Rarely does a week go by when I don’t hear that something conflicts with Sunday morning worship.
The work week is seven days long. Extracurricular activities and sports consider Sunday just another day they can use. I’ve known elderly parishioners or those with parental care responsibilities to find even 10 am just too early. There are lots of very understandable reasons.
I know that Sunday is the Lord’s Day, each Sunday a little Easter. I know there’s a wonderful sense of community when we worship together. I also know that the Sunday morning worship that is so beloved and familiar to some of us is too much and evem intimidating for others.
As I read the gospels, Jesus went around and met people where, for no fault of their own, they couldn’t meet the demands of the religious institution. He met them, fed them, taught, and had compassion upon them where they were. And so I often wonder what meeting the needs of our own flock and community might look like today? Are we only interested in inviting people into the Good News and our way of practicing Christianity if they have Sunday morning open in their calendar? Our baptismal promises are to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. They don’t designate date and time.
Under the rubric of trying something new for the summer during interim, we will offer a spoken Evening Prayer followed by Holy Communion on the 1st and 3n1 Sundays at 6 pm. This service will be about 45 minutes and will take place according to the weather in either the Garden or the Chapel. Bring lawn chairs! Dress is casual. There are three versions of Evening Prayer, Rite I, II and Enriching Our Worship. We will rotate through them. Each is beautiful. We will need worship ministers like a lector/Eucharistic minister, sacristan, even an usher. Bring a friend or two!
Lastly, I will be on vacation from May 20-27. Please contact the Rev. Deby Veach if there’s a pastoral emergency. If a priest is required, one of my deanery colleagues will be called.
Shalom, Mary-F