Hello dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I've been thinking about beauty a lot this week; where I find beauty, what qualifies as beautiful, and how I react to it. In particular, I've been thinking about Creation as beauty and how little I have to do with any of it.

I live on a wooded bit of property where there are many dead trees and much undergrowth. One of the chores of farm life is maintaining fence lines. So, Michael and I beat back some growing vines and saplings to create more space. But we didn't remove what we cut down. Instead, we left the (now dead) undergrowth stay where it was and it has created a kind of bird sanctuary in my back yard. I've seen all the usual suspects: robins, titmice, sparrows, black capped chickadees, blue jays, and crows. I've seen the occasional owl and hawk. I've recently put out my hummingbird feeder and have at least one visitor that enjoys it. I've also had a few stunning moments to enjoy seeing bluebirds, pine warblers, and orioles outside my window. And a pileated woodpecker that is so enormous they remind me that birds are really just dinosaurs. From my kitchen window I can spy much beauty in Creation, and nearly all of it is a result of nothing I had done. God creates. The Created get to enjoy.

The picture I chose for today are some tulips, daffodils, anemones, and aliums I planted last October. My method of gardening leaves much to be desired - I simply dig up dirt and put bulbs or seeds in the ground, and walk away. I rarely remember to water, and I never weed. And look at what beauty resulted from the tiniest amount of effort on my end! Every day I run outside to see what new flowers are coming in. They delight me.

I know that right now might not feel like the appropriate time to think about beauty. With everything that is happening, and all the conversations we are having about what the next-steps of our life in togetherness might look like, I find myself being pulled to things of beauty. In the birds and the flowers, I have no control and yet they are still beautiful. Our Book of Common Prayer remains beautiful and timely, even if we can't say these familiar prayers together. The nature of God is that God is with us, all the time regardless of where we are. Apart or together, God is with us. And that is the most beautiful thing I can imagine. Amen.

Photo by Maggie Breen

This is the space of possibility! A space where we have time to explore what we are curious about. A space where we can figure out how to find joy when we must be apart.

So..........here are some tools, tricks, and tips for bringing a little sunshine into your lives. All while keeping 6 feet away from each other. ;)

In the Western Church, the feast of St. John the Evangelist on December 27th. Of course, Christmas is December 25th, so do you know what that means? It means that we virtually never remember to celebrate St. John the Evangelist. On the other hand, the Eastern Church remembers him on both September 26th and May 8th. So he has a much better chance of being celebrated. I’m presenting this month’s icon as a means of celebrating.

The Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian (as the Orthodox call him) was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord. John was especially loved by the Savior. He was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to the Lord, and he was a witness to His Transfiguration on Mount Tabor.

During the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart.

At the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross:

“Woman, behold Thy son.” Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother”. From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition (more about that in August).

During a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero, Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. After this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. There in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfil the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. 

David Clarke is a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Vernon.

Discount for Online Summer Courses at Hartford Seminary

Hartford Seminary is discounting its Online Summer Courses for both credit and audit by 50% in acknowledgement of the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Six courses will be offered from May 18-June 26, including Interfaith Leadership in Times of Crisis , which examines the spiritual resources available in times of great stress. All courses can be applied to our 100% online MA. Click here for the full summer lineup. 

The ECCT Young Adult Task Force has good news! At our meeting last week, we decided on  one  clear and simple course of action:  focus our energies on creating a video, to be presented at Convention, that gives voice to the stories, perspectives, and ideas of young adult Episcopalians in Connecticut . 

If you are a young adult Episcopalian in CT,  we invite you to share your story!  Contact Erendira Jimenez ( [email protected] ) or me (John Kennedy/ [email protected] ) if you would like to participate. 

We plan to undertake this video project in 3 steps:

Plan  will involve developing questions/prompts, a selection of which participants will respond to in their videos. These questions/prompts will fall under the broad categories of  worship ,  formation ,  leadership ,  and  community . 

Collect  will involve inviting young adult Episcopalians in Connecticut to participate. Crucially, this will involve intentionally seeking representational diversity in participation. This stage will also involve collecting the video responses from participants. Participants will share their responses by filming themselves respond to the questions/prompts developed in the planning stage.

Produce  is the stage in which the responses we receive are compiled and edited for presentation Convention. We will also create different cuts of varying lengths and themes for circulation on social media and other digital church platforms.

Photo by  Helena Lopes  on  Unsplash

You can reach Maggie Breen, NE Region Missionary, the following ways:

PHONE: 203-639-3501 x154

EMAIL: [email protected]