Author: vicar

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Happenings Now

Holy Cross “Talent” Show Photo Album

Those who shared their "talents" posed at the end of the evening with their "prizes."
Those who shared their “talents” posed at the end of the evening with their “prizes.”
The Douzanis children, dressed in Tyrolean costume, sang some German songs with their grandfather.
The Douzanis children, dressed in Tyrolean costume, sang some German songs with their grandfather.
John Harrington and Will Townsend took the comedy award as "little maids from school" in a piece from Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado."
John Harrington and Will Townsend took the comedy award as "little maids from school" in a piece from Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado."
Marge Burke read three of her poems, some funny, some moving.
Marge Burke read three of her poems, some funny, some moving.
Maddy Goulet was a cat in a charming dialogue with her dad, Mike.
Maddy Goulet was a cat in a charming dialogue with her dad, Mike.
Yvette Desmarais sang a funny song about a woman who went through life complaining, especially about cleanliness, only to end up buried in . . . dirt.
Yvette Desmarais sang a funny song about a woman who went through life complaining, especially about cleanliness, only to end up buried in . . . dirt.
Shirley James told a great story about her husband Bill sixty years ago hopping a freight train to ride home after his late shift at the mill, only to find that he couldn't get off again.
Shirley James told a great story about her husband Bill sixty years ago hopping a freight train to ride home after his late shift at the mill, only to find that he couldn't get off again.
Fr. John and Anne McCausland sang "We Sing a Song of a Church in Weare" to the tune of "We Sing a Song of the Saints of God."
Fr. John and Anne McCausland sang "We Sing a Song of a Church in Weare" to the tune of "We Sing a Song of the Saints of God."

Here are the lyrics of John and Anne’s song, a tribute to Holy Cross Church through the years:

WE SING A SONG OF A CHURCH IN WEARE

We sing a song of a church in Weare, —-

                built in eighteen ninety- two,

by farmer folk who came to pray to the Lord they loved and knew.

Some were named Buxton and some were named Clough,

                some were named Breed, they were all strong and tough,

Episcopal saints of God true enough,

                and we mean to be saints too.

 

Now that little church kept going for years

                served by priests from St. Paul’s School,

who rode on horseback through woods and fields

                to teach the Golden Rule.

But one day the Feds came to build Everett Dam,

                and condemned the church just like that: slam bam!

paid them twenty thousand dollars to buy their land,

                took those farmers for some kind of fool!

 

But Holy Cross just would not give up,

                they moved their church on a truck.

Once again they prayed and worked

                and showed their saintly pluck.

They installed indoor plumbing and enlarged the church,

                called two young priests after careful search,

both of whom then moved on, leaving them in the lurch,

                so again it seemed they were stuck.

 

But Holy Cross still would not give up,

                told the Bishop they weren’t done yet.

Led by Ashworth and Knowles, Stehno and Starr

                they set out a new priest to get.

And as luck would have it, Father John and Anne

                came to see Holy Cross and said, “Yes we can,

we’ll come be with you, and together we’ll plan,

                a future that’s strong and true.”

 

Who would have guessed what that future held,

                the people who’d come through the door:

they filled that old church with folks young and old

                till the building would hold no more.

The Burkes and the Arvins, Harringtons and Roys,

                Yvette, Bobbi-Jo and her two boys,

they filled Holy Cross with a joyful noise,

                these saints of the Lord so true.

 

 

Then build a new church they set out to do,

                Donald Burke was put in charge;

and if problems arose in how to proceed,

                why, Donald could always ask Marge.

Father John helped raise money, Scott Arvin drew the plan,

                Craig Bland did the heating, they worked with elan,

the Bishop gave his blessing , said “Yes, you can,

                “you’re saints of the Lord it’s true!”

 

So now a new chapter lies just ahead,

                for the saints of Holy Cross.

But strong and together, in the Spirit one,

                they’re never at a loss.

Time, talent and treasure, if all do their part,

                with joyful thanksgiving in each one’s heart,

they’ll lift high the cross and God’s love impart,

                these saints of today in Weare.

                 

 

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the talent, stomachs full of potluck supper dishes.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the talent, stomachs full of potluck supper dishes.
Categories
Stewardship

2010 Ministry Minute # 1 John Heckman

Holy Cross Senior Warden John Heckman, caught by surprise (for once).
Holy Cross Senior Warden John Heckman, caught by surprise (for once).

My mother had to leave Middlebury College at the height of the Great Depression after running out of tuition money. There was no work anywhere in her native Vermont and very little hope anywhere in New England, so she went to New York City to find a job and some sort of security in a very difficult time.

She settled in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn with some old family friends, found a job, and joined Christ Church, a long-time Episcopal foundation of the community. There, at a YPF (Young Peoples Fellowship) dance, she met my father, and after the usual courtship of the times, they were married. When my father returned from World War II, they moved to suburbia and joined St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Connecticut. I was born, baptized and confirmed there, and the church became 100% of our spiritual and social environment. My parents’ friends were in “our church,” so of course were my friends. My mother taught “Sunday School.” My dad was active in the “Men’s Club.” I flipped my first egg by his side at one of the monthly Communion Breakfasts. I was an acolyte, a crucifer, and very active in YPF. I joined the church-sponsored Boy Scout Troop. For years, I went to the summer camp owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. The highlight of every holiday season was the midnight candlelight service that always required folding chairs in the lobby. We never missed one. When I came home from college for Christmas vacation, a high point was having the honor of serving as an acolyte at the midnight service.

 I went off to college in 1968, and except for weddings, funerals, and the occasional baptism, never went back to the church. I do not know why.

Thirty-four years later, after successfully partnering with my wife to raise a family, sending the children off to college, attaining a reasonable level of professional success, maintaining friendships and becoming part of our New Hampshire community, a painful midlife crisis took its toll, and emerging on the other side, I was thankful to be there reasonably whole, and looking for a link to a much simpler time.

I showed up at Holy Cross one Sunday in 2002, sat in the back (where I still am), perhaps wearing shorts (as I do in all but the coldest months of winter) and found the connection I was looking for. Sitting next to me was someone I knew. “Welcome,” she said. And that was what I needed: a welcome with no judgment, no questions, just friendship. Church is a time every week I can count on with no cell phones, no computers and plenty of opportunity to reflect on all those things we have no time to think about during the week: A time to put things in proper perspective.

I always used to laugh at my Catholic friends who always “had to” go to church on non-Sunday evenings just to get in the time. When the period finally came in my life that the “have to” turned into the “want to,” it was time to reconnect; and the Holy Cross community was there waiting. Thank you.

Categories
2010 Sermons

Pentecost 20 October 10, 2010

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

Luke 17:11-19

 

Friday afternoon we had a training session for our two new young acolytes, Alex Goulet and Anna Ishak, and Alex cracked one of the pillar candles at the altar. It was loose on its holder and he tipped it too far and it fell on the floor. Now what does that have to do with the readings for today? Everything.

You see, the readings are linked by the fact that each has to do with leprosy. Leprosy is mentioned again and again in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. It’s not to be confused with Hansen’s disease, which is the name for a medical condition, a bacterial infection now readily treated with antibiotics, that causes blotchy skin and disfigurement. In biblical times leprosy covered a wide range of ailments that had in common symtoms that made the skin discolored, scarred or imperfect. Biblical people thought that these imperfections were connected to moral imperfections. So people with “leprosy” were unfit to worship God and unfit for human society. They were outcasts.

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Categories
Happenings Now

St. Francis’ Day Blessing of Animals

Ben Harrington, Connor Houghton and Ryan Compagna read stories of St. Francis and the animals as Henry and Henriette the chickens await their blessing in their box.
Ben Harrington, Connor Houghton and Ryan Compagna read stories of St. Francis and the animals as Henry and Henriette the chickens await their blessing in their box.
Officer Kelly and the new Weare K9 dog were a special hit at the blessing. The dog, presently just designated 26, showed a special interest in Tom Beland's rabbits. So criminal bunnies better watch out around Weare!
Officer Kelly and the new Weare K9 dog were a special hit at the blessing. The dog, presently just designated 26, showed a special interest in Tom Beland's rabbits. So criminal bunnies better watch out around Weare!
Baronness, Martha Peterson's horse, gets her blessing.
Baronness, Martha Peterson's horse, gets her blessing.
Chamois (Shammy?), John Heckman's new puppy, probably won the cuteness award.
Chamois (Shammy?), John Heckman's new puppy, probably won the cuteness award.
A great turn-out of human animals came for the blessing.
A great turn-out of human animals came for the blessing.
Bonnie the goat, with Holy Cross treasurer Yvette Desmarais.
Bonnie the goat, with Holy Cross treasurer Yvette Desmarais.
Shannon Tolley of Holy Cross and Shannon Camaro of the S.P.C.A. made it happen!
Shannon Tolley of Holy Cross and Shannon Camaro of the S.P.C.A. made it happen!
Categories
2010 Sermons

Pentecost 19/St Francis Day October 3, 2010

Genesis 2:4-10, 15-20a                                                     

Galatians 6:14-18                                                                

Matthew 11:25-30                                                             

 This homily was preached at the Eucharist following the blessing of animals for St. Francis Day. The lections are chosen with reference to that occasion.

So here is the title of a new book which caught my eye: Some We Love [these words superimposed on the silhouette of a cute Labrador puppy], Some We Hate [the silhouette of a rat], and (the punch line) Some We Eat [the silhouette of a pig]. The subtitle of the book, which I haven’t read but intend to, is Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals.*

Last Sunday we tried to bring some straight thinking to one of the concerns of St. Francis of Assisi, the poor and the outcast. Today we turn our attention to another of his concerns, animals and the environment. If we just blessed pets – the animals we love and on which we lavish billions of dollars in care each year – we would be sentimentalizing what St. Francis stands for. As people who try to bring moral judgment to our lives, we need to go more deeply.

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Categories
2010 Sermons

Pentecost 18 September 26, 2010

Amos 6:1a, 4-7                                                                    

1 Timothy 6:6-19                                                                

Luke 16:19-31

 

Once upon a time there was a young man, the son of a prosperous merchant. He had a love for good times, rich friends, music, partying, and fashionable clothing. One day he was selling cloth in the marketplace for his father when a beggar came by, asking for alms. Finishing his business deal, the young man ran after the beggar, emptying his pockets and giving the beggar all that he had. His friends mocked him for his charity; his father was enraged.

He sought glory on the battlefield, but without success, captured and imprisoned for a year. He suffered a serious illness. He began to spend time alone, wandering in the countryside, praying in abandoned churches. He took to nursing lepers who were shunned by others in society. One day in the marketplace, in a showdown with his father, he stripped off all his rich clothes, renounced his patrimony, and declared his dedication to the poor.

You will have guessed, perhaps, whom I’m talking about: St. Francis of Assisi.

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Categories
2010 Sermons

Holy Cross Day September 12, 2010

1 Corinthians 1:18-24                                                        

John 3:13-17                                                                       

In the hall across from the office here at church you may have noticed, on your way to the restroom, a wall calendar. It’s sent every year from the Church Pension Group, a multi-billion dollar enterprise which handles pensions, insurance, health benefits and more for the Episcopal Church. Each month on the calendar there’s a clever cartoon, drawn I believe by a priest in New York City. This month’s cartoon features an update of what’s called the Great Commission.

The Great Commission comes at the end of St. Matthew’s gospel, where after the Resurrection Jesus bids his disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (We’re carrying out the Great Commission this morning, as we baptize Annabelle Nicole Charette.) But the cartoon, which is captioned “The Great Commission Revisited,” up-dates this by having Jesus say, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, developing task forces and strategic plans, and surveying the congregation in order to craft a succinct and memorable mission statement easily communicated on bumper stickers, website home pages, t-shirts and coffee mugs.” A wry and telling comment on the state of the Church (and the world) today.

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Categories
2010 Sermons

Pentecost 15 September 5, 2010

Deuteronomy 30:15-20                                                     

Luke 14:25-33                                                                      

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but there’s a pattern to the way I preach. I usually begin with some story or example from life, develop a topic, and then bring the biblical readings to bear on it. That’s not the only way to preach, obviously. Many preachers start with the Bible, what is called expository preaching, illustrating the points in the lessons with examples from life.

I usually start with life because most congregations in Episcopal churches are not very familiar with the Bible and don’t automatically accept it as authoritative the way, say, a Baptist congregation would. But there are drawbacks to my approach. It tends to water down or soften the force of the biblical readings. You might even say it’s a coward’s way of preaching.

So let’s start with the Bible this morning.

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2010 Sermons

Pentecost 14 August 29, 2010

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16                                                     

Luke 14:7-14                                                                       

A woman describes her mother, a “serious Anglican” on a hardscrabble farm in Ontario earlier in the last century:

My mother prayed on her knees at midday, at night, and first thing in the morning. Every day opened up to her to have God’s will done in it. Every night she totted up what she’d done and said and thought, to see how it squared with Him. That kind of life is dreary, people think, but they’re missing the point. For one thing, such a life can never be boring. And nothing can happen to you that you can’t make use of. Even if you’re wracked by troubles, and sick and poor and ugly, you’ve got your soul to carry through life like a treasure on a platter.

“You’ve got your soul to carry through life like a treasure on a platter.” What a marvelous image! I always hesitate when we have a reading like the one this morning from Hebrews. There are soaring moments in Holy Scripture – the one in the Hebrews passage this morning, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” is an example. But then, embedded right there with these soaring moments are the nitty gritty ones: “Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.” 

I hesitate because I ask myself, can I preach on the soaring passages and ignore the nitty gritty ones? And if I preach on the nitty gritty ones, what can I say? Fornication means sex outside marriage. Well, these days virtually everyone has sex before they are married. Churches are full of people living together without getting married – some without any intention of ever getting married. Of all the marriages I’ve officiated at, only once has a couple not had premarital sexual relations; the man was a serious evangelical Christian. So what do I say?

Condemn everyone? Or is the Bible hopelesssly out of date when it comes to the nitty gritty? Are only the soaring passages relevant? Though if Jesus Christ is the “same yesterday and today and forever,” can the nitty gritty parts really be so easily discarded as applying only to the past?

The description of the farm woman carrying her soul through life on a platter comes from a marvelous short story by the Canadian author Alice Munro. The story tells how after the author’s parents died, their farm was sold to a commune of hippies. The hippies raised goats and painted a rainbow on the barn and flowers on the walls inside the old farmhouse—flowers and, in one room, a naked Adam and Eve. Revisiting her childhood home after the hippies left, and seeing the painting of the Adam and Eve couple, the author speculates on what sort of hippie orgies went on  in that room, which had been her parents’ bedroom.

The story is thus about the changes in morality that have occurred over the last century. It ends on an ambiguous note. We learn that the hippie commune collapsed; its easy amorality didn’t work. But we also learn that the prayer on your knees, soul on a platter morality of the old mother wasn’t the whole story. After the mother’s death, her husband in a nursing home grumbles in his senility about how harsh his wife’s moral standards had been in practice, how her righteousness had hurt her family. And the author herself, divorced, her hair dyed Copper Sunrise, telling a little white lie to paper over a relationship, the author concludes:

Moments of kindness and reconciliation are worth having even if the parting has to come sooner or later. I wonder if those moments aren’t more valued, and deliberately gone after, in the setups some people like myself have now, than they were in those old marriages, where love and grudges could be growing underground, so confused and stubborn, it must have seemed they had forever.

So Alice Munro’s story, entitled “Love’s Progress,” ends up where a lot of modern morality ends up: with ambiguity, a sense that neither the old absolutes nor the hippie discarding of all standards is the answer; with a wistful grasp at “moments of kindness and reconciliation” in a world where nothing lasts forever, a world essentially without God.

Well, I don’t know. In this sermon I have in effect offered you three choices: the old Anglican on your knees, soul on a platter choice; the hippie commune pattern; and the grasping at moments of kindness and reconciliation pattern. Maybe it’s my generation, maybe my vocation, maybe my experience of life: for myself I’m really pretty convinced that the on your knees, soul on a platter choice is the only real one, the one closest to “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.” It can be done wrong, of course – in ways untempered by forgiveness, with a self-righteousness that ends up hurting others. But it takes more seriously than the other choices, it seems to me, the fact that we live our lives under the eye of God and in relationship with other immortal souls. It gives ultimate value to our days, our actions.

The nitty gritty of a reading like the one from Hebrews today – not throwing people in prison and treating them as inhuman, not torturing people as though they were not like us, honoring marriage and treating sex as something sacred, freeing ourselves from the love of money and being content with what we have – this nitty gritty seems to me in the end of a piece with the soaring passages. In the lives I minister to, ignoring the nitty gritty leads to unhappiness and worse, has created a society that seems to me in many ways bent on destruction. “Mutual love,” which is what the Hebrews passage is about, may have its soaring moments, but it is built on nitty gritty and a sense of living in the presence of God.

Categories
2010 Sermons

Pentecost 13 August 22, 2010

Hebrews 12:18-29                                                             

Luke 13:10-17                                                                     

This week Anne and I were visiting old friends at their summer home on Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve known David since we were both 12 at camp – my oldest really good friend. We shared a tent there, roomed together at college, were in each other’s weddings, and have spent time together nearly every summer of our adult lives. This year was different. David was diagnosed last winter with an inoperable brain tumor and has just undergone weeks of arduous radiation and chemotherapy. He’s on a walker, with balance and vision problems. He tires easily. He gained some strength while we were there, but the future prognosis remains uncertain.

In our time together, sitting on his porch looking out at the sea, we reminisced about the past, caught up on our children and grandchildren, shared some thoughts about the state of the world, joked with each other as we always have. But one thing we didn’t talk about was faith, because David doesn’t believe in God; religion has never been part of his life; he has no time or use for it. He’s respectful of it in my life. Indeed, out of the blue he sent a check for $30,000 to help with the building fund for Holy Cross. But God, Christ, Scripture, prayer, church – for him they’re all a delusion, a waste of time, something to be indulged in an old friend perhaps, but not for him.

So for me it was as though a whole dimension were missing in my time with this dear friend. We could not talk about prayer – was Jesus there at all for him in his weakness, his thoughts of death? Was there comfort in the psalms? Things in his past that troubled him, for which he needed healing and forgiveness? What was his hope for the future, for a future beyond death? How did he see his life in terms of God’s kingdom, of Christ’s great dream for humankind? Did his suffering deepen his understanding of the Cross? These are the questions I think I would be exploring if it were I in his place, but to raise them with David would only have been a mockery, and I would never do that to someone I respect and love.

Continue reading “Pentecost 13 August 22, 2010”