Last Sunday’s celebration of the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church was very joyful, and I was delighted with our in-person attendance in the morning in particular; we had almost 100 people at the 9 a.m. Mass, and the Noble Singers led the service with real energy. Thank you to Jennifer Lane for her encouragement of the children. Thank you also to the Advancement Team for organizing a splendid brunch after the 11 a.m. service—it was a real surprise, and the buzz during the 11 a.m. coffee hour was tremendous.
The music last Sunday was thrilling! The Langlais Messe Solennelle was powerful, and the Bruckner motet Locus Iste, sung during Holy Communion, was so reflective. At Evensong, we had a gorgeous setting of the canticles and the stirring anthem Blessed City, composed by a former organist of York Minster, stayed in the mind for a long time. We sang the Te Deum in procession for the first time in many years, and the church was filled from the pavement to the vault with the praises of God; I am sure that the angels were just as thrilled as I was with the worship of God.
Worship, of course, is the first of the verbs in our mission statement, and, as I mentioned in my sermon, we will be exploring those three verbs over the next three years. Our Annual Appeal has got off to a great start, and this year we are exploring how we worship as a community of faith. We should never feel that we have to justify the resources we expend on our worship, for it is the first principle of the Christian life. When asked by the lawyer for the greatest commandment, Jesus said,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.” Matthew 22:37
The first and greatest commandment is to worship. That is why we come to church Sunday by Sunday and week by week. However, Jesus does not stop there – he then says,
“And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:38
So, loving God should affect our relationships with those around us. The word worship comes from the Old English word “to give worth”—worth-ship, if you will. If we give of our best to God and offer him worthy praise, we must also give of our best to one another and to our neighbors, including the poor, the hungry, and the marginalized. The Old Testament is filled with laws and prophecies concerning the treatment of aliens, widows, orphans, and the poor. How can we worship God if we ignore our neighbor? This is summed up most beautifully in the First Letter of John:
“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” 1 John 4:16-21
If you did not hear or read my sermon, you can watch it here.
Over this coming program year, let us give of our best to God—to offer him worthy praise! And may that worthy praise help us build a beloved community that is ever more Christ-like in its words and actions. On Saturday, the Vestry, Senior Staff, and Clergy will be having an away day to think about our mission and vision for the coming years, and the resources needed to support that mission and fulfill our vision. In preparing my own presentation to the Vestry, I have been re-reading some important books from my own vocation. I think this quotation from Archbishop William Temple on worship is particularly powerful:
“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose – and all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable, and therefore the chide remedy for the self-centredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”
Tickets are running out for the fabulous first concert of the season: Antonio Vivaldi: Nature and Divinity! Concerts at Saint Thomas presents two of Baroque composer Vivaldi’s greatest and most beloved works, as internationally renowned violinist Aisslinn Nosky leads the ever-popular Four Seasons concerti, and the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys sings the Gloria in D major, joined by the period-instrument ensemble New York Baroque Incorporated.
Experience these timeless masterpieces—celebrating Vivaldi’s enduring legacy—within the grandeur of one of New York’s most exquisite sacred spaces. You can purchase tickets here.
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
