The Beacon, April 2008

Not just for a day

I caught myself the other day thinking that since Easter was so early this year, what are we going to do at St Stephen's for the next six months until the parish "cranks up" again in September. As if Easter were simply a one day season where we give thanks that "Christ is Risen", and then think about tomorrow when we get back to our ongoing lives. But the reality is that God is in the midst of our lives to nourish and sustain us, and to bring forth new visions and understanding. In other words, to give us new life, not just for a day, but always.

And where is this new life to be found? In relationships — with God and with each other. It is found in community with those who know that all love comes from God, that our loving of others is the source of this new life and of being truly human. And sometimes this new life can affect every relationship.

It might be for just a day, or a month, or for our entire life. Between my junior and senior years of college, I was one of twelve young persons from age fourteen to twenty-three who worked in Willimantic, Connecticut in a program called Summer '69. It was sponsored by the Episcopal Church in that city, and it placed us in various positions where we could help the less fortunate. Since at that time I was planning on being a high school teacher, I was placed in Head Start. Initially, I was appalled at the dress and cleanliness of my summer students. I had seen "poor" people before, but these were beyond anything I could have imagined. I'm talking about out-and-out filth. It looked as if neither clothing nor flesh had ever seen soap before. In a very real sense, they were not my kind of people. However, I was there from June 20th through September 5th, and somewhere in that timeframe, I came to give myself in love to that community of children. I came to realize that the love of Christ connects us with God and with each other in a relationship so profound and important that it alone allows us to overcome any barriers that separate us from each other. This was because of Easter. It wasn't just a day for me anymore; rather, it was the beginning of something extremely meaningful which governs all human existence.

Faithfully, Fr Bill

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A Joyous Easter

This Lenten and Easter season has been particularly meaningful to me. Lent started with Ash Wednesday and continued with several of Fr Bill's Lenten programs with Fr Bob playing (appropriately) the Professor and Fr Bill playing Nico, the student. Those of us attending learned the importance of several animals in the telling of the Easter story.

Sharyn and I were in Poquetanuck, CT for Palm Sunday. We had gone to Mohegan Sun Casino to see The Celtic Women, which we tremendously enjoyed, by the way. On Palm Sunday, we decided to attend a small Episcopal church that was just down the street. This turned out to be a kind of strange experience. Let me explain. The service was scheduled for 10:15am, so we arrived sufficiently early so we could get a seat. The earlier service was ending and people were gathered for coffee. We went into the hall similar to Fay Hall to wait for the start of the next service.

Three people said, "Hello" as they passed by, but no one stopped to welcome us or ask if we were new, or any of the other things we expected. We met the vicar and she was extremely friendly and welcoming, but not so the parishioners. It got uncomfortable to the point where I asked Sharyn if she wanted to leave and head home. She said, "No, let's stay." So we did.

We found a seat in a pew. I was secretly hoping that we hadn't sat in a pew that was "someone else's seat." We needn't have worried, the church was not full.

The service started with the procession of palms and continued much like here at St Stephen's with the reading of The Passion of Christ We were pleasantly surprised at the exchanging of the Peace because many of the people came and shared the Peace of the Lord with us, so we got a very different impression of this small mission church.

The vicar did not give a sermon as such, but her homily reminded me of something Gail Martin had said earlier about a Baptist minister who shared Holy Week with Bill and Gail at Bill's church. The Vicar recommended that parishioners think seriously about the events of Holy Week, then she echoed the comment made by Gail. "You can't fully appreciate the glory of the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday if you haven't experienced the sadness and despair of the events leading up to Easter."

But back to the rest of Holy Week. Sharyn and I attended the Seder Supper on Wednesday, the Maundy Thursday service, followed by an hour vigil in the Chapel, and the Youth Group's presentation on Good Friday. Let me pause a moment here to comment on the presentation made by the youth of St Stephen's. It was one of the most moving experiences that I have ever experienced. The kids presented a number of scenarios that humans are often confronted with. After each scenario, Fr Bill spoke one of the sentences associated with Jesus' last week on earth. Each scenario/sentence was meant to provoke some serious thinking/meditation about the crucifixion of Christ and how we continue to crucify him in our daily lives. Thanks, guys.

The Easter Vigil again was a wonderful experience. We heard of the Israelite flight from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and more, accompanied by some of my favorite Easter songs. Then came Easter Sunday and all the pomp and show that goes with it, a proper celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord. The "Alleluias" are back, the Gloria returns, and we start a new Easter Season.

But this was not the end for me because the following Friday evening, a number of parishioners went to celebrate Easter with the boys at DYS. There were some readings, some songs, a presentation by Brian Swartz, and then the boys from DYS presented a play which took some liberties with bible history as we know it but was nonetheless moving and well done. The scene was presented as a trial for Judas Iscariot, accusing him of betraying Christ. There was a judge, a prosecutor, a defense attorney, several witnesses, a jury, and Judas and Jesus. And even the voice of God from a side room with appropriate flashing of lights. And we all came away realizing once again that we had, as usual, gained more than we had brought.

So it's been a very meaningful season for me, and it has more than before shown me how participating in Lent and leads to a more glorious Easter. Do have a joyous Easter season. God bless!

Peace and a Happy Easter, Fred Philcox

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Biblical examples

I have several meditation books that I read each morning, during my prayer time. As part of my Lenten discipline, I like to add a new one each year. This year I chose The "One Year Life Lessons from the Bible" by Neil S Wilson. It is a daily reader, which consists of 365 meditations on the lives of people in the Bible.

I like the book for two reasons. First of all, it helped me to get to know some of the lesser known Old Testament figures, the ones with those names that we find hard to pronounce: Benzabel, Nadab & Abihu, Ehud and Manoah to name a few. The second reason is that it points out that even though they lived in a time and culture very different from ours, they were not all that different from us. We can learn many lessons from their successes and their failures as well.

One morning my reading was on Hobab, not exactly a well-known Biblical figure, but nevertheless he played a very important role. He was the brother-in-law of Moses, and a seasoned guide with many years experience in the desert. Who better to have with them, as they embarked on the long trek from Egypt to the Promised Land? Moses clearly recognized the value in this man and told him so. Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the desert, and you can be our eyes. If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us." - Numbers 10:31-32.

I believe that each person comes into our life for a reason, that it is all a part of God's plan. For our part, we are called to recognize their value and offer words of affirmation. In some cases hind sight is often clearer. I recently had an experience which brought this home to me.

Many years ago, I took a typing class at a local college, in the hope of obtaining a particular office position. I had a wonderful teacher, who built up my low self-esteem, offered me words of praise and encouragement and even helped me write an excellent resume. The end result was that I did get the position I was seeking. I am sure that I thanked her at the time. As time passed however, I recognized even more the value of that teacher in my life. The position that I got proved to be a stepping stone to many other achievements.

Although this woman lives in the area, I had not seen her in all those years. A couple of weeks ago, through a chance meeting with a mutual friend, I was able to see her again. I expressed to her my deep gratitude for her kindness and guidance. I am so thankful that God gave me that opportunity.

Just as Hobab played an important role in Moses' life, so, too, did this teacher in mine. May my reflection cause you to reflect and affirm those who have played an important role in you life.

Happy Spring!!, Phyl Endicott

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Thank You

Big thank you's go to parishioner Bill Panas for refurbishing the planters in front of the church, and especially to the Youth Group and its leaders for the Good Friday presentation. It was a moving experience and contributed immensely to creating the proper setting for the day and for Holy Week. Well done!

Also, thank you to computer whiz Dave Trussler for the many hours he spent fixing the church computer, making possible the restoration of PowerChurch, the software that keeps all the church records, names and addresses, accounting, etc.

In Memoriam

St Stephen's has lost two of its Grande Dames in the past two weeks. Madeline Woolf, a resident at The Willows in Westborough, could frequently be seen near the rear of the church, distinguished by her always well-done silver hair. She was a real gentle-lady and we'll miss her. Our condolences to her family. May she find peace eternal in her heavenly home.

Also Marguerite Newton, a long-time parishioner and resident of Westborough, died recently in Maine. I remember Marguerite fondly for several reasons. First, she was always alert and up with the times. She knew I taught at Algonquin Regional High and would always ask me questions that showed she was aware of what was going on in Northborough. She was especially interested in all the doings surrounding the proposal for and final resolution of how to expand the school.

She was also a wealth of information regarding the history of St Stephen's. When St Stephen's celebrated its 100th anniversary, she, along with others, supplied much of the information that was needed to write our story. And her memory was so sharp. Marguerite seemed brusque at times, but that was just her manner. She cared deeply about Westborough and St Stephen's and contributed to the life of the church in many ways. She was a dear person and will be missed. Our sympathy and condolences to her family. May the Lord welcome her into his arms.

Goodbye, Marguerite.

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