From the Rector's Desk

Dear friends,

Even though a great many people take short trips and vacations throughout the year in this leisure-oriented society of ours, many people still take their vacations during the summer months—June, July, and August. For those of us who have to build schedules around school—either going to it or teaching it—the summer is about the only free time of any length.

I love summer in New York. I am even fond of the hot, sticky weather. I missed it the last two years when summers were milder—due, I suppose, to the “global cooling” crisis. Maybe it will be hot this summer. On the other hand, I suppose that I like hot weather because I can get away from it. Lucky, we are, to have air conditioning at St. John’s. Lucky, I am, to have fairly good air conditioning at home. And then, I can—and often, do—spend time in those big refrigerators we call movie houses. (Side note: Would it be necessary to raise the price of movies yet again if the owners of the theatres did not keep the air conditioning so intense that one could cool a side of beef in the balcony?)

I like summer as a way of changing the pace of work. In the office, I usually get paper projects done—like redoing liturgy books we use for the celebration of the Eucharist. Like re-doing the intercession books and straightening out drawers. And, yes, putting on a few more labels. We live to label. I may get the choir vestment-labeling project completed this summer. I may get some more protective cases made for some of our expensive leather books.

At home, I will have more free evenings, so I will spend more time fixing lamps, framing pictures, working on boxes, doing repair projects for my friends and getting caught up on all the little things that go wrong during the year in an apartment which was first occupied in 1850. And that is a lot of stuff. The hole in the bedroom floor is getting larger. The portable beds I use for putting up people in emergencies get too dirty between uses; I need to get some covers made to protect them.

Summer changes things. I like the change and return from it refreshed.

Summer, however, does not change the promise that we all made when we were baptized, to be faithful in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Prayer book, page 305). That promise means that we go to church. Yes, you may find yourself in Virginia, or in California, or in China, or in England, old or new, or in Spain. But they have churches everywhere and you can find them. What a delightful experience it is to find Christians to worship with in distant places and, perhaps, in different cultures.

Going to church on vacation is a good thing to do. It is a way of reminding your travel companions that you are a Christian and that the community counts. You want to be a part of it, so before you lay your brunch plans, you find the Eucharist somewhere. Going to church on vacation is a way of teaching yourself about the ways in which the church differs from place to place. You may find interesting ideas we can use at St. John’s. You may find things that cause you to be thankful you are at St. John’s, not elsewhere. You may meet interesting people in unusual places and find new friends.

At the very least, you have had the experience of going to church and thereby reminding yourself that the church phenomenon is universal, across time and distance, and responding to every cultural situation known around the globe.

So, when making summer plans, do some great things. Visit some different places. But make the first visit of every week to be a visit to the Eucharist in a new and different location.

Enjoy making your summer plans!

Faithfully,


The Rev’d Lloyd Prator
Rector