Rev. Bob’s Weekly Message, July 5, 2020

Dear Grace and St Peter’s, Hamden, and St John’s, North Haven,

I am delighted that so many of you were able and willing to join us on the side lawn at St John’s for Morning Prayer this past Sunday. I understand that, due to health and safety concerns, the service was not the fully festive reunion that some of us might hope for. Nevertheless, after many weeks of talking into a camera, I was inspired to see you, live and in person, and to share a time of prayer and worship with you. And, thanks to the magic of technology and the skill of our technicians, others were able to witness the service from the comfort and the safety of home. As Paul Simon sang, these really are the “days of miracles and wonders.” I offer a special thanks to our combined safe worship task force. Their diligence and attention to detail ensured that our service was at once successful and safe.

This coming Sunday, we will continue with our in-person Morning Prayer service at St John’s with live feeds on Facebook and Zoom. Please join us in whatever way you feel comfortable. Father Joseph is on vacation, so I will be leading the service and preaching. I’m hoping to be able to incorporate lay lectors and intercessors as long as we can do that in a safe manner. Singing together would be a joy, but I think it is a joy for which we will have to wait yet a little bit longer.

Finally, this Saturday is the 4th of July. Please be safe as you celebrate the birth of our nation, this great and noble experiment on the world stage of independence, freedom and self-governance. Please keep in mind and in your prayers, also, that not everyone who lives in this country—even among its citizens—enjoys an equal share in the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that figure so prominently in our communal narrative. As we celebrate our past, we can also celebrate the fact that we have the capacity to join together in solidarity with our neighbors of every color, creed and culture today and everyday to create an even brighter, more equitable and more just future.

Happy 4th of July!

Bob+