The Beacon


Headlines

Father Bill

Heroes

Editor's Desk

Looking for daily blessings

Prayerful Notes

Advent Disciplines

Ministries

Thank you for the Yardwork

The Beacon, December 2007

Heroes

Heroes is a television show that has captured the imaginations of many people. The ongoing plot has people gifted with superpowers saving the world. But along the way, we discover that they are still just ordinary persons who wrestle with problems, and solve them as you and I would. One does not need to be super strong, or invulnerable, or be able to read minds, or even be able to fly in order to be heroic. What, therefore, makes one a hero?

First, a hero captures our attention. In the scriptures, we are awed as Moses stands before the Pharoah, and thunders for God, ”Let my people go!” We are filled with anticipation as John the Baptist’s voice declares, “Prepare the way of the Lord”. We’re amazed when all the Apostles, threatened with death, still go forth to declare Jesus as the Christ. In our own day and age, we give thanks for all those who put their lives on the line daily for us, such as fire fighters and police. We can’t think about September 11th without remembering the New York fire and police departments. We admire them because their actions grab our attention.

Secondly, a hero deepens our retention. In spite of sometimes overwhelming odds, a hero stands his or her ground. How easy it would have been for the police, and for the doctors and nurses, and for the clergy in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to simply have walked away. The vast majority of them did not. They all were as heroic as St Paul standing before the Roman magistrates, knowing that his life could be taken from him at any moment. Their retention encourages us to hang on when the going gets really tough. A couple of years ago, several of our parish members were unemployed or underemployed, yet they all endured. Several of our elderly are not in the best of health, but they get up every morning, and carry on. They’re all heroes in my book.

Finally, a hero causes us to expand our horizons. Christian tradition says that the Apostles went as far east as India, as far west as Spain, and as far north as England. It would have been very easy for all of them to have stayed in and around Jerusalem, but Christianity would never have become a world religion. It would also be very easy for all of us to remain in our several comfort zones, to never enlarge our surroundings, but then we’d never be living out our baptismal covenants. We Christians have been given a great commission: to make disciples. We can’t do that unless we’re open to new possibilities. A hero always is.

Faithfully, Fr Bill

Top

Looking for daily blessings

I'm sure that at some time in your life you've had a tune - or part of one stick - in your head, and it stays there no matter how hard you try to get rid of it, sort of like a dull toothache that won't go away. Or perhaps you get a new car, and suddenly you see cars just like it everywhere you go.

I've been experiencing something like that these past few weeks, but unlike the unwanted tune, this one is pretty neat. It started just before Thanksgiving. I sang with the ecumenical choir at the Interfaith Thanksgiving services. The pastor from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church gave the sermon, and in keeping with the Thanksgiving season, spoke about gratitude and giving thanks.

Since then, I have been reminded many times by seeing or hearing the words grateful or gratitude in unlikely places. For example, in the comic strip "Mutt", which appears in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, for Thanksgiving week, the cartoonist had the first panel reminding us to give thanks, then in the remaining panels he included a quote from a famous philosopher, theologian, or statesman on the subject of thanks or gratitude.

A week or so later while I was sitting in the cardiologist's office, I picked up a back issue (is there any other kind in a doctor's office?) of Newsweek. In it was a short interview with TV personality Deborah Norville. She spoke of a notebook she keeps. At the end of every day, she writes down 3-4 things she was grateful for on that day.

And last Saturday at Men's Group, we discussed five passages from a book which compiled many of Henry Nouwen's writings on Advent. Not surprisingly, several of them include reminders to give thanks to God. Each writing included a suggestion for an Advent activity, one of which was to be alert for how God often blesses our lives unsuspectingly.

I've been trying Nouwen's suggestion and each night before I go to sleep, I take Norville's idea and change it a little. I recall ways that God has blessed my life that day. It might a goodbye kiss from my wife, a smile from a stranger, a cheery hello, or a sales girl wishing me a "Merry Christmas" - not a "Happy Holidays", but a genuine "Merry Christmas".

I find that this year I'm more ready for Advent and Christmas than I have been before. And I thank God for that. I have a different attitude this year which I attribute to being on the lookout for daily blessings, things to be grateful for. And I urge you to "try it, you'll like it" as the old commercial used to say.

Have a penitential advent and a Merry Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Peace, Fred Philcox

Top

Advent Disciplines

The Christmas season seems to arrive earlier every year, at the shopping malls anyway. We barely get through Halloween before the Christmas decorations go up. Thanksgiving gets minimal recognition, except for the supermarket fliers, promoting turkey sales.

To the secular world, it's all about profits and the Christmas season is the biggest money making season of the year.

Where do we find Jesus in the midst of all the commercial hubbub? Scripture offers us this answer:

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, and will bring you back from captivity." - Jerimiah 29:13-14

As Christians, we are called to be in the world but not of the world. That can be quite a challenge. It's a bit like trying to go up the down escalator! In a sense, we are often held captive by the commercial world. I've heard it said that Sundays are the new Saturdays at Stop & Shop.

I have a friend, who as part of her spiritual discipline, never shops on Sundays. I wish I could say that I had mastered that one but I have not. I do have more of an awareness and am working on it.

In the season of Lent, we seem to have more of an awareness of spiritual disciplines. I think the season of Advent could also be more meaningful by taking on new spiritual disciplines. Not shopping on Sundays during Advent would be a good one. Getting up just a few minutes earlier to pray and do spiritual reading would be another. Regular worship on Sunday mornings yet another. For all of us weight watchers, giving up some favorite food for Advent could be a wonderful gift to ourselves in shedding a few pounds.

Spiritual disciplines give us a greater awareness of God in our life. Very often, if done for a season, they become a permanent part of our lives. In this season of giving, we can give God the gift of our time and in doing that we will receive a deepened relationship with him. May the light of Christ shine brightly in you life this Advent season.

Merry Christmas everyone!, Phyl Endicott

Top

Thank you for the Yardwork

We have had a great summer at St Stephen's kicking it off last April with the "Jim Boyer Annual Spring Clean-up", which was quite a spectacular event. Members, both young and old, turned out in full force with gloves, rakes and all sorts of yard-cleaning equipment to spiff up their church lawn and made it nice and green for the summer ahead.

Now that we have turned another page and are looking forward to the winter ahead us, the Property Committee of St Stephen's wants to thank all of you that answered the call and signed up to join in mowing the lawn. A special "Thank You" goes out to:

... and everyone else whom I've not mentioned that have taken part. We are hoping to see you again next spring for the big clean-up and to keep the lawn nice and green.

Thank you.

Les Daniels, Property Committee

Top