Saint John's Episcopal Church Mount Washington

Regular Sunday Services are held at 10:30 a.m. Please join us!

"A life of communion is not for the benefit of the Church but for the sake of the world."

The Most Reverend Frank Griswold

1700 South Road,
Mount Washington, Maryland 21209

Phone: 410-367-7287

Fax: 410-367-7288
*Please call office prior to faxing

Email: saintjohn@charm.net

Praying Shapes Believing

The world around us impacts us more than we usually know. The sights and sounds that surround us shape how we experience events and situations. This is especially true for our worship environment which greatly determines how open and responsive we are to divine revelations and spiritual insights.

When it comes to worship space, a church sanctuary (where we gather on Sunday mornings) is a fairly fixed reality. We can change the decorations like flowers and altar linens, but we can't move most of the furniture, the walls or windows. The way we experience worship is limited to some extent by the constants of the space.

So we work within those constraints and accentuate the positive. At St. John's we have a well-proportioned space with lovely stained glass, an altar that glows when candlelight and bright flowers are added, and the scent and sheen of beautifully polished wood.

During the months of July and August, however, we are going to expand our experience of worship at St. John's by moving our Holy Eucharist into the Great Hall. I know it sounds odd, but I'm looking forward to it. The Great Hall space is almost a blank canvas: we can set up the altar, the chairs, and accessories like candles and cross however we like.

I invite you to open your heart and mind to this new experience. I can't promise any particular result, and we might decide to never try it again. We might find these different sights and sounds a challenge. We might also feel the fire of the Holy Spirit bringing us new energy and passion for the community we love and the ministry we are called to embrace.

And who knows - maybe the Baltimore summer won't feel quite so hot?!

A Priest's Wanderings

Late spring brings the beginning and the ending of many things. Dry, brown landscapes break forth into bright blooms and soft, warm breezes. Scores of young people end their formal high school or college education and begin their new life as adults, as their parents wistfully watch this bittersweet transition. For all students and their teachers it will soon be the end of this particular school year. Many of us in other forms of employment do not find our work coming to an end, but hopefully we anticipate a slow down or at least a change in the rhythm and routine of our days.

I have heard that once upon a time, summer brought long, lazy days spent at the pool, beach or in the backyard hammock. Kids hung out and with hours and days stretched before them made up games, chased frogs, or rode their bikes all over town. These days, for most people, summer is just as busy as the rest of the year. Our jobs no longer afford us the luxury of a "slower season."

I am also aware that there are people with too much time on their hands: those unexpectedly out of work or at the stage of life when our bodies finally rebel against all the rushing to and fro and insist, "Enough!"

No matter the stage of our life, God intends that our lives exhibit a pattern of busy-ness punctuated by a time of rest. Activity and rest can be defined in a variety of ways, but in all cases we are invited to establish a balance between work and play. We need to rest to find the refreshment and restoration that Jesus promises when he says, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Jesus in his ministry modeled a pattern of time in service to others and time apart in prayer and quiet, in service to God and to himself.

We must fight the urge to rush from the completion of one project to the start of the next. We must enjoy the fruits of our labor and the surprises that enter our hearts when we sit quietly with only our own soul and the love of God. In order to adequately serve God, we must be willing to invest time in our relationship with God, so we may be strengthened to resume our activities when it is time.

I pray that you will find summer the perfect time to re-institute balance in your life if it is missing. Use this time to learn to do less (if you're in the busy category) or to realize that sitting quietly, praying for others or knitting blankets (if you're in the less active stage of your life) is valuable work, too.

I leave you with the following inspirational thought from Thomas Merton which I have vowed to make my summer mantra: Take more time; cover less ground.

Ever yours in Christ,

Lori+