Welcome to
The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation!
in the Heart of Jersey City
May 22, 2020
"The Blessing of In-Between Time"
Dear Friends,
Some
of you know that Holy Saturday morning is perhaps my favorite moment of
the entire church year. It is the ultimate in-between time, a space
separating Good Friday and Easter, estrangement and reconciliation,
despair and hope, death and life. I love the in-between time of Holy
Saturday morning, when we can take stock of all that happened in the
heartbreaking days leading up to the cross and prepare ourselves as best
we can for Easter joy.
We are in a similar in-between time right now.
On
the church calendar we are in a moment between the absence after the
Ascension that we commemorated yesterday and the presence of the Holy
Spirit that we will celebrate next Sunday. We are in the midst of a
ten-day stretch of in-between time, the last days of the Easter Season,
an opportunity to reflect on the best news of all time - Alleluia!
Christ is risen! - and also a chance to recognize that we are never
abandoned. The Holy Spirit continues to guide us, strengthen us, and
protect us, no matter what.
And,
this is also in-between time for all of us in the New York-New Jersey
region. Thanks to social distancing and the incredible skill and
dedication of healthcare workers, the rates of infection and the number
of hospitalizations and deaths have all been steadily falling. At least
for now, we are "flattening the curve." Hospitals are beginning to once
again expand their range of services. The governors are allowing certain
businesses to open. Traffic is getting heavier and, maybe it's my
imagination but the air doesn't seem quite as clean as it was a couple
of weeks ago. Many of us are eagerly and anxiously looking ahead to the
future and the "new normal." But, when it comes to the virus and our
life together, there are still many more questions than answers.
Although there have been some promising studies, we don't know if a safe
and effective vaccine will be available anytime soon. We don't know if
the virus will flare up again in the fall, or even sooner. We're not
even sure if people who have been infected are immune from reinfection.
And, we have little idea when and how we will be able to safely gather
once again in our beautiful church.
So,
we mourn all that we've lost - so many lives, countless expectations
and hopes, and our sense of security and normalcy. And, we look ahead
with an uneven mix of uncertainty, fear, and hope. But, we've also been
given the blessing of in-between time - a kind of Holy Saturday - a
chance to reflect on what this crisis has revealed about our society,
about our church, and about ourselves. We've been given this in-between
time to look at how God might be at work in our time of trouble, how God
is doing what God always does, transforming death into new life.
The pandemic has taught us lessons we should have already known:
The
essential workers are the people who grow, slaughter, prepare, and
serve our food; the people who scan our groceries and stock and clean
our stores; the people who care for people in hospitals and nursing
homes and the people who mop the floors and clean the bathrooms; the
people who drive the buses and trains; the people who pick up our trash;
the people whose job it is to run toward the dangers of crime and fire.
If one part of our society is sick then all of us are at risk. So, setting aside justice for a moment, it is dangerous
when the people who serve us in stores and restaurants don't have
health insurance and aren't able to take sick days. It's dangerous when
our jails are packed with so many people. It's dangerous when corners of
the media cynically spew out misinformation, questioning the risk of
the virus while taking every precaution for themselves. And, it's
dangerous when leaders ignore science and are concerned only with their
political fortunes.
This
pandemic has also taught us that people are good, generous, and
resilient. The pandemic has revealed that our church is stronger than we
may have thought. Thanks to the guidance, strength, and protection of
the Holy Spirit, we continue to stick together, looking out for one
another, and, yes, praying and worshiping with even more faithfulness
than when we could sit beside each other in church.
So,
here we are, beautiful St. Paul and Incarnation. We have been given the
blessing of in-between time - like Holy Saturday or the stretch between
Ascension and Pentecost - in-between time when we can look back on all
we have lost and endured and look ahead to life, the new life always
offered by God, the transformed world that God always invites us to help
build.
With much love,
Tom
Our beautiful new banner designed by Amy Neufeld.
Prayers:
Please
pray for all those on our parish prayer list, especially Jean, Andy, Roderick, and Angelo.
Please also remember in your prayers these sisters and brothers who have died, and those who grieve their loss:
Premanjali Rao, mother of Vijay Rao
John Doyle
Supporting Our Church:
We
are aware that, unfortunately, some parishioners have been laid off or
furloughed and others are in danger of losing their jobs. Please know
that you are in our prayers and we are here to help any way we can. In
these extremely challenging economic times, we are especially grateful
to those of you who have been able to keep up with your pledges. You can
still mail checks to the church or you can use online giving. Visit stpaulsjc.org and click on "Online Giving." We also have a Venmo account. Call the office or email me for more information about that.
Worship Schedule:
Monday through Friday: "Church By Phone"
Morning Prayer, 7:30
Noonday Prayer, 12:00
Evening Prayer, 5:30
Contact Fr. Tom for call-in information.
Sunday at 10:00am
Join us on Facebook Live for a celebration of Holy Eucharist
Pentecost Party
Pentecost
is NEXT Sunday, May 31. Unfortunately, we can't have our annual parish
picnic this year but you are all invited to a Pentecost Party on Zoom!
We'll gather (virtually) at noon for a chance to see one another and
catch up!
Contact Fr. Tom for log-in information.
Calling All Graduates!
As
always, we would like to recognize and honor all of our graduates, from
preschool to graduate school! Please fill out the attached sheet and
drop it in the mail or email the information to Susan Den Herder: susan@stpaulsjc.org.
From the Diocese:
Be sure to read this week's
edition of "The Voice Online" for the Bishop's weekly video and other important information.
(Also, remember that Bishop Hughes will host a Zoom conversation with those of us in this part of the diocese on June 2 at 6:00pm. More information to follow.)
And, if you haven't read it yet, don't miss the excellent Pastoral Letter written by the Bishops of Newark and New Jersey:
Helpful Resources:
State of New Jersey Covid-19 Information Hub:
The Diocese of Newark posts Covid-19 resources here:
You can subscribe to diocesan newsletters here:
The Episcopal Church has collected Covid-19 resources here:
"Habits of Grace," weekly reflections from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:
The Church of England has some wonderful prayers and other materials here:
My sermons can be found here: