Happy New Year!
The ball has dropped; the thank-yous for presents are sent; the first New Year's Resolution has sunk under the wobbles of the week: so now what?
Here at St. Agnes', we're talking about "mission and ministry," church-y words which point to another church-y word, "vocation." If you haven't clicked on the X button yet, let me give you a zinger of a quote from a letter I received from a nun in 1959, when I was in my twenties and trying to figure out the Alfie question, "What's it all about?"
I'd written a snarky letter to Sr. Catherine Josephine Remley, of the Order of St. Helena, trying to be ever so collegiate-ly cool about not wanting to be a nun. In her letter back, Sr. Josephine, as we called her then, spoke of her conviction that God has a purpose for each of us, something which will be done best if we move in our context, using our gifts and long suits where we sense a tug from God; and which will not be done at all, or will be done not as well by someone else, if we don't do it; and this, she said, is our "Vocation, with a big 'V'."
She continued,
"In every moment, we also have a "vocation, with a little 'v';
and as you live out your vocations in the moment,
your Vocation will become clearer in time.
Never you doubt it.
God is always calling, but we are not always listening."
Years later, The Rev. Mary Michael Simpson, also OSH, said
"I believe that what you want in your deepest self and what God wants for you are the same thing."
What a thought:
In every moment, there is something that you can do,
a facet of you letting the love of God show through,
the intersection of your gifts and context and a call,
a tug of the heart from the Holy One:
the meeting of your deepest longings and God's own dream:
In every moment, you can be making a difference -
in your family,
in your workplace,
among your friends and neighbors,
in your parish,
in your community,
in our world...
and while it will not always be "happy"
it will be a joyous new year.
Fairbairn
What's up in early and mid-January:
Friday, January 6th: The Feast of the Epiphany
12:30 ECW luncheon, Lorenzo's, West Paterson
Sunday, January 8th: First Sunday after the Epiphany
10:00 Eucharist (Worship with communion), Children's Chapel, Elementary Education
Coffee Hour follows
Tuesday, January 10th:
1:00 Needlecrafters, Library
7:30 Communications Committee, Library
Sunday, January 15th: Second Sunday after the Epiphany
10:00 Eucharist (Worship with communion), Children's Chapel
Coffee Hour follows
Tuesday, January 17th:
1:00 Needlecrafters, Library
Wednesday, January 18th:
7:30 Adult Education, Library
