This episode, Fr. Chris and Fr. Ben talk about grief around the holidays, and our upcoming Blue Christmas Service. We discuss how we might handle grief in our personal lives during this season, and how the church responds through worship. If you’re listening before November 30, 2022, join us at 6:30p to be a part of our Blue Christmas Service. If you’re listening afterwards, we hope this will be edifying as you consider your own spiritual practices during the Advent season and beyond as we consider this season how we do worship in the Episcopal church.

Show Notes:

Fr. Ben prayed the Collect for the Departed on page 253 of the Book of Common Prayer.

A blue Christmas service is a service where we acknowledge our grief around the holidays—whether that grief comes from a death, loss, or other major life change. It’s a service where we “own” where we are and openly acknowledge the ways in which we struggle at a worship service.

How do we handle this grief around the holidays?

When people are ill or hurting, the church offers healing. We will experience a public service of healing as part of our Blue Christmas service on November 30th. This is an optional portion.

This service is also called the Longest Night of the Year service in some denominations; we’ve moved ours earlier than the actual longest night of the year, but that link to darkness and winter remains part of the history of this service.

Read more about our Advent program at https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/news-and-updates/advent-at-st-johns-2022

Find out more about the Blue Christmas service (Nov 30 at 6:30p) at https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/news-and-updates/s3-e1-blue-christmas 

December is busy. With kids out of school, families in town, and planning for the holidays, we often feel overwhelmed and stressed by the time we get to Christmas. With all that in mind, our Advent program invites you to take a break from the hustle and bustle, and to come and rest in the Lord.

December 7 - Sung Mass - This will be a Rite I, Sung Holy Eucharist with the choir and incense offered. We will commemorate the feast of St. Ambrose of Milan.

December 14 - Contemplative Taizé Service - This evening will be peaceful, quiet, and contemplative. With long periods of silence, chanting, and a candle-lit church, you will encounter God in the stillness and gentleness of this service. This service will not include Holy Eucharist.

December 21 - Contemporary Worship - We will have our last service in Magill Hall! Join us for Eucharist with contemporary prayers and praise music that we’ll stream in from Episcopal musicians across the country. We’ll experience worship music and prayers that are in our common language and remember St. Thomas the Apostle.

A new version of this episode is now available! Scroll up and check out Season 4, Episode 7!

This episode, Fr. Chris, Sarah, and Fr. Ben talk about what St. John’s is all about. We talk about the diocese, how we are different from other organizations, and what our parish values and cherishes.

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/why-st-johns-ii

Show notes:

1. St. John’s is part of a geographic area of the church called a Diocese. We are in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. Our diocese was formed from the original Diocese of Southern Virginia in 1919.

2. Chris mentioned the Boy’s Home of Virginia, a ministry of our diocese where he serves on the board!

3. Since the diocese is the building block of the church, the Bishop is the head pastor of all the churches in the diocese.

4. Unlike other non-profits, the church was founded by Jesus Christ who sends us out into the world to proclaim God’s love. We work with other non-profits and do all sorts of missional and outreach work in the name of that mission; whereas other organizations have different missions and purposes even though the actions we take may be the same. The church has been doing this work from long before many non-profits and charities were founded.

5. We mentioned a multitude of organizations and activities that happen at St. John’s. The best way to keep up with what is happening is to connect with us on social media, read our weekly email and monthly Tidings newsletter. We offer many mission, outreach, and fellowship opportunities. Check out our website to find out more: www.stjohnslynchburg.org

6. Our church is an inclusive church, we are open and accepting of all people who desire a relationship with Jesus Christ.

7. St. John’s is also a church that celebrates, values, and is beautiful. It is a Holy place that is available to you all for prayer, contemplation, and worship.

8. We also have a number of family, youth, children, and young adult ministries.

We hope our conversation allows you to learn a bit more about who we are at St. John’s, what we value, and that you learned something new! This is our last episode of the season, so please join us again in the future for our next series!

A new version of this episode is now available! Scroll up and check out Season 4, Episode 6!

This episode, Fr. Chris, Sarah, and Fr. Ben share experiences from their own churches growing up, and what they did when they moved away from home for the first time. They explore what one might look for in a church, and why one might be drawn to one church compared to another church. We also talked about the history of St. John’s!

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/why-st-johns-i

Show Notes

1.  Chris read a quote by William Temple, former Archbishop of Canterbury.

2.  This episode, we shared our stories from the churches we grew up at—no notes for this section, but we hope that it helps you think about what stands out for you at your church!

3.  St. John’s has several published histories of the Parish available in the Parish Library (or from Fr. Ben or Fr. Chris) if you want to learn more about our history!

4.  We also discussed our experiences leaving home—what happened to our faiths and our church memberships in college.

5.  We talked about Bishop Jack Spong; he was the rector of St. John’s during the civil rights movement, and he highlights some of the values we cherish today at St. John’s – inclusion and diversity.

6.  Ben’s anecdote and metaphor for the spiritual life comes from In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson. It’s not easy to be a member of a church, and takes work to show up faithfully; in that, we can grow into a community and find its beauty.

7.  Our reflection question is “what are some memories from your childhood church?” Or, if you didn’t grow up in the church, what do you recall from one of the first times you went to a church?

Join us next time for some more about St. John’s, and who we are and where we are now!

A new version of this episode is now available! Scroll up and check out Season 4, Episode 5!

Why The Episcopal Church? This episode, we continue to explore the history that led to The Episcopal Church, picking back up at the revolutionary way and continuing through today. We talk about what our church stands for, and where one might learn more about our beliefs. Along the way, we see how the faith continued to evolve, while remaining centered on the creeds and common faith that Christians around the world share.

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/why-episcopal-ii

Show notes:

1. In the first days, clergy were educated in England and sent to the colonies; there were not priest formed from the local community yet, or Bishops in the colonies. Other religious groups also came over. Those clergy had to swear loyalty to the King; church and state were connected. So when the state(s) separated, the church also had to separate from the Church of England. Thus The Episcopal Church was born of political necessity.

2. Apostolic succession was the hardest to secure—we wanted to keep our connection to the historic church, so our first Bishops received ordination through the Scottish Episcopal Church.

3. Our Church continued to be governed by the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), revised for the Episcopal Church. The way that we pray informs our beliefs, and vice versa. The collects (BCP 211-263) articulate specific beliefs that we commemorate on the various Sundays

4. Another way to understand our beliefs is through the three-legged stool: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. Scripture is the Bible, our tradition is the way we have prayed and our understandings of theology from generations passed, and our reason is our ability to think and ask questions and wrestle with our present contexts.

5. Science and theology can work hand in hand, and they do in The Episcopal Church.

6. Our Catechism (Outline of the Faith) beginning on p. 845, elaborates on more of our beliefs as a church, though it is not enforced in the way other churches put weight on certain beliefs. We believe these things, and we encourage you to question and wrestle with those beliefs!

7. We seek unity (what we share) more than what separates us from other denominations. Find out more about what your friends or family of different faith traditions or Christian denominations believe! We do our best to include all and make our churches welcoming places for people from all walks of life.

8. You can learn more about our church and our beliefs at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/

9. Our reflection question is: If you walked into a church, how would you know it is an Episcopal church, without being told?

Join us next time for conversation about our own parish home, St. John’s—and hear about where Fr. Chris, Fr. Ben, and Sarah grew up in their home churches!

A new version of this episode is now available! Scroll up and check out Season 4, Episode 4!

This episode, we explore the history that led to The Episcopal Church, tracing our origins from the Acts of the Apostles all the way up to the Revolutionary war. Along the way, we see how the faith continued to evolve, while remaining centered on our creeds and the things we’ve talked about that Christians around the world share in common.

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/why-episcopal-i

Show notes:

1. Chris read a quote from A History of Global Anglicanism, by Kevin Ward (2010), about the common history, faith and liturgy of the Anglican Communion. Find out more about the Anglican Communion here: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/

2. The history of the church, or her birthday, starts at a Pentecost celebration, almost 2000 years ago, as written in the first chapter of Acts of the Apostles. Not everyone was the same—there was diversity in language, culture, and more from the beginning of Christianity. As Christianity initially spread, it remained in unity about the faith, but the expressions changed for different places and times.

3. The Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D./C.E. set down the Nicene Creed and clarified central pillars of the faith. The Canon of Holy Scripture also came into clearer focus, giving us the selection of books that are in our Bibles today. Finally, Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire; as religion of the state instead of a minority of people, it changed a lot of things for the early Christians!

4. Christianity continues to spread, including a leap over to the British Isles. This begins the distinct part of our history, even though the Church of England would not break away for another thousand years in the 1500s, around the time that early explorers were setting out to discover the ‘New World.’

5. The Church of England is one of the groups that break away from the Catholic Church. Martin Luther expressed differences and then broke away first, but England was not far behind. One of the main motivations was about power; the church having political and monetary authority over people in many kingdoms was challenged by King Henry VIII, who also challenged the spiritual authority of the church. Both of these challenges led to King Henry VIII separating the English church from Rome. And yes, a divorce was involved too; listen to learn more!

6. Also involved was translating the Bible into the language of the people, as well as the prayers. This led to one of the greatest gifts to the church that the English church has offered, the Book of Common Prayer. Yet they did not depart from the tradition of the church any more than necessary. The polity and structure changed of the church changed, but the belief in God stayed central.

7. Our reflection question is: If you would change anything in the church, what would you change, and why?

Join us next time for some more history of The Episcopal Church, and who we are and where we are now!

A new version of this episode is now available! Scroll up and check out Season 4, Episode 3!

This episode, we continue to explore Christianity and as the question “so what?” What difference does being a Christian make? We are a Christian, now what?

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/why-christianity-ii

Show notes: 

1. Belief does lead to some sort of action. We explored this with the metaphor of believing our house may be on fire. What action might we take in response to our belief in the Good News of Jesus Christ?

2. Our faith is personal, but also communal. God calls us to be a part of a community of other believers— we call this the body of Christ, the church. 

3. There are several promises we make after affirming the Apostles Creed, found on page 304-305 of the BCP

4. The first question comes directly from Acts 2:42, stating what Jesus’ followers did *together* after pentecost— after they received the Holy Spirit. When we come to church, we are fulfilling this first baptismal commitment. 

5. We visited the other four questions throughout the episode. It’s important to note that the response is always “I will, with God’s help.” While we make these promises, we will need God’s help to fulfill them.

6. Our reflection questions are: What does it meant to live a Christian life? How does one live out a Christian life?

This episode, we ask the question “Why Christianity?” and explore the Apostles Creed.  Examining these basics of the faith allow us to understand who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is!

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/why-christianity-i

Show notes: 

1. The Apostles Creed can be found in a question and answer form as part of the Baptismal Rite on page 304 of the Book of Common Prayer, or in full on page 96 in Morning Prayer. The Nicene Creed can be found on page 358 of the Book of Common Prayer.

2. For more on the creation story, read Genesis 1-3. There are two versions of the creation story included so if it seems like there is some repetition, there is!

3. To understand the full story of Jesus, the best thing to do is to sit down and study one (or all four!) of the Gospels; keeping in mind the creed, or the basic outline of the faith. 

4. John 20:24-29 - The apostle Thomas sees the scars in Jesus’ arms. 

5. To find Eucharistic Prayer A, check the Book of Common Prayer 363

6. Jesus promises to send the Advocate, or the Holy Spirit - John 15:16

7. Acts 2:1-4 tells of the Pentecost story, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, Peter baptizes three thousand people! We see this moment in scripture as the beginning of the church!

8. 1 Corinthians 15:20 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.”

9. For more on the Christian Hope, see the Catechism in the BCP, pages 861-862.

10. Our reflection questions are “what do I believe, and what do I struggle to believe?”

A new version of this episode is now available! Scroll up and check out Season 4, Episode 1!

This season, we’re covering confirmation and answering three big questions about the faith. This season will be a part of our Spring 2022 (and future!) confirmation class; but it is also for you, dear listeners! In our faith, we’re always called back to the basics even as our understanding grows deeper. We hope this season will deepen your faith as well!

Instead of a collect, we’ll start each episode with a prayer or quote from the historical church. We’ll also have more in-depth show notes available on our website, as well as resources for further reading and reference we make!

Episode page: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/confirmation 

Show notes:

1. The prayer for today is from the confirmation rite in the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. Fr. Ben transliterated it into contemporary English (Rite II language). 

2. Our catechism is a very helpful guide to the Christian faith and required reading for confirmation! Find it online here or in the Book of Common Prayer 1979 beginning on page 845.

3. The word confirmation means “saying yes to something I already said yes too.” In the church, Confirmation refers to committing ourselves to Christ.

4. Book of Common Prayer talks about Confirmation on page 860

5. Emergency Baptism is in the Book of Common Prayer, p. 313

6. The full Baptismal and confirmation rite begins on page 299 of the BCP, with the portion specific to confirmation on p. 309. Confirmation is built into the Baptismal rite and is an echo, a mature confession of our Baptismal promises. 

7. Acts 8 tells the story of Peter and John laying hands on those who had been baptized, and giving them the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for listening! As always, if you liked this episode please follow and rate us wherever you get your podcasts, and consider sharing with a friend!

In our last episode of the season, we discussed creating a Rule of Life! Our apologies for some challenges and feedback we had with the microphone a couple of times! In this episode, we discuss the collect for the the Third Sunday of Advent, and wrap up our season on the spiritual disciplines. Join us as we discuss what a rule of life is, how it guides us and helps us find balance and connect with God and our neighbor!

Notes:

1. The collect this week was Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent from Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 212.

Thanks so much for listening this season! Two big announcements: