O God from whom all holy
desyres, all good counsayles, and all juste workes do procede: Geve unto thy
servauntes that peace, which the world cannot geve, that both our hartes maye
be sette to obey thy commaundementes, and also that by thee, we being defended
from the feare of oure enemies, may passe oure time in rest and quietnesse;
throughe the merites of Jesu Christe our saviour. Amen.
-
The 1549 Book of Common Prayer
At
Bexley Hall Seminary in Rochester, New York, we marked our days of study and
community by celebrating the daily office. While for many seminaries,
participation is voluntary, for us, with our limited time together as a
commuter hub of faith, reflection, education and engagement, we seized every
opportunity to gather in prayer and song. It is a comfort that in the Anglican
tradition, we continue to embrace the monastic hours in our honoring of Morning
and Evening Prayer.
Each
day we started with Morning Prayer, and each evening we ended with evening
prayer. It was always surprising that Morning Prayer was actually so energized
and vibrant – we were, after all, well rested and celebrating the coming of the
new day. But after hours of conversation, discussion, debate, and fellowship,
evening prayer always had a much softer, calmer edge. It put an end to our
labor, to our strain and struggle, and stilled the pendulum. The moments of
prayer and silence helped us to put the day in perspective, to consider what we
learned and observed, and to allow for recognition of accomplishment.
This
is one of the reasons that we will take time on the Feast of Christ the King to
celebrate the end of the church year with an Evening Prayer or Evensong
service. We have much to celebrate – our completion of another year of
celebrating God’s love and the sharing of that love with others, God’s
sustenance through our own struggles and loss, and ultimately the ingathering
of our harvest of grace and forgiveness given to us as we give to others.
Evensong
is also a way of affirming our trust in God. While night has always been a time
of wonder, and the dark has been a source of mystery and fear, we need not fear
for we know that God is always with us. We trust in God’s grace, and at the end
of our day, we lie down in confidence that we have been, are, and will always
be surrounded by God’s love.
But
we have a special reason to celebrate this year. Our Christ the King Evensong
will also inaugurate a new ministry and affirm an existing relationship. For
the past year, Joyce Geiza has been participating in the program provided by
the Verger’s Guild of the Episcopal Church (www.vergers.org) and has completed
her studies and will be a certified member of the guild and installed as St.
Mary’s verger. What is a verger? Essentially, a verger is exactly what Joyce
has been to St. Mary’s for many years. A master of ceremonies, a manger of
facilities, an executor of liturgies, and a hospitable welcoming face to the
community. Since my arrival four years ago, I have appreciated Joyce’s
priceless gifts that she has shared with all of us at St. Mary’s.
We
also will be sharing our service and time of prayer and celebration with our
brothers and sisters from Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church up the street on
Silliman Avenue. Pastor Al Gesler and I have had conversations about ways to
share in ministry and prayer with our two congregations. This will be our first
time coming together in prayer. We also will be celebrating a shared Advent
Lessons and Carol service in December.
I
hope you can join us for Evensong on November 24th as we give God
thanks and celebrate the accomplishments of last year, our shared ministry with
our Lutheran friends, and Joyce’s new ministry in our congregation.
Peace,
Fr. Shawn
Fr. Shawn
