19 January 2024
I want to thank everyone who made last Sunday’s Annual Meeting so informative and enjoyable. Thank you to those who organized the lunch, and thank you to our wardens, treasurer, and choirmaster for their excellent reports. The attendance from the congregation was also strong, and there was a good energy and excitement for St. Mark’s and our ministries.
Many of you commented to me after the meeting about how the conversation concerning our membership numbers was eye-opening. We often think of St. Mark’s as being much bigger than we actually are. The truth is that we are not a large parish, and our bench of volunteers is not super deep. When we speak of St. Mark’s we must remember that we are speaking of ourselves. The good news is that even though we are small, our members are dedicated to our mission, and we are blessed by the strong stewardship habits of the congregation.
Now that Christmas, Epiphany, and the Annual Meeting are past us, our attention turns to these Sundays after the Epiphany. Lent comes early this year. Ash Wednesday is February 14, and Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 24 and concludes with Easter Day on March 31. This year Holy Week is finished before April even arrives!
But before the arrival of Lent, we have the privilege of celebrating the high holy day of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, affectionately known as Candlemas, on February 2. This special feast is a celebratory feast that serves as a hinge between the Epiphany and Lent. The day commemorates the encounter between the Holy Family and Simeon and Anna in the Temple of Jerusalem forty days after Jesus’ birth.
This story is only told in Luke’s Gospel, and we hear how Mary and Joseph bring the required offering to the Temple for their firstborn son. Simeon and Anna are overjoyed to greet the Messiah, but Simeon also foretells the pain and sorrow that both Jesus and Mary will face in the future. The light of Christmas is still shining on this day, which is often called little Christmas, but we also know that soon Lent will come, and our attention turns to the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
The day is also called Candlemas, for at this feast candles are blessed. This tradition stems from the Gospel reading of the day, when Simeon sings his famous canticle, the Nunc dimittis (Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace), calling Christ the “light to enlighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.” Jesus is the Light who has come to save the entire world - both Jew and Gentile.
Our Anglo-Catholic tradition has so much richness and beauty that deepens and enlightens the Christian faith. The feast of Candlemas is only one example of this within a multitude of examples. I encourage you to make the most of our tradition as Christians, and I hope many will join us on Sunday evenings for the Rector’s Study Group that is focusing on Anglo-Catholic Distinctions. The first session is this coming Sunday following Vespers and Benediction. Supper will be served, and the discussions at these gatherings are always rich and meaningful, offering a contrast to our theologically malnourished society. Our society suffers from a famine of meaning. Our faith provides the answer to this hunger, but the hunger can only be satisfied when the believer chooses to explore their faith in Jesus Christ.
Father Paul Lillie +
