Dear Cal-St. G Family,

This last week I binged two very interesting shows on Netflix and Hulu.  The first was the fifth season of Alone.  Alone is a reality show about ten professional survivalists, dropped in the middle of the Arctic, by themselves with a camera and ten survival items.  The last person standing wins.  The second is an Australian documentary about young adults on the autism spectrum entering the complicated world of dating entitled Love on the Spectrum.  I think these two shows have three things for us to ponder in regards to the human condition.  

In Genesis 2:18 God looks upon his creation and for the first time says something is not good: that man is alone.  Both of these shows convey the Biblical truth that many of us have been experiencing, aloneness is terrible. In one episode of Alone a contestant literally breaks as a result of aloneness and in Love on the Spectrum, the desire for companionship sends these adults miles out of their comfort zones in order to not be alone.

Second, these two shows illustrate how desperately we need to be loved. In Alone, those who make it past 40 days typically have family back at home rooting them on and this love carries them miles away through some challenging moments.  In Love on the Spectrum, the desire to be loved and to love is visible even if they know not how to do it.  

Finally, the real joy that comes from being someone’s beloved.  My eyes welled up with tears when at the last episode of Alone instead of being greeted by doctors to extract Jordan Jonas, he was joyfully greeted with an embrace by his wife and declared the winner.  In Love on The Spectrum the couple Ruth and Thomas demonstrate the real joy and security that comes from being loved as you are in the midst of all the difficulties and unfairness life throws at you.

This Sunday is Kick-Off Sunday. We will have our first in person worship services at St. George’s Church since March 15th at 11:00 am. I am very excited about this and there are still a few seats available so please register online below. We will also have our 11 a.m. service of Morning Prayer available on our website and Facebook page.  As we begin a new program year our mission as a parish is very clear.  We have a heavenly call to proclaim to the world the Gospel.  The Gospel reminds us that we are never alone, that you are a human and deeply loved, because the creator and redeemer of the universe has in Jesus declared you his beloved.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in person or virtually through our livestream service.  

Pax,

Jacob

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What’s New?

We are excited to announce that we are resuming In-Person worship at our St. George’s location on Sunday, September 13th with social distancing and limited seating.

Reservations are open until Friday, September 11th at 9am. Click HERE for complete details and reservations.

Youth and Family

Sunday School registration is OPEN!! This Fall we are launching into a brand new adventure: “The Stars”. We’re going to be talking about the promise God made to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky! It’s going to be a blast!

Click HERE to register and get your Sunday School Kit!

Devotion Groups

Staying connected with your faith and community is easier than ever…there is no commute and distance is no longer a problem. If you are looking to get plugged in, reach out to the Rev. Ben DeHart HERE.

Staying in Touch…

During this time, you can tune into our livestream events via calvarystgeorges.org. If you need pastoral care, please call the church office at 646-723-4178 or email us at info@calstg.org. Your clergy are here for you.

Several years ago in Kansas City, Missouri, a woman walked into a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop and stood in line at the counter.  After a few moments, she turned around.  There, standing in line behind her, was Paul Newman.  He was in Kansas City to film the movie, “Mr. and Mrs. Bridges”, and that afternoon he’d slipped away from the filming to get some ice cream.

Paul Newman smiled at the woman and said hello.  She looked deep into those unbelievably blue eyes, her knees buckled, her heart was in her throat, and when she tried to speak a croaking sound came out of her throat.  She was so mortified that she quickly paid for her ice cream and ran outside.

As the woman tried to calm down, she realized that she didn’t have her ice cream cone.  She was debating whether to go back to get it when Paul Newman walked out of the store, came right up to her and said, “Are you looking for your ice cream cone?”  She was speechless.  She just nodded her head dumbly.  Paul Newman said, “You put the cone in your purse with your change.”

Now, how to make that story fit the Bible passages for this coming Sunday…

For the past two Sundays, we’ve had the privilege of reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.  This coming Sunday, the last reading from Romans will be the magnificent final thirteen verses of chapter 8.  And within these powerful verses, Paul makes this claim:

“We know that all things work together for good 

for those who love God, 

who are called according to God’s purposes.”

So I have to ask you - is this your experience?  Is everything coming together for you?  Or might your honest response be - and especially in the midst of a pandemic and racial conflict and skyrocketing unemployment and political infighting - “Hey, St. Paul, give me a break”?

It’s so clear, from the headlines in the paper to the headlines in our hearts, that the world does not see life as everything working together for good.

But, thank God, St. Paul doesn’t stop.  He’s so excited that he can’t stop.  He wants us to know how all things work together for good.  So he tells us first of all that this is his own experience.  But he knows God’s promise to be true most of all not because of his own experience, but because of the experience of God’s own son.

And that is what we’re going to be hearing about and rejoicing in this coming Sunday.  Bring your “Give me a break” questions with you.  The Lord Jesus Christ has an answer.

Oh yeah, about that woman.  It didn’t look like all things were working together for good for her - buckled knees, heart in her throat, croaking sounds coming out of her mouth, ice cream cone in her purse.  But here’s the thing.  That woman now tells that story on herself with great gusto.  It’s the coolest, funniest, sweetest thing that ever happened to her.  

Haagen Dazs melting in your purse - good news.

See you Sunday.

Blessings,

Jim

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What’s New?

Your CALSTG-TEAM is sharing ways for you all to stay connected and reminded of God’s presence through the summer. Here is the new line up coming your way…

Prayer Zooms | MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY | 6 PM

Noonday Prayer Service | THURSDAYS | 12:10 PM

Sunday Morning Prayer Service | SUNDAYS | 11 AM

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Youth and Family

Connecting with your kids during this season has never been made easier. Chelsy Haynes has created weekly Sunday School videos for your family to enjoy at your pace. Each video is less than 10 minutes and is a simple way to share stories of the Bible.

Staying in Touch…

During this time, you can tune into our livestream events via calvarystgeorges.org. If you need pastoral care, please call the church office at 646-723-4178 or email us at info@calstg.org. Your clergy are here for you.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 - Romans 8:1

The first verse of the eighth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans is one of the most outlandish, magnificent, shocking, overwhelming, breathtaking, over-the-top-incredible declarations of all time.

St. Paul is talking about forgiveness.  He’s talking about Jesus taking my condemnation onto his own shoulders on the cross, so that I may know myself as forgiven and loved and free.

What do you think the freedom of “no condemnation” looks like?  Here’s one example.

On July 16, 1990, the Detroit Tigers were playing the Chicago White Sox at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.  Steve Lyons, a player for the White Sox, was at bat.  He bunted the ball and raced toward first base.  The pitcher grabbed the bunt and fired it toward first.  Steve threw himself into the air and dove at the bag, head first and arms stretched out.  He was safe.

Steve Lyons accidentally drops his pants to brush away the dirt inside his uniform after sliding in to first base, July 16, 1990.

The pitcher for the Tigers begged to differ, and he started a shouting match with the umpire.  Meanwhile, over on first base, Steve Lyons stood up and dusted off his pants.  Then he felt some dirt trickling down the inside of his pants.  He was so absorbed in the game, and he was so focused on having reached first base, that without any consciousness of what he was doing, he loosened his belt…

 … and dropped his pants, to wipe away the dirt.

Twenty thousand jaws hit the stadium floor.  And you can imagine all the jokes.  One columnist wrote, “No one has ever dropped his drawers on the field.  Not Wally Moon.  Not Blue Moon Odom.  Not even Heinie Manush.”  Every time Steve went out on the field for weeks afterward, women behind the White Sox dugout would wave dollar bills.

I don’t know Steve Lyons.  And normally, I would not condone the manner in which he got rid of that dirt.  But the image of that man tearing down the base line and soaring through the air, the image of him so intent on the task at hand that he completely blanks on how he looks, is a picture of a kind of freedom - a kind of “no condemnation” - that is wonderful.

The freedom of “no condemnation” is a freedom from enslaving guilt, a freedom from the fear of not being loved, a freedom from self interest - and a freedom to take risks.  It’s a freedom I crave - for you, for me, for Calvary/St. George’s.  It’s a freedom that will be offered to us by the Lord Jesus Christ as we worship together this Sunday.

I’ll come as I am.  You come as you are.  We’ll receive the gift of Romans 8:1 together - that outlandish, magnificent, shocking, overwhelming, breathtaking, over-the-top-incredible gift.

Faithfully, Jim

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What’s New?

Your CALSTG-TEAM is sharing ways for you all to stay connected and reminded of God’s presence through the summer. Here is the new line up coming your way…

Prayer Zooms | MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY | 6 PM

Noonday Prayer Service | THURSDAYS | 12:10 PM

Sunday Morning Prayer Service | SUNDAYS | 11 AM

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Youth and Family

Connecting with your kids during this season has never been made easier. Chelsy Haynes has created weekly Sunday School videos for your family to enjoy at your pace. Each video is less than 10 minutes and is a simple way to share stories of the Bible.

Staying in Touch…

During this time, you can tune into our livestream events via calvarystgeorges.org. If you need pastoral care, please call the church office at 646-723-4178 or email us at info@calstg.org. Your clergy are here for you.

The Parish of Calvary-St. George’s in the City of New York is blessed with two historic churches just blocks from Union Square and a congregation whose rock and foundation is the Holy Gospel. We boldly confess that our only basis for righteousness before God is the unmerited love, mercy, and grace freely given in the person and work of Jesus Christ. However, this gift does not leave us complacent or indifferent to the events around us. On the contrary and in the words of our own Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Michael Curry, “Love does not look like the silence and complicity of too many of us, who wish more for tranquility than more justice.”

As the Rector and Wardens of the Parish of Calvary-St. George’s in the City of New York, we are consumed by the deep and overwhelming pain felt by members of our congregation, this community, and our nation. We recognize that no amount of #hashtags, social media posts, and parish letters can soothe the grief that many of you, especially our brothers and sisters of color, feel at this time. We are sickened by the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers and the never ending string of souls who have been killed by those sworn to protect us, including: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Paul Castaway, Melissa Ventura, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Philando Castile. The events of the last week have once again revealed the gaping flaws of our justice system, in which so many of us have taken comfort and for granted. And that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. 

 As a nation we have so clearly missed the beatific vision found in the seventh chapter of St. John’s Revelation where the apostle sees a great multitude of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue standing in unity around the throne of Jesus crying aloud, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" The Bible is clear – God longs for all people to experience justice, liberation, and the ability to live in both safety and freedom. 

 Our call as a Parish is to listen to each other and forgive each other in the name of Jesus, trusting that He is leading us into all truth and righteousness. As your Rector and Wardens, we want everyone to know that we are fully committed to listening and learning from the experience of others and prayerfully standing in solidarity with the Black community. We recognize that as a church “our battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities of the spiritual forces of evil”(Ephesians 6:12).

Therefore, while not skirting our own sinfulness but resting completely in the Gospel, please know that we will follow where the Holy Spirit leads, certain in the knowledge that His path will help us grow, heal, and finally end these senseless killings.  

 Peace,

The Reverend Jacob Andrew Smith,  Rector

Matthew Scott Peeler, WardenNona Ellis, Warden 

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want of charity,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,

Good Lord, deliver us.

(The Great Litany, BCP) 

Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? I renounce them.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself. I will, with God’s help.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help.

(Holy Baptism, BCP)

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Dear Calvary-St. George’s

In the midst of this pandemic, you are FIRME  Let me unpack that a bit.

This coming Sunday is “Expectation Sunday”.  It’s called that because we’ve already had Easter, we had the Ascension just this week, and the following Sunday will be the Feast of the Pentecost.  So this Sunday, Expectation Sunday, is a kind of in-between time.

Those first disciples were in an in-between time.  They were rejoicing that the resurrection and ascension had taken place.  But they were also scared about their assignment, which was to go out and convert the entire Roman Empire.

What about us?  The COVID-19 curve has peaked and is headed down, but a full post-pandemic world is not yet here.  So on this Expectation Sunday, how do we live in our own in-between time?

The answer can be found in Fr. Gregory Boyle’s book, Tattoos on the Heart.  Fr. Gregory is driving by a Los Angeles gang member named Willy, and he pulls over.  Willy says, “Hey G., my stomach’s on “échale” (which means empty) – kick me down with twenty dollars, yeah?”

They drive to a drugstore with an ATM.  Fr. Gregory tells Willy to stay in the car, because there might be a rival gang member in the store.  Willy asks for the car keys, so he can listen to the radio.  Fr. Gregory says, “No way,” and then holds his hands up in the prayer position and says, “Pray!”  Willy sighs and rolls his eyeballs.  But he assumes the praying hands pose.

Fr. Gregory comes back to the car, and something has happened.  Willy is quiet, and there is a sense of peace in the car.  Here’s how the book describes it.

I look at Willy and say, “You prayed, didn’t you?”  He doesn’t look at me.  He’s still and quiet.  “Yeah, I did.”  “What did God say to you?” I ask him.  “Well, He said, ‘Shut up and listen.’

That is what God says to you and me in our in-between times on this Expectation Sunday.  Shut up and listen – although maybe a little more politely.  Or maybe not.

God invites us to handle our in-between times by doing what we always have to do, and that is – nothing.  Nothing but pray and listen.  Just like those first disciples.  And as we do, God speaks the same word He spoke it to those first disciples.  It’s in this Expectation Sunday’s gospel (John 17:1-11). 

The word is “glory”.  It appears six times.

In the midst of our in-between times…

God doesn’t say, “Just hang on.”  He says GLORY. 

In the midst of our fears and uncertainties,

God doesn’t say, “Grit your teeth and bear it.”  He says GLORY. 

In the midst of our fears about what happens next, God doesn’t say,

“This too will pass.”  He says GLORY.

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And in the upside down economy of God’s grace, He means the glory of the cross.  St. Paul says, “Far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God’s glory radiates from an instrument of execution.  The cross is the place where Jesus takes the struggles of our in-between times on His own shoulders, in order that you and I may be able to stand firm.  And that’s a good segue back to Fr. Gregory and Willy.

I begin to drive Willy home to the barrio.  I’ve never seen him like this.  He’s quiet and humble – no need to convince me of anything or talk me out of something else.

“So, son, tell me something,” I ask.  “How do you see God?”  “God?” he says.  “He’s my dog right there.”  In the language of the gangs of Los Angeles, a dog is a person upon whom you can rely.  “And God?” I ask.  “How does God see you?”

Willy doesn’t answer at first.  So I turn and watch as he rests his head on the seat, staring at the ceiling on my car.  A tear falls down his cheek.  Heart full, eyes overflowing.  Then Willy says, “God... thinks … I’m… FIRME.”

To gang members in Los Angeles, FIRME means, “could not be one bit better.”  

That is glory, for Willy to realize how much he is loved.  And Fr. Boyle drives it home by saying,

“Not only does God think we’re firme, it is God’s joy to have us marinate,” in that glory.

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In the very midst of COVID-19, may you and I…

1.  Stop talking and start listening

2.  Hear Jesus say “glory” from the cross

3.  Know that in that glory, we are firme

4.  Marinate in that good news

See you, virtually, at C/StG this Expectation Sunday!

Jim  

What’s New?

Your CALSTG-TEAM is gearing up to share MORE ways for you all to stay connected and reminded of God’s presence during the season of Pentecost. Here is the new line up coming your way…

Prayer zooms | MONDAY - FRIDAY 6PM

T.V. GOSPEL WITH REV. BEN DEHART | TUESDAY 8PM

TEEN HANG WITH CHELS | WEDNESDAY 7 PM

FUNDAMENTalS WITH REV. JAKE | THURSDAY 9 AM

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Devotion Groups

Whether you are a New Yorker or you are tuning in from afar we welcome you to join a Devotion Group. The lessons are curated by the Rev. Ben Dehart and are accessible for all looking to get connected. The groups run seasonally throughout the year.

Youth and Family

Connecting with your kids during this season has never been made easier. Chelsy Haynes has created weekly Sunday School videos for your family to enjoy at your pace. Each video is less than 10 minutes and is a simple way to share stories of the Bible.

The Fundamentals

The Rev. Jake is back with the Fundamentals. Now more than ever is a great time to dive in and get to know your FAITH. The class will run live on Thursday mornings at 9AM…BUT remember you can tune in at your leisure in the comfort of your home anytime online.

Staying in Touch…

During this time, you can tune into our livestream events via calvarystgeorges.org. If you need pastoral care, please call the church office at 646-723-4178 or email us at info@calstg.org. Your clergy are here for you.