Welcome to
The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation!
in the Heart of Jersey City
“Glimpses of Heaven”
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the
mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and
Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his
departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his
companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they
saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving
him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make
three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing
what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and
they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice
that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had
spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no
one any of the things they had seen.
(Luke 9:28-36)
If we were living in normal times, on Thursday
morning a little less than a handful of parishioners would have gathered in the
chapel to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. I sure miss those little
services with our faithful weekday worshipers, but our much better attended
“Church By Phone” services are a real consolation. And, I believe the story of
the Transfiguration – the experience of Jesus and his three disciples on the
mountain long ago – can be a consolation and hope for us in our time of much
trouble.
The story of the Transfiguration (recorded in
the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke) is rich with mystery and meaning. Moses
and Elijah, two of the central figures of Israel’s history, appear, and we
can’t help but remember Moses encountering God on Mount Sinai, an experience
that left the face of Moses shining bright. We are reminded of Jesus’ baptism,
when the voice from heaven announced Jesus is God’s beloved Son. And, we see
the humanity of an awestruck Peter, who perfectly reasonably wants to hold on
to this glimpse of heaven for as long as he can. Peter’s impulse to stay on the mountain, to
commemorate this holy encounter, is even more poignant when Jesus and his
friends come down the mountain and begin the journey to Jerusalem and the
cross.
I’ve never had a spiritual experience anywhere
near as powerful as the Transfiguration, but I’ve glimpsed heaven from time to
time. I think of sitting in the hospital with my grandmother during the last
days of her life when suddenly she looked at me and said, “I know where I’ve
come from and I know where I am going,” quoting Jesus (John 8:14), whether she
realized it or not. I think of the day almost 13 years ago when I was ordained
a priest, kneeling before Bishop Beckwith, surrounded by a church full of
family and friends and parishioners, feeling the hands of other priests on my
shoulders and back, feeling the gentle pressure of the bishop’s hands on my
head as he called down the Holy Spirit. Like Peter, I would have liked to hold
on to those moments for a little longer.
And, I think of some of the most powerful
experiences that we have shared here at St. Paul and Incarnation: carrying the
cross through the streets on Good Friday, blessing places stained by violence;
our Pentecost picnics, usually threatened by rain but always visited by the
Holy Spirit; gathering choirs from Jersey City and beyond to sing for peace
each September 11 anniversary; baptizing adults and babies, celebrating a bond
between God and us that can never be dissolved, no matter what; the day the
wardens of St. Paul’s formally welcomed the wardens of Incarnation to their new
church home, symbolically beginning our life together. So many beautiful
glimpses of heaven.
And then there are the funerals. Our inability
to gather and grieve in our usual way has been one of the most painful
sacrifices of this time. We haven’t been able to hold each other up. We haven’t
been able to say goodbye in the beauty of our sacred space, in the balm of
community. We haven’t been able to share a meal together, telling stories,
crying and laughing as memories pour out. I got to thinking about funerals the
other day when a bookmark fell out of a book I was holding, a bookmark given
out at the funeral of our beloved sister, Eden Rahming.
Jesus and his friends came down the mountain and
would soon face much disappointment and suffering before the joy of Easter, the
greatest glimpse of heaven. In the heartbreaking moments when Jesus was
betrayed by one of his own and abandoned by just about everybody, in the
moments when he cried out in pain and seemed to be forsaken even by God, I hope
that Jesus remembered that day on the mountain with Moses and Elijah and Peter,
James, and John, that day when a voice announced his holy identity and
commanded us to listen to him. I hope that Jesus remembered that day on the
mountain when for a few moments the veil between now and eternity was lifted, offering
a glimpse of heaven.
In the same way, in our time of disappointment
and suffering, I hope that we will remember our days on the mountain, our
glimpses of heaven. I hope that we will remember that God has made an
indissoluble bond with us, remember all the times of blessing, joy, and fellowship
and, yes, even grief. As Peter learned, we can’t hold on to those moments, but
they still remain ours forever, reminding us of God’s presence through it all, offering
us glimpses of heaven.
Prayers and Thanksgivings:
Please
pray for all those on our parish prayer list, especially Jean, Andy, Angelo,
Kit, and Anthony.
Please
also remember in your prayers those who have died, and those who grieve their
loss:
The
victims of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon
All of
those who have died as a result of Covid -19.
We give
thanks for all the blessings of our lives, especially the birth of Nwaneri
Allen Okere, son of Uchenna Okere and Neisha Miller-Okere, and grandson of
Davidson and Beatrice Okere.
Supporting Our Church:
We are
aware that, unfortunately, some parishioners have been laid off or furloughed
and others are in danger of losing their jobs. Please know that you are in our
prayers and we are here to help any way we can. In these extremely challenging
economic times, we are especially grateful to those of you who have been able
to keep up with your pledges. You can still mail checks to the church or you
can use online giving. Visit stpaulsjc.org and click on "Online
Giving." We also have a Venmo account. Call the office or email me for
more information.
Worship Schedule:
Monday through Friday: "Church By Phone"
Morning
Prayer, 7:30
Noonday
Prayer, 12:00
Evening
Prayer, 5:30
Call: 201-433-4922 for call-in information.
Sunday at 10:00am
Join us
on Facebook Live for a celebration of Holy Eucharist
www.facebook.com/StPaulsJC
From the Diocese:
Read
The Voice Online for all the latest news, including an inspiring message
from Bishop Hughes:
And, mark your calendars because Bishop Hughes will make her
official visit (via Zoom) with us on Sunday, September 27 during the 10:00am
Service and “Coffee Hour.” More information to come!
New Jersey
Together Statewide Action, Monday 8/31
Over 400 people from across New Jersey met on Zoom to
ratify an agenda for much larger action on Monday, August 31, 7:30pm-9:00pm. We
are hoping fore a large turnout from St. Paul and Incarnation as we join with
thousands of other people from over 140 congregations and non-profits, pressing
for concrete actions and commitments from decision makers, including Governor
Murphy. The focus will be on a set of specific issues related to racial equity,
criminal justice, and the current pandemic.
North Porch at
Triangle Park Community Center
As many of
you know, North Porch offers diapers, formula, and other assistance to families
with infants and young children. Since the need continues to grow, North Porch
is asking for financial donations through a GoFundMe campaign. Please consider
supporting this beautiful ministry:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/north-porch-mom-amp-infant-program?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&fbclid=IwAR2tibm9cDTU2k9BqFh-dtWMCn77qrsNaNBpNeMh7gcaW_M_reC03IdJpi4
DJ’s Free Market
Subscribe to
the DJ’s Newsletter to stay informed about this exciting new ministry led by
Deacon Jill:
The Arts at St. Paul & Incarnation:
The virtual opening of ASPI’s new show “UpRooted” was a big
success! Many thanks to all the members of the Arts Council, especially Amy
Neufeld and Sarah Ibrahim. If you missed the opening, you can visit the virtual
gallery to see the beautiful art:
And, mark your calendars for our annual
Choral Festival of Peace on Friday,
September 11, at 7:00pm. This year’s festival will be live-streamed on our
church’s Facebook page.
Help for Renters and Homeowners:
There
is help available for renters and homeowners suffering because of the pandemic.
One is the website for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency: www.njhousing.gov. You can also call
1-800-NJ-HOUSE (1-800-654-6873).
Helpful Resources:
State
of New Jersey Covid-19 Information Hub:
https://covid19.nj.gov
The
Diocese of Newark posts Covid-19 resources here:
https://dioceseofnewark.org/covid-19
You can
subscribe to diocesan newsletters here:
https://dioceseofnewark.org/subscribe
The
Episcopal Church has collected Covid-19 resources here:
https://episcopalchurch.org/concerning-covid19
"Habits
of Grace," weekly reflections from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:
https://episcopalchurch.org/habits-of-grace
The
Church of England has some wonderful prayers and other materials here:
https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-liturgy-and-prayer-resources
Fr.
Tom’s sermons can be found here:
http://tommurphe.blogspot.com