congregation, to continue the conversation and exploration.
‘Where is God?’ days will be hosted at St. Paul’s Newburyport, St. Stephen’s Cohasset, and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul Boston, August 23rd, 10am to 2.30pm. You are warmly invited to join us at whichever location works for you! Tea and coffee will be served at the start of the day, and you are invited to bring a packed lunch.
You can find all details, enjoy our ‘vox populi’ video asking folks for their thoughts on this ‘big question’, and sign up to attend, here. Please join us for fellowship and discussion!
Ministry Discernment Day - Saturday September 27th, 9am to 3pm
TSPC is delighted to be co-convening another discernment day with the Commission on Ministry. The event is for both lay and ordained vocations - Ministry Discernment Day is for anyone discerning God’s call in their life. This gathering will feature panel discussions with people serving in a variety of Christian vocations, and an introduction to resources for individual reflection, communal discernment in congregations, and churchwide discernment programs. Find all details, and register to attend, here.
SAVE THE DATE - Saturday November 8th at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul: Sarah Augustine and Joe Hubbard will be this year’s TSPC guest speakers.
Please note this date in your diaries; you will be able to join us in person at the Cathedral, and the main presentation of the day will also be live-streamed. We are excited to welcome distinguished guests Sarah Augustine, author of ‘The Land is Not Empty’ and cofounder and executive director of the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition, and Joe Hubbard, Convener of the Episcopal Indigenous Justice Roundtable, to offer another perspective on the theme of Wilderness. More details to follow soon!
Recent Events
Finding A Way ‘Walk it Back’ Weekend - June 20-22 Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans
In Collaboration with the Rev. Dan Smith (UCC Chaplain, Harvard University), Peggy Jablonski (Creator of the Cape Cod Camino Way), and the Rev. Patrick Ward (Rector, Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans).
This past June TSPC sponsored an immersive learning weekend to explore practices of walking and contemplation with land and water, to reckon with complex legacies of slavery and colonization in our midst. Over 25 people, from every diocese in Province I, came together in the care and spiritual hospitality of the parish of Holy Spirit, Orleans, MA.
Together we learned from members of the parish, from Wampanoag teacher Waban Webquish, and local historian Peggy Jablonski about the place where we gathered. Rita Powell and Dan Smith framed the weekend with insight from their work co-creating (with Alden Fossett) the Landscape of Slavery at Harvard tour. The weekend began with a recognition of the beginning of the 350th anniversary of what is known as King Philip's War, or Metacom's Resistance.
The weekend was a powerful way to launch a 3 year cycle of using these practices to reckon with that legacy, as well as the enduring presence of native people in New England. The second night was the summer solstice, and having turned our attention to the land, it felt good to be gathered in prayer at that turning point in the year. The weekend concluded with church on Sunday, where the rector, the Rev. Patrick Ward, delivered a powerful homily connecting the work to scripture and tradition. You can read his words here.
Mark your calendars for October 10-13, as there will be an opportunity to attend another Finding A Way pilgrimage to Deer Island this Fall, as part of the 3 year cycle.
Considering Creation and Wilderness
The Season of Creation starts September 1st
As we navigate the wilderness of climate crisis, it is more important than ever for us to live into, pray into, and communicate publicly our faith in God the creator and the sanctity of all of creation.
Here is a long, curated list of resources for doing that in worship: Season of Creation and St. Francis Day Resources – The Episcopal Church
Here is an opportunity to bring our faith into the public, joining with other Boston-area churches on a public procession to lament our waste of creation, and affirm our commitment to moving away from a fossil-fuel based economy: SUN WAY Pilgrimage
Learn more about the international, ecumenical movement to add a Feast of God the Creator to the Western liturgical calendar here: The Assisi Process – Advancing Toward an Ecumenical Feast of Creation. – Green Anglicans
Reflection: Where is God?
One of my favorite series of books since childhood is ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ by C.S. Lewis. At the end of the series, the children run through heaven and are surprised to learn that it looks exactly like Narnia, but more real. As I've deepened in my relationship with God since first reading those books, the power of that image has intensified for me. God, and the untarnished, unstoppable, unimaginable glory of the cosmos, is not elsewhere, but here. The promise of scriptures and of Christianity is not to get out to some place of glory, but to finally and completely get *in.* To use imagery from ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, the world is a copy of Aslan's own country, God's home. The implications for this understanding are vast and comprehensive. Wherever we go in this world, whomever we meet, every creature, plant, human, and sunset, are all reflections of their true grounding, which is God. Those we interact with, whether humans or more than humans, all flow out from the Source of life itself. The earth itself, the waterfalls, seashore, forests, deserts, and glaciers, are in themselves also images of heaven.
This imagery feels shocking, and yet, Jesus himself spoke of the layering of reality throughout his imagery. He says "The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Mark 1:15) He is adamant that the Kingdom of Heaven is here and now. And yet, through our consumption, violence, commodification, and lack of honoring ourselves, each other, and our more-than-human siblings, it is hard to imagine that we as a species have taken Jesus' words as fact. Imagine a world in which we treated not only ourselves and each other as outflowings of the incarnate God, but imagine if we treated sunrises, vernal pools, porcupines, and blood root as mantled in Christ.
This year, for the Season of Creation, as a practice of reminding myself that God is here, now, I am engaging in a daily meditation. This meditation is a collaboration from over a dozen faithful Christians in Province One of the Episcopal Church, who have taken time to reflect and pray with a more-than-human relative. From five-lined skinks to purple green sweat bees, these creatures reflect the glory of God and hint at the Kingdom of Heaven. As I engage in this practice, (please join me and dozens of others! Register here), I will be thinking of that imagery from the closing of Narnia; letting my eyes, and the eyes of my heart, rest in companionship with these incredible creatures as they offer glimpses into Aslan's country, that world at the heart of our world, from which all things derive.
Many thanks to our guest contributor, the Rev. Rachel Field, Project Manager for An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice.
CLOSING WITH … A THOUGHT ON FINDING GOD IN WILDERNESS
In the heat of summer, or as the days start to cool as we head into Fall, you may find yourself looking for some space and quiet, a place to which to retreat. Did you know? - there are various retreat centers within the diocese. Here are some suggestions:
Society of St Margaret, Duxbury
Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington
William Cullen Bryant’s poem ‘A Forest Hymn’ reflects on encountering God in nature; it opens thus:
The groves were God's first temples. Ere man learned
To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave,
And spread the roof above them,---ere he framed
The lofty vault, to gather and roll back
The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood,
Amidst the cool and silence, he knelt down,
And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks
And supplication.
You can enjoy the entire poem here.
Please share your thoughts - or your questions! - with us. Our email inbox is always open! tspc@diomass.org
