Dear Friends,
“A New Year, a new start!” I am afraid to tell you that in 2020, during the lockdown, I re-discovered the soap opera that I grew up with my parents watching twice a week when I was a boy – Coronation Street – it is set in the North of England in a working-class town near Manchester (so the wrong side of the Pennines as I said to the Sub Dean of the Chapel Royal at the Bicentennial Evensong, but the accents are very comforting). It is the longest-running soap on British TV. Anyway, each character has been saying that phrase, “New Year – new start!” for all kinds of reasons – some good, and some not so good. New Year Resolutions seem to have become less popular these days, but I was intrigued when I came across the Good Housekeeping list of the top 65 (yes, 65!) resolutions for ‘building a healthy, happier life.’ Number One was not what I expected:
Start a gratitude journal.
Keeping track of things, people and events that you’re grateful for throughout the year can help you to improve your mental and physical wellness. “It literally breathes new life into us. It recharges and it rejuvenates,” said Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis and founder of a research lab that studies the effects of grateful living. And it doesn’t have to take up much time. Just a few minutes a day can make all the difference. (Good Housekeeping Website)
At the moment, there is so much tension in our world and in our communities. I attended a Chapter meeting for the Order of Saint John the other day, and I heard about the awful situation in Gaza, and how our hospital in Gaza City remains unusable, and likely has been looted. Rather than cause despair, our staff in Gaza and at the main hospital in East Jerusalem are more committed than ever to saving peoples’ sight. Gratitude is an antidote to despair. I remember on our parish pilgrimage, Darren Littlejohn and I met two lovely, gentle Rabbis at the Western Wall who were engaged in a bible study. At the end of our conversation, one of them turned to us and said this:
“The Creator of the Universe wants salvation for all; see only good.”
Perhaps a gratitude journal might not be such a bad idea for a New Year Resolution after all.
Our Pilgrims’ Course begins on Wednesday, January 17. After evensong, there is an optional hot meal for those who would like it, but we ask that you register to help with catering. The first session will explore God as Father and Creator, and what it means to say that we are made in God’s image. The classes run from 7pm – 8pm and will be hybrid, though we encourage in-person attendance to build up a sense of a pilgrim community. Our second session on January 24 will explore Jesus; incarnation, atonement, and glory. If you have an image of Jesus (a painting, a drawing, a sculpture, or mosaic) that you would like to share with the group, please email them here.
Click here to register for the Pilgrims’ Course.
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Parish Offices will be closed. Mass will be celebrated at 12pm as usual.
On Sunday, at 11am, we have a visiting preacher, an old friend of the parish, The Rev. Dr. Brandt Montgomery. He will also be leading the Sunday Theology Talk at 10am. Fr. Montgomery served at Saint Thomas as a ‘wisdom year’ seminarian.
The Bicentennial Lecture Series has got off to a tremendous start with over 300 people who either attended the lecture in-person or who have watched it on the YouTube channel. We are very excited to have another old friend of our parish return to give the second lecture on Saturday, February 3.
Jon Meacham, distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University, Fellow of the Society of American Histories, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author will speak on the subject, To Keep the Feast: Saint Thomas Church in War and Peace.
Finally, the Choir of Men and Boys will sing the Epiphany Procession on Sunday, January 14 at 4pm. This service will be repeated on Tuesday, January 16, at 5:30pm.
The service has exquisite music, stirring hymns, and beautiful readings as we reflect on the theme of the Epiphany.
During the service, three of the probationer choristers will bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christmas crèche.
The theme of Christ’s revelation will be explored in several ways.
New Year – New Start!
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
