Volume 47, January 2022

AND IS IT TRUE?

I moved or was pushed forward through Christmas with all of the energy the

season generates. I especially enjoyed being in church on Christmas Eve. By the

time I get to Epiphany, however, I somehow find myself wanting to spiritually take

one step back from this amazing story to meditate on it. Two small, quiet

reflections brightened my meditation this Epiphany---both by Edwardian writers,

Sir John Betjeman and Evelyn Underhill.

The Underhill meditation on the visit of the Magi to the stable poured some necessary cold water on the muddled distractions of my New Year’s mind by likening one’s earthbound nature and weight to the ox and ass in the Epiphany tableaux:

“The Eternal Birth,” says Eckhart, “must take place in you.” And another mystic

says human nature is like a stable inhabited by the ox of passion and the ass of prejudice; animals which take up a lot of room and which I suppose most of us are

feeding on the quiet. And it is there between them, pushing them out, that Christ

must be born and in their very manger he must be laid – and they will be the first

to fall on their knees before him. Sometimes Christians seem far nearer to those

animals than to Christ in his simple poverty, self-abandoned to God.

The Betjeman poem, which I have shared following this introduction, wonders at

the sheer magnitude of the mystery we call the Incarnation, but in a wondrous and

graceful way that just made me smile and settled my spirit.

I preached on the Feast of the Epiphany and could not resist sharing a funny but

true anecdote a friend told me about a Christmas children’s pageant or tableau this

year in Savannah. I can’t resist sharing it again. The anecdote is about a young boy

who was given the role of the Innkeeper in the tableau.

The boy had one line to recite: “There is no room in the inn." That was it. Just,

“There is no room in the inn."

But when the Tableau moved to him, and he saw Mary and Joseph approaching, he

was struck with panic: how could he say such a negative thing to Mary, the mother

of Jesus? At first, he was tongue tied as the holy couple approached and stopped in

front of him.

Then he smiled, maybe remembering something he might have heard his father

say, and said to the couple, “There is no room in the inn . . . but you’re welcome to

come in for a drink.'

With every blessing to you, and your loved ones this Epiphany-tide,

Douglas Dupree

Betjeman Poem

CHRISTMAS

And is it true,

This most tremendous tale of all,

Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,

A Baby in an ox's stall?

The Maker of the stars and sea

Become a Child on earth for me?

And is it true? For if it is,

No loving fingers tying strings

Around those tissued fripperies,

The sweet and silly Christmas things,

Bath salts and inexpensive scent

And hideous tie so kindly meant,

No love that in a family dwells,

No caroling in frosty air,

Nor all the steeple-shaking bells

Can with this single Truth compare -

That God was man in Palestine

And lives today in Bread and Wine.

Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984).

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As this week marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 16), Dr. Tammy Hodo, President of Jacksonville-based All Things Diverse, LLC shared several links (www.allthingsdiverse.com) that are helpful in learning about Dr King’s legacy.

Dr. Hodo, a member of the Lutheran Church, has taken part in a number of Bishop’s Institute events and also in the Absalom Jones Day observances organized by the Father Sidney B. Parker chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE). Dr Hodo’s son is a graduate of the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday but has slightly different names in some states. Non-essential Government departments are closed, as are many corporations. Some schools and colleges close but others stay open and teach their students about the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. Small companies, such as grocery stores and restaurants tend to be open, although a growing number are choosing to close on this day. Public transit systems may or may not operate on their regular schedule.

How Do People Celebrate?

Some educational establishments mark the day by teaching their pupils or students about the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and the struggle against racial segregation and racism. In recent years, federal legislation has encouraged Americans to give some of their time on this day as volunteers in citizen action groups. On Saturday, January 14, 2023 the Father Sidney B. Parker Chapter of the UBE held a Dr Martin Luther King Day Brunch in his honor at St John’s Cathedral with Dr Geraldine Baker as the keynote speaker on the theme: Facing our Fears and Catching our Dreams.

Dr. King's Legacy Resources

Click here to read Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

Click here to read about The King Philosophy and Vision of the Beloved Community.

"I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Diocesan Racial Reconciliation Committee

January Meeting

Some of the members of the Diocese of Florida Racial Reconciliation Committee met for forward planning and fellowship over lunch on January 6, 2023. The lunch was hosted by Doug Milne (who co-chairs the Committee with Byron Greene) at Cross Creek BBQ and Steakhouse, Jacksonville. Bishop Howard and Canon Allison DeFoor were in attendance. 

Pictured left to right: Joe O’Shields (St John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville), Pamela Greene (St Michael and All Angels, Tallahassee), the Rev. Charlie Holt (Bishop Coadjutor-elect), Byron Greene (St Michael and All Angels, Tallahassee), the Rev. Deacon Lydia Bush (St Luke’s, Live Oak), Paul Arrington (Good Shepherd, Jacksonville); Pam Pierce (St Philip’s, Jacksonville), James Pierce (St Philip’s, Jacksonville), the Rev. Douglas Dupree (Bishop’s Institute) and Doug Milne (St Mark’s, Jacksonville).

Rector's Lent 2023 Book Recommendations

All of these books, suggested by the Rector of the Bishop’s Institute are available for ordering and purchase at the Cathedral Bookstore by clicking here or the button below.

Failure: What Jesus Said About Sin, Mistakes and Messing Stuff Up: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2023 (Paperback) by Emma Ineson. December 15, 2022.

Anthology. Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter (Hardback)

by C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, et al. | Jan 1, 2003.

Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself) (Hardcover) by David Zahl. September 13, 2022.

Vital Signs of Faith: Finding Health in Your Spiritual Life (Paperback) by Kate Moorehead Carroll.

Sep 1, 2022.

Do Nothing to Change Your Life: Discovering What Happens when You Stop (Paperback) by Stephen Cottrell (Archbishop of York). September 1, 2008.

The Things He Carried (Paperback) by Stephen Cottrell. November 20, 2008.

A Living Gospel: Reading God's Story in Holy Lives (Paperback) by Robert Ellsberg. January 1, 2019.

Women of Holy Week: An Easter Journey in Nine Stories (Paperback) by Paula Gooder. December 14, 2021.

In God's Hands: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2015, Hardcover by Desmond Tutu.

February 17, 2015.

January Quiz

When the current Deacons School met earlier this month, the Rev. Deacon Marsha Holmes set a liturgical quiz ‘Best Ever Deacon Trivia Game’ for the vocational deacon and local priest candidates present.

Deacon Marsha has kindly allowed us to use some of her quiz questions to set this New Year’s Newsletter’s Quiz. The questions are all liturgical with some of them focusing on the role of the Deacon. Allison+

1. What is the first season of the Church Year?

a. Christmas

b. Advent

c. Epiphany

d. Trinity

2. Which of these are seasons of the Church Year?

a. Candlemas

b. Lent

c. Easter

d. Pentecost

3. What season lasts fifty days?

a. Advent

b. Epiphany

c. Lent

d. Easter

4. Duties of a Deacon may include:

a. Blessing of the oils

b. Reading the Gospel and leading Prayers of the People

c. Reading the Gospel and leading the Creed

d. Praying the Prayer of Consecration

5. How many chalices are on the altar during the consecration?

a. One

b. Two

c. As many as are needed to communicate the people

d. All of the above.

6. What is the current Church Year?

a. A

b. B

c. C

7. At the Easter Vigil, after the lighting of the pascal candle, the Deacon may sing or say:

a. The Triduum

b. The Exsultet

c. The Benediction

d. The Te Deum

Please click here to view the quiz answers.

Deacons School: Episcopal Diocese of Florida

When will there be enough Deacons?



The 2022-3 Deacons’ School class met together for their last formal teaching session on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Live Oak. The Rev. Deacon Lydia Bush hosted the school for St Luke’s.

Annette Sines, studying for the Diaconate from St Peter’s Church, Fernandina Beach, offered a presentation on the diaconate and its scope of ministry within the mission of the Church. Her presentation included a memorable quotation by the Archdeacon the Ven. Irma Wyman of Minnesota worth sharing. In answer to the question, ‘When will there be enough deacons?’ the Archdeacon writes, in an excerpt from a 2017 sermon:

When all the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable are met, When we gather the gifts of the church and take them to the world, and gather the needs of the world and bring them to the church, has become a habit; When as the Rev. Canon George Osgood says, “Deacons . . . going back and forth have worn down the boundary lines that we use to keep the church and world separated . . .”; When deacons, leading the baptized in and out, have beaten a path between the altar and the gutter so that everyone will see the link between the Blood in our chalices and the blood in our streets; When all the people respond to the challenge to live, not in the love of power, but in the power of love.

Archdeacon's Corner

Students with mentors from the current Diocese of Florida Deacons School are in the photo above.

Pictured left to right: The Rev. Deacon Jeanie Beyer (Holy Comforter, Tallahassee), Karen Voyles (Christ Church, Cedar Key), Annette Sines (St Peter’s, Fernandina Beach), Joanie Cruce (St Mary’s, Madison), Canon Douglas Dupree, the Rev. Deacon Marsha Holmes, the Archdeacon Mark Richardson and (in the screen photo) Eva Bolton (St Matthew’s, Mayo).

Becoming A Deacon

Do you currently serve in the church and feel that you can do more? Do the simplest tasks in any of the many lay ministries of Jesus, give you great joy? If so, then you may have a call, and that call may be to the deaconate.

To continue reading, click here.

St. John's Cathedral Bookstore, Jacksonville Upcoming Happenings

Don't miss out on the end of the season sale at the St. John's Cathedral Bookstore at 256 E Church St, Jacksonville, FL 32202. All ornaments, nativities, advent items and Christmas cards are 50% through January!

On March 28-31, there will be an Art Walk Washington DC exhibition at St. John's Cathedral Bookstore, Jacksonville. The tour includes National Art Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Phillips Collection, Hilllwood Collection, and a River Cherry Blossom Tour.

For more information, please contact the St. John's Cathedral Bookstore at 904.356.5507 x152.