The Great O Antiphons - O Virgo virginum

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Virgo virginum

O Virgin of Virgins, how shall this be? For neither before you was any seen like you, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why do you marvel at me? The thing which you behold is a mystery.

The Sarum Breviary, which was used in England until 1549, contained an eighth antiphon, one addressed to the Virgin Mary. They began the sequence on December 16 and were a day ahead of the Roman (and now traditional) use. Its focus is that of Sunday's propers, the mystery of the Virgin Birth of the Messiah. I thought this was a good way to conclude this series on the morning of December 24. As a thought for today I offer this hymn (Hymn 73, The Hymnal 1982), translated from a Greek hymn for Christmas Eve.

The King shall come when morning dawns and light triumphant breaks; when beauty gilds the eastern hills and life to joy awakes.

Not, as of old, a little child, to bear, and fight, and die, but crowned with glory like the sun that lights the morning sky.

The King shall come when morning dawns and earth’s dark night is past; O haste the rising of that morn, the day that e’er shall last;

and let the endless bliss begin, by weary saints foretold, when right shall triumph over wrong, and truth shall be extolled.

The King shall come when morning dawns and light and beauty brings: Hail, Christ the Lord! Thy people pray, come quickly, King of kings.

Greek; tr. John Brownlie (1859–1925), alt.

The Great O Antiphons - O Emmanuel

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Emmanuel - December 23

 O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Salvation: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

This final O antiphon is probably the best-known, since it is paraphrased as the opening verse of the Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Emmanuel, of course, means God is with us, and in today's Gospel St. Matthew in telling the story of the annunciation to Joseph comments, "All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet [Isaiah]: 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel." We don't have to get lost in wondering what exactly Isaiah had in mind. In this context it is enough to know how the evangelist understood it. Jesus is the one whom peoples desire, who is coming to save us. All that has been longed for is happening. Mary's Son is the promised Savior. O come let us adore him!

The Great O Antiphons - O Rex gentium

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Rex gentium - December 22

 O King of the Nations, and their Desire, you are the cornerstone who makes us both one: Come and save the creature you fashioned from clay.

As we look out on a world torn by strife and a Church divided into competing denominations, shouts of heresy and overt acts of schism, we send up our fervent entreaty to Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords, to save us--the creatures the Divine hand has fashioned out of clay. We are God's building, and Christ is the cornerstone. We are just the bricks, not the architects. It is Christ who makes us one, not only one with the Godly, but one with those @#$%&#@s who call us "the enemy." It is wondrous indeed that Christ does not give up on us or them. but says, "Little children, love one another." Come and save the creature you fashioned out of clay.

The Great O Antiphons - O Oriens

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Oriens - December 21

O Dayspring, Brightness of the Light Eternal, and Sun of Righteousness: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

The image of light shining in darkness pervades not only Advent liturgy and hymnody, but that of Christmas and Epiphany as well. The last verses of the Song of Zechariah spring instantly to mind, "The dawn (or dayspring) from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell and darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." Dr. William Storey, Professor Emeritus of Medieval Liturgy at Notre Dame, tells me that these O antiphons were originally sung with the Benedictus at the morning office before they were moved to Vespers and the Magnificat. This makes the emphasis even stronger. We are here in the pre-dawn, awaiting the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, to illumine not only the landscape but our lives. "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world."

The Great O Antiphons - O Clavis David

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Clavis David - December 20

 O Key of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no one can shut, you shut and no one can open: Come and bring the captives out of the prison house, those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

 Who holds the "power of the keys?" Certainly, the Messiah, the Son of David. And, yes, he cares about prisoners, P.O.W.s, detainees at Gitmo, and ordinary convicts in the world's prisons and jails, and he offers them true freedom, the freedom he gave to the Penitent Thief on the Cross, BUT all of us "sit in darkness and the shadow of death," and he comes with the keys to Death and Hell (or more properly Hades) to unlock for all of us the gates of heaven and to bring us to life in him. AND we have to bring all those other prisoners along with us, because Adonai loves us all. The unlocked door draws us through Advent to Christmas to Easter and the end of captivity..

The Great O Antiphons - O Radix Jesse

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Radix Jesse - December 19

 O Root of Jesse, you stand as an ensign to the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, and nations bow in worship: Come and deliver us, and tarry not.

You can almost hear the voices of the prophets calling upon the LORD to get moving and deliver Israel from those who are oppressing it, or the cry of the psalmist, "Awake, O Lord! why are you sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us for ever. Why have you hidden your face and forgotten our affliction and oppression? We sink down in the dust; our body cleaves to the ground. Rise up, and help us, and save us, for the sake of your steadfast love." (Psalm 44)

The Good News is that today's the day. "On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious," (Isaiah 11:10) . "That day" (illo die) is at hand as we look forward not only to the great and terrible Day of the Lord, but to the coming of Jesus Christ--in less than a week. As disciples of Christ, are we standing as an ensign to the peoples? or are we drifting along like those who are "at ease in Zion"? (Amos 6:1)

The Great O Antiphons - O Adonai

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17. They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”


The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D. He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Adonai - December 18

 O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel, you appeared in the bush to Moses in a flame of fire, and gave him the Law on Sinai. Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Adonai is the title read in place of the name YHVH when the Torah is read aloud. the English bible regularly translates it LORD (either in caps or caps and small caps). Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, Moses' successor.

We are reminded that Moses received the Torah from God on Mt. Sinai . It was in the "sermon on the mount" that the new Joshua delivered the new Torah. It was on Mt. Tabor that Jesus was transfigured, and the apostles saw him in glory with Moses and Elijah. And it was on Mt. Calvary that the New Covenant in the Messiah's Blood was sealed.

And so we pray, "Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm."

The Great O Antiphons - O Sapientia

The Great O Antiphons were traditionally sung before and after the Magnificat at Evensong starting on December 17.  They are most familiar to us as they were paraphrased as the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

The reflections are a gift from the Reverend Canon Leonel L. Mitchell, Th.D.  He is the retired professor of liturgics at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James, South Bend, IN.
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O Sapientia - December 17

O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reach from one end of the earth to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: come and teach us the way of prudence

 The prologue to St.  John’s Gospel tells us, “In the beginning was the Word,, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God..  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” We are probably less familiar with Wisdom 9:9-10, “With you [God] is wisdom, she who knows your works and was present when you made the world. . . Send her forth from the holy heavens, and from the throne of your glory send her.” Wisdom in this context is understood by Christians to be John’s Logos, another name for Christ.  It was the name Constantine, and later Justinian gave to the great cathedral in Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, the Church of the Holy Wisdom.  It is this of which this first of the Great O Antiphons reminds us.  Jesus Christ is “the eternal Word, the Wisdom from on high by whom [God] created all things.” When we look at creation we see the Divine Wisdom at work, and when we look out on the world and the church today and see the turmoil and destruction we human beings are and have been reeking upon it, this message seems to be right on target, “Come and teach us the way of prudence.” It is not only a Christmas gift, it seems to be a real lack in our present precarious world situation.

Advent Quiet

Advent …

As I write this we are a day or two away from the midway point of Advent.  If your Advent has been like mine, it is flying by.  The sense of “being prepared” may be settling in or it may be better described as elusive or non-existent.

How can the Cathedral help with that?  First we extend to you an invitation to take three minutes to sit down, turn off the noise makers (computers, phones, TVs, radios, etc.), and next take a few slow deep breaths.  As you do, offer this prayer with the flow of your breathing: Still me.  Calm me.  Come, Lord Jesus.  (This may be repeated as often as needed in almost any setting.  It works especially well when lighting the candles in your Advent wreath.)

Some other things that may encourage and support your Advent journey include attending the Advent Quiet Afternoon on Sunday, December 11 from 3:00 to 5:00.  Come for all or part.  Help us “Green the Cathedral” on Sunday, December 18 after the 10:30 service.  Stay or return that afternoon for Lessons and Carols (Sunday, December 18 at 4:00pm).  It is followed by a Candlelight Reception in Barth Hall.

Also, pull out your Bible and read the story of the Annunciation to Mary, or of the journey to Bethlehem and the Savior’s birth.  You will find them all at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel.  (I’m not giving you the exact verses so you can meander through to find them.)

Advent blessings,

Scott+

So Much to Say ...

There is a lot going on at this time of year here at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. There is much to celebrate and much to be thankful about.

 

Through the efforts of Bishop Gibbs’ staff, most particularly Jo Ann Hardy, the Cathedral Chapter and Vestry, especially Jim Hooker, and the Cathedral staff, especially Chris Hooker, Jeremy Tarrant, and Deacon Watton, the Garden of St. Andrew the Fisherman was dedicated this past Saturday. It was a poignant day for those whose loved ones were impacted by the changes at the former St. Andrew’s, Clawson. Nonetheless, they found both welcome and solace here, and it was good that on that day we could be there for them as their cathedral.

 

The prayer of dedication reminded us of its Trinitarian purpose to be a place of quiet and peace for the living, consolation and comfort for the mourning, and rest and repose for the departed.

 

This coming Sunday brings a multitude of opportunities to celebrate and engage.

 

• This Sunday is our fall Stewardship In-Gathering Sunday. Please bring your pledge cards to be offered and blessed. This will happen at each service. There will be special additions to each Coffee Hour, too.
• The Choir Parents Guild will be offering a Soup ‘n Salad lunch after the 10:30 service (suggested donation is $5.). This is a great way to settle in and listen …
• Now & Forever, a presentation by the Planned Giving Committee, led by Sr. Warden Jim Edwards, features Kara Ferrara (a colleague of Tony Ilardi) offering expert information on planned giving and other ways to be intentional about sustaining the cathedral in a tax savvy manner.

On Wednesday evening you are invited to join us, and bring friends, family and guests, to our Thanksgiving Eve service. It starts at 7:00 pm and is a wonderful way to begin your days of intentional thankfulness.

 

The Sunday after Thanksgiving brings us to Advent and the celebration of the new church year, as well as the time of preparing our hearts and homes for the coming of Christ. Our choirs help us to do that in a special way each year with the peace-filled service known as the Advent Procession on Sunday, November 27 at 4:00 pm.

 

More to come after that: Noel Night (December 3 from 5:00 – 9:30) Cathedral Tours and Talks, music by the choir, mini-concerts by our two fabulous organists. There will be Animals of the Nativity on Woodward lawn, and at 8:00 in the Cathedral the Five Lakes Silver Band (a 30 piece brass band) in concert. The Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings Holiday Concert on Dec. 4 at 7:30 pm will be a musical treat for the season – they will have a 100 voice choir with them this year. An Advent Quiet Time starting at 3:00 and concluding with Vespers in the Taize style at 5:00 will be offered on December 11th. Greening of the Cathedral on December 18 after the 10:30 service precedes Lessons and Carols at 4:00 followed by with a wonderful dinner host by the Cathedral Chapter in Barth Hall.

 

And just enough time…

 

God's peace and my prayers,

Scott+

 

 

That Your Joy May Be Complete

"That your joy may be complete"  John 15:11

Stewardship 2012 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In St. John’s gospel, Jesus, speaking to his followers, wants most of all for his joy to be in them that their joy may be complete. He bids his disciples, his followers, peace. Then he assures them that they are loved and invites them to abide in that love so that his joy may be in them that their joy may be complete.

We do not have to look very hard for the worldly challenges that crowd in on each of us, and that can, if we allow it, try to steal away the joy that God intends for us. This joy is the kind of joy that meets the challenges of the world and overcomes them day by day in miraculous ways. God’s joy lifts us, enfolds us, and carries us through the changes and chances of our daily journey. When we do not have enough of something, there is always enough, and more, of God’s love, our source of true joy. The completeness of that joy is fulfilled when we respond to Jesus’ love in all the parts of our life with love. Generosity in sharing and giving what we have is a very real part of a full response to Christ’s love and the completeness of our joy.

It is impossible to take a full measure of God’s love and the blessing in our lives. Still, reflecting on them and celebrating them is important! Why? The celebration of joy minimizes the weight of challenges.

Completing our joy, invites our participation with our hearts, our time, our talents and our treasure. We cannot choose one of these things and ignore the others. Please consider all of the ways in which God has dealt generously with you. To respond with gifts from all of them is to take great steps toward knowing the complete joy that Jesus want for each of us.

Enclosed you will find a 2012 Pledge Card. Please fill it out completely and present it at the appropriate time during the service on Sunday, November 20. You can also go to the Cathedral website (www.detroitcathedral.org) and to download and complete a pledge card. Our goal is 100% commitment. Please join us in making that a reality.

Dean Hunter and Your Stewardship Committee

Cathedral Joy - An Update and Invitation

Dear Cathedral Family, 

 

I write to tell you of some particular joys in the journey of the Cathedral. Two of them are financial events, one of them is an opportunity to share in the joy of the mission and ministry of the Cathedral for 2012, and the final one is a chance to make a Centennial Gift to future generations of the Cathedral (from which we will benefit too). 

 

• Two important financial events – First, we were able to refinance the debt on the Waller Health Center building in a way the provides a better than market interest rate and will retire the debt completely in twelve years. This financing will benefit both the Cathedral and the Cathedral Foundation, and both the Vestry and the Foundation Trustees are to be congratulated on coming to a mutually beneficial solution. Second, we have closed on the sale of the property formerly occupied by Crossroads, and in a way that retires the debt on that property and fulfills other obligations tied to its sale.

• That your joy may be complete – Jesus desired that his joy be in us that our joy may be complete. One of the ways we respond to the joy of life in Christ is by celebrating and sharing our blessings. An important way we do that is by supporting the mission and ministry of the Cathedral. While the tithing is the norm in the Episcopal Church, it all really begins with joyful giving hearts. You will find enclosed in this mailing the Stewardship Committee’s letter to the Cathedral community along with a pledge card. Your participation and response are important. Your gift of tithes and offerings makes a difference; it makes things happen! In-gathering Sunday will be November 20th, but you may return the card by mail or in the offering plate at any time.

 

• A Gift for the Next Generations: Cooling the Cathedral – One hundred years ago this year our predecessors in the faith dedicated this Cathedral to the glory of God and the spiritual growth of their generation and generations to come. The cathedral itself was their gift to us and to succeeding generations. The Vestry and I have been exploring a way to make a gift to mark the centennial of the Cathedral’s dedication that would benefit (current and) future generations. From an evangelism standpoint, the gift of air conditioning the cathedral is a great undertaking because we know through many studies that those seeking a spiritual home will not sit through hot services when there are cool services offered with equal or greater ease. So you are invited to make a gift to the next generations, and enjoy its benefits as well. The goal is to raise $30,000 by the Annual Meeting on January 29, 2012. We are pleased to tell you that as of today we have gifts totaling $15,000 toward that goal. Your gift of any size is welcome. It can be in this tax year (2011), the next tax year (2012), or both – whatever works best for you. Please see the enclosed insert and act soon so you can be a part of thanking our forebearers and gifting our future Cathedral family.

  

Our Wardens, Vestry and I hope you will celebrate with us in word and in action the good news of the Cathedral’s increasing operational and missional health, and in financial support of the work that God continues to call us to be and to become.

  

God’s grace, peace and joy be with you,

 Scott+

  

 

Our Vision is to be an extraordinary spiritual gathering place where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to question and learn, pray, worship and serve; being loved by God in ways that change and improve their lives and the lives of others.

 

 

Living Stones - A Second Hundred Years

It is likely that over the course of our celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Cathedral of St. Paul you have seen, or will see, the eloquent words of the Very Reverend Samuel Marquis, the first dean of the Cathedral. He speaks powerfully about the Cathedral in ways that are physical and symbolic. He concludes by saying that it is a reminder to us that we “do not live by bread alone (Matt 4:4).

When Marquis wrote his words a century ago this city and the churches of it were burgeoning. Today both face the challenges of what new life might be. As we embark on a second century of ministry as a cathedral, for our diocese, region, city, neighborhood and people, I, like many others, continue to be transformed by the physical and symbolic elements of this great structure. But reflecting prayerfully on the beauty and majesty of these stones (and glass, wood, tile, tapestry and more), I know that our second century will be, must be, focused on the living stones of humanity and mission.

We are being called to become the “living stones” spoken of in the First Letter of Peter (1 Peter 2:5). We are to be built into a spiritual house: a priesthood of all believers to offer a spiritual place, life, witness (sacrifices). 1 Peter reminds us that we are God’s people, chosen, in order to proclaim the mighty acts of the One who brought us from darkness into light. Our mission is share that life-giving reconciling love with others.

Now, and for the duration of our centennial year, you will find actual stones in vessels around the Cathedral. They are pieces of limestone, the stone of which the cathedral is built. They have been prayed over and we have asked God’s blessing upon them. We invite you, we ask you, to take one. Our hope is that it will be a tangible reminder that we are not to be stacks of cold rock, no matter how beautifully stacked on one another, but that we are to be the living stones of this cathedral. If you are from another congregation, we invite you to take one as well – for our desire is that you and your community of faith will be built of living stones as well. (And perhaps that you would be moved to hold us and God’s mission and ministry for this place in your prayers from time to time.)

The eternal presence of God, reflected in the Cathedral stone, and the eternal love of God, reflected in lives of Living Stones, will be what transforms what is lost and broken into that which is again alive and whole.

Yours ever in Christ,
Scott+ May 17, 2011

Bad Day ... Good Day? -- Good Day ... Bad Day?

It had been my intention to reflect a bit on the recent wedding of William and Catherine. In light of the news from Pakistan late Sunday night the wedding reflection can wait for another week. SSH+

Bad Day … Good Day?
                                       Good Day … Bad Day?

I am not sure I have ever heard the news "shout" the way I heard it upon my awaking on Monday morning. I was reminded of the cry from the people of Munchkinland in the Wizard of Oz movie that "the wicked witch is dead." (L. Frank Baum’s book reads differently.) I do not mean that in any sort of caricature-ish way. The Munchkins were jubilant over the news that they had been liberated from tyranny, cruelty, and even evil. Many people, who suffered loss on September 11 and at other times, have expressed similar feelings with the news of the death of Osama bin Laden. Theirs is a grief that is, ultimately, beyond words.



Our President made a difficult decision. No guarantees. If the mission had ended up in two Blackhawks down, Navy SEALs dead, and no sign of bin Laden, he would have been excoriated. I admire that he chose the most direct and surgical of all the options – it mandated direct contact and specific identification. There is no doubt in my mind that these SEALs entered the fray and put themselves at risk seeking a greater safety for all. Their valor is undeniable.

Still … from Monday on I find myself struggling. Our President, on Sunday night said, "Justice has been done." An act of war was done. An act of proportional response was done – hostile fire met with hostile fire in defense of self and others. Can the action be justified? That argument can be made. Was it justice? No. A sign of our broken humanity? Yes.

If we are bold enough to call ourselves Christian, we must be honest enough to struggle with the truth that violence raised up against violence, be it a fist fight, a firefight, a rumble, a coup, a rebellion or a war, means that humanity has failed to be what God asks and intends us to be.

Is the world safer tonight? No doubt for some it is. Has a Commandment been broken? Yes, and for that we are all in need of repentance. The two realities coexist: neither any less real, any less true.

My struggle, and perhaps yours, is not new. It is akin to the soul-level struggle of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German Lutheran theologian, scholar and martyr who returned to Germany from a Harvard appointment to resist Hitler) as he contemplated whether a Christian could rightly kill another human being (Hitler) to prevent greater loss of life. The struggle remains.

Many commenting on this event have quoted the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, from Strength to Love, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." He is right, of course, and others are wise to quote him. Let me leave you with a different quote, from Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community, "Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love." 

Faithfully,
Scott+
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 (part of the Gospel appointed for Wednesday in Easter 2)

Holy Week and Easter 2011

In some ways the journey of Holy Week is not for the timid. As we move from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, hailed by many along the way with the triumphal waving of palms, deeper into the events of the week, we are challenged, even offended, by the behavior recounted to us. The intimacy of the foot-washing prompts our discomfort with the intimacy of being served and of serving. The betrayal by Judas as the night unfolds offends our sense of honor and integrity. The abandonment by the disciples called to stay and pray with Jesus in the garden evokes our own memories of abandoning others or being ourselves abandoned. What follows is even more difficult to bear: fear and plotting by those with "authority", mob mentality and reactivity, injustice and cruelty. A crucifixion. Just listening to the retelling of "other’s" actions makes us want to turn away. Then we are called to examine ourselves and our actions as they apply to our own relationship with Jesus. We are called to realize how we have offended Jesus, others in our lives, and ourselves. In short, how have we sinned; how have we driven the nails of our own making into the cross.

If I contemplate these alone, I am really want to hide for all of this. It is part of the reason we make this journey as a community of faith. There is strength in being present with others as we each commit ourselves to this spiritual journey. In the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 12:1-3) we are reminded that we are "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses." We are encouraged to "lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with perseverance the race that is set before us." It calls us to look to Jesus "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for … joy … endured the cross … so that you (each of us) may not grow weary or lose heart."

I want to applaud your courage in making the journey however challenged, or successful, you consider your effort. What really matters is that you have come, and by coming can see that Jesus has gone the whole way for you, for each of us. Our burdens and transgressions, having been taken up on the cross, have been taken away in Christ’s willing journey to the tomb. In his resurrection to new life we are raised with him. New Life for all who believe!

By observation and experience, I can say that living as Easter people is always more challenging than we anticipate. It is so easy to return to old patterns and habits: those that burdened us down, led us away from God’s calling, or those of Lenten scouring. May this celebration of new life, of Easter life, of resurrected life, be full and wondrous for you.

On behalf of the Wardens and Vestry, Chapter, all the Staff, and the Clergy,

Easter blessings,

Scott+

Say What? The Lord's Prayer and Lent

If you happened to be at any of the Cathedral services on Ash Wednesday you are aware that during Lent we will be using "the other" form of the Lord’s Prayer provided in the Prayer Book. Rest assured this is not change just for the sake of change.

Over time we develop a combination of comfort and ease with all sorts of things familiar. They may be good for us; some may be not so good. Sometimes we become so familiar with things we do or say we can do them without giving them any thought at all. It’s as if we develop some sort of reflex or autopilot.

Now, the words of the Lord’s Prayer are so familiar they are almost elemental. They come to us from Our Lord, in response to the disciples’ request that Jesus teach them how to pray. The words acknowledge the existence of the Divine Creator in the heavenly realm, and the Creator’s holiness. It is a bidding for God’s reign to come, and for God’s will to take precedence in our realm as well as the heavenly one. The prayer recognizes God as the source of our sustenance, and is a plea for forgiveness as we ourselves forgive. Often we add a Gloria at the end in praise of God’s goodness. These words of prayer are a gift to us that is both a beginning point in our conversation with God, and something we can turn to when in times of stress, fear, woundedness, or crisis we don’t know what to pray.

However, this elemental familiarity can make us numb or lazy to the depth and power of what we are praying. In the weeks leading up to Lent, I was particularly struck by the difference between the words "trespasses" (found in the form of the prayer we are most accustomed to using) and "sins" (found in the alternate version). One can seem so minor, and the other so stark. When considered in this light, how much are we really asking, or receiving, when we ask for the release from our "trespasses." Release from our sins on the other hand …. Even more of a challenge presents itself when we then consider the enormity of being forgiven our sins, but only insofar as we are willing to meet the challenge of forgiving others.

The different words can be jarring. We might even stumble over them, but that is exactly the point. By setting aside the familiar for the next forty days, we can be challenged out of our spiritual autopilot. Challenged to be changed by the starkness of what we are really saying.

Say what? Just that this seems to be precisely what the prophet Joel (from Joel 2, one of the Ash Wednesday readings) is getting at by calling us to return to God with all our hearts. Not at all something we can accomplish on autopilot.

May yours be a holy Lent.

Scott+

2011 Annual Address

Let me begin with thank you’s. As I examine the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly offered thanks to God, even before anything had happened. If you need a bit of confirmation spend some time with the account of Jesus’ raising of Lazarus.

It has been a challenging year with discovery that a longtime member of the staff violated our trust and misappropriated our funds. But to a person the Wardens, the Vestry, the Finance Committee, our staff, our legal advisors, auditors, the bishop, and the members of this community of faith supported our every effort to be honest, transparent, and effective in the work of healing, of responding with integrity to repair the damage, and to make our operations surer and stronger.

I also want to say a special word of thanks and appreciation to Deacon Watton, who celebrates the first anniversary of her return to the Cathedral as we celebrate this feast. What a year it has been, and what a job she has done working first with bookshop matters and then as our interim financial bridge. I am sure she never anticipated this, and I know I speak for many when I say I hope you are planning to stick around for another year, and more. 

I also want to acknowledge some very special work of three parts of our community of faith. The Veterans’ Day Committee has really stepped up with renewed energy and commitment. This year’s celebration was, in the voice of others, "Grand in the way it used to be." The combined work of the New Year’s Feast and Scarf Project has both inspired us, and knit together more than just yarn. It knit together people. Also, to our Cathedral Youth! This year they raised significant funds for to support the efforts of a youth group in Juneau, Alaska, to rebuild the parish kitchen after a fire destroyed the whole church, by collecting bottles and cans. They also undertook a project to build stuffed animals which were donated to children undergoing cancer treatment at the Karmanos Cancer Center radiation oncology unit. If all that sounds daunting, and scary, I assure you it is, and those cuddly animals can absorb a tremendous amount of fear.

To all who setup, sing, pray, clean-up, offer hospitality, lead worship, teach and learn and help in this place. Thank you.

In the early years of the past century the Very Reverend Samuel S. Marquis spoke in words both passionate and elegant about the nature of this cathedral, saying that it was to be "a symbol of the spiritual in the midst of all that is material … a reminder of the invisible and eternal surrounded by the visible and temporal. In the midst of the roar and rush of a materially dynamic city, what better place could be found, than in the heart of it, for a symbol and reminder that man cannot live by bread alone?"

Begun 1908, in the same year that General Motors was founded and in the midst of an industrial and technical expansion the likes of which this country, even the world, had never seen, his words, such as "materially dynamic city" ring a curious and somewhat doleful note today, harkening to a time not nearly so familiar to us a century later.

Henry Ford, a friend of Marquis, would further expand the material largess of the city, the region, with the institution of the $5. per day wage in 1914. In the midst of sprawling footprint and changing skyline the presences of this incredible and imposing structure was, and still is, a ministry unto itself. But, it was a different time, before either of the "two great wars," the Great Depression or the Great Recession. 

Sociologically, it was a time when huge portions of the population would be found in church on any given Sunday, on every given Sunday. This was true for believers and even for non-believers and skeptics, so great was the sociological pressure associated with "going to church." No Lions, no Tigers, to lure us away, and Pistons were still only pieces of machined metal to be fitted onto a camshaft and into a cylinder block. A super bowl was simply a very large dish. This was a pattern that would continue even into the 1950’s. As Detroit reached closer and closer to the 2 million population figure, leaders of this cathedral discussed the possibilities and complexities of moving the nave walls out to the level of the transepts because four services a Sunday were standing room only. 2 

Blink your eyes and the passing of another fifty years unfolds. We are at the beginning of the second century of this cathedral. Times have changed; circumstances are very different. GM is no longer the largest producer of automobiles in the world, much less the largest corporation, and, in fact, is only months out of bankruptcy. The city limits of Detroit hold a fraction of the people, by a factor of greater than one-half than it did fifty years ago. Its material and economic base is has eroded as well. The collar-communities are quite different, not nearly as agrarian, but not quite industrial either. These are all realities with which those of us who find ourselves drawn to place, are all too acquainted.

Today the Church is not a location or institution sought because of sociological norms: that would be Starbucks and Facebook. To be sure, the Church should never have been a place populated by sociological norms or other societal pressures, but rather by individuals inquiring about the nature or existence of God and who was this Jesus, and why does it make a difference anyway.

I invite you to blink your eyes again, and let the time machine of your imagination carry you back to the start of the second century. No, I did not lose my place … go back to the start of the second century of the Church. The challenge for the faithful of the day was so very similar. Neither government nor societal institutions brought any positive pressure in relationship to the Christian religion. Fact is, government and many societal institutions were openly hostile to it. Today’s hostilities can be found in bookstore displays with titles like, God is Not Great and others.

But, infused by the Holy Spirit, just as it continues to be infused to this day, the Church grew. It thrived. It grew, not because of glorious buildings. It has never grown simply due to glorious buildings. It grew then, as it will grow now, because of the people. Buildings, stained glass, written, assembled and published Scriptures, musical instruments … all have been, and continue to be, important and useful tools for spread, the sharing, and the nurture of "the faith." But, in the first "second century" just as in this one, the essential element at the heart of the Church was, and is, is people.

Filled with the Holy Spirit at our baptism, the state of the Church in this city, in this part of Michigan, rests firmly on our shoulders. Now my hope is that you find this truth exciting, invigorating, and even inspiring. The Church in the early centuries grew because the people who formed it easily told their stories of why believing in Christ, why life in Christ, made a difference. The Church grew because in a time when power and position and wealth were sought and used for personal gain and the oppression of others (based on news of recent times this sounds familiar) they dared to believe the message that to be first of all we are first to be servant of all. They dared to believe that giving love to others would return vastly more to the giver. They dare to believe that gates of freedom and peace and life everlasting had been flung open wide through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah of God, not just for a single chosen people, but for all who believed. It the story you and I are called to tell – with our words, and by our actions.

On the doorstep of this second century, we are called to be witnesses. We are called to be healers and reconcilers. As we anticipate the Centennial Celebration of the Dedication of this Great Cathedral building, let us renew of commitment to Christ and Christ’s Good News of loving even when we are unlovable, healing even when we are wounded, committed to reconciling a broken world to God and to one another. 

Our Vision is to be an extraordinary spiritual gathering place where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to question and learn, pray, worship and serve; being loved by God in ways that change and improve their lives and the lives of others. 

By God’s grace and through our commitment and action, may it be so. Amen.


God’s peace,

Scott+