"Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" | |
| 1. Sinfonia | 1. Sinfonia |
| 2. Chor Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, Angst und Not Sind der Christen Tränenbrot, Die das Zeichen Jesu tragen. | 2. Chorus Weeping, lamentation, worry, despair, anguish and trouble are the Christian's bread of tears, that bear the marks of Jesus. |
| 3. Recitativ (Arioso) A Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen. (Acts 14:22) | 3. Recitative (Arioso) A We must enter the Kingdom of God through much sorrow. |
| 4. Arie A Kreuz und Krone sind verbunden, Kampf und Kleinod sind vereint. Christen haben alle Stunden Ihre Qual und ihren Feind, Doch ihr Trost sind Christi Wunden. | 4. Aria A Cross and crown are bound together, struggle and reward are united. Christians have at all times their suffering and their enemy, yet their comforts are Christ's wounds. |
| 5. Arie B Ich folge Christo nach, Von ihm will ich nicht lassen Im Wohl und Ungemach, Im Leben und Erblassen. Ich küsse Christi Schmach, Ich will sein Kreuz umfassen. Ich folge Christo nach, Von ihm will ich nicht lassen. | 5. Aria B I follow after Christ, I will not let go of Him in prosperity and hardship, in life and mortality. I kiss Christ's shame, I will embrace His cross. I follow after Christ, I will not let go of Him. |
| 6. Arie (mit instrumental Choral) T Sei getreu, alle Pein Wird doch nur ein Kleines sein. Nach dem Regen Blüht der Segen, Alles Wetter geht vorbei. Sei getreu, sei getreu! (Instrumental Chorale: Jesu, meine Freude, meines Herzens Weide, Jesu, meine Zier! Ach, wie lang, ach, lange ist dem Herzen bange und verlangt nach dir! Gottes Lamm, mein Bräutigam, Außer dir soll mir auf Erden nichts sonst Liebers werden.) ("Jesu, meine Freude," verse 1) | 6. Aria (with instrumental Chorale) T Be faithful, all pain will yet be only a little thing. After the rain blessing blossoms, all storms pass away. Be faithful, be faithful! (Instrumental Chorale: Jesus, my joy, my heart's pasture, Jesus, my treasure! Ah, how long, ah long has my heart suffered and longed for you! God's lamb, my bridegroom, besides You on earth nothing shall be dearer to me.) |
| 7. Choral Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, Dabei will ich verbleiben. Es mag mich auf die rauhe Bahn Not, Tod und Elend treiben. So wird Got mich Ganz väterlich In seinen Armen halten: Drum laß ich ihn nur walten. ( "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan," verse 6) | 7. Chorale What God does, is well done, I will cling to this. Along the harsh path trouble, death and misery may drive me. Yet God will, just like a father, hold me in His arms: therefore I let Him alone rule. |
Friday, August 29, 2008
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
This is one of my favorite Bach cantatas. It is one of the most profound and beautiful combinations of words and music I have ever heard. May these words be burned onto our hearts.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Settled in Blacksburg
We have officially landed at St. Francis Church. My wife and I have gone from the lovely Treasure Coast to the gorgeous mountains of southwest Virginia so I can be vicar of this parish. Since we're waiting for the sale of our house in Vero Beach to go through, we are living at the church in the apartment.
St. Francis is the original St. Mary's Catholic Church, so there is an apartment where the priest lived, as well as a few rooms where nuns lived way back when. The building dates from the mid to late 40's. It is right in downtown, and in walking distance from Virginia Tech (go Hokies!). The Anglicans bought it in the early 80's, and it was an ACC parish until a few years ago. Over last few years the congregation has shrunk, but the small, devoted core that remains is excited about growing the parish and ministering the thousands and thousands of students at Tech as well as in the community. A few "vultures" (one Anglican group which shall remain nameless and a Protestant denomination called the ARP) circling overhead have made offers to buy the building in recent years because of its great location, but that will never happen on our watch. This place shall remain what it always was: a catholic parish in the classical Anglican tradition.
It is a great physical plant. I have a nice large office, and the church is fully functional with confessionals, a baptistry, a choir loft, space for side chapels, nice stained glass of various saints, and more. It seats close to 300. There is room for classes and such. It is lacking in fellowship hall space, but we'll have to work around that for the time being. Because of its age
it has other idiosyncrasies as well (like those annoying two-prong electrical outlets), but all of that is a very small price to pay for a such a great building, in a cool town, and neat neighborhood.
We are going to be ministering at Virginia Tech, and trying to do some outreach in the town. We will also try to minister at Radford I imagine. We will be offering the full round of liturgical services and classes: daily offices, daily mass, bible studies, and more. The church is across the street from a frat house, so I will be paying those gentlemen a visit at some point to let them know I am keeping an eye on them!
Please keep the work in your prayers. I want to see this church full of people singing praises to Jesus Christ, praying, serving others, and partaking of the sacraments. If I do not write for a while, it is because I am busier than I have ever been in my life!
St. Francis is the original St. Mary's Catholic Church, so there is an apartment where the priest lived, as well as a few rooms where nuns lived way back when. The building dates from the mid to late 40's. It is right in downtown, and in walking distance from Virginia Tech (go Hokies!). The Anglicans bought it in the early 80's, and it was an ACC parish until a few years ago. Over last few years the congregation has shrunk, but the small, devoted core that remains is excited about growing the parish and ministering the thousands and thousands of students at Tech as well as in the community. A few "vultures" (one Anglican group which shall remain nameless and a Protestant denomination called the ARP) circling overhead have made offers to buy the building in recent years because of its great location, but that will never happen on our watch. This place shall remain what it always was: a catholic parish in the classical Anglican tradition.
It is a great physical plant. I have a nice large office, and the church is fully functional with confessionals, a baptistry, a choir loft, space for side chapels, nice stained glass of various saints, and more. It seats close to 300. There is room for classes and such. It is lacking in fellowship hall space, but we'll have to work around that for the time being. Because of its age
it has other idiosyncrasies as well (like those annoying two-prong electrical outlets), but all of that is a very small price to pay for a such a great building, in a cool town, and neat neighborhood.
We are going to be ministering at Virginia Tech, and trying to do some outreach in the town. We will also try to minister at Radford I imagine. We will be offering the full round of liturgical services and classes: daily offices, daily mass, bible studies, and more. The church is across the street from a frat house, so I will be paying those gentlemen a visit at some point to let them know I am keeping an eye on them!
Please keep the work in your prayers. I want to see this church full of people singing praises to Jesus Christ, praying, serving others, and partaking of the sacraments. If I do not write for a while, it is because I am busier than I have ever been in my life!
Saturday, August 09, 2008
The Practicing Congregation
I just finished reading an interesting book called "The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church" by Diana Butler Bass. She's a church historian who writes a lot about the renewal of mainline Christianity. One of the ways that many mainline congregations are renewing themselves is through adopting "monastic" disciplines, and emphasizing the spiritual journey and practice of the faith rather than parties, clubs, etc. (gee, imagine that). She has numerous examples of parishes from a variety of traditions that were on death's door in terms of membership, money, and everything else, but that turned around and are now thriving congregations. And one of the things that all of the churches that did this have in common is that they emphasize practicing the faith - daily services, quiet days, following the church year, fasting, labyrinths, social justice, etc.
It is nice to read, because the conventional wisdom is that liturgical/mainline churches have to give up elements from their tradition, or from the medieval/ancient tradition of the church, in order to be "relevant" to people, and to attract people. She does emphasize that some traditions have to be "re-imagined" in certain ways, and that sometimes people need to be educated as to what constitutes "tradition" in the theological sense rather than in the social sense. (She tells an interesting story of how there was a conflict in a parish where she was asked to teach an Advent study on peace, and how she had to take over a room that had, for decades, been used for the parish "Christmas Sale", and how the people who ran the sale were indignant that the "tradition of the church" was being cast aside for something as useless as an Advent study!)
Even though she's concerned mostly with the mainline churches, she does touch on evangelicals, and other groups, like the catholics, from time to time. I found a lot of her ideas and observations to be quite relevant to continuing Anglican parishes, which are often very "mainline" and classically liberal in their ethos (e.g. the parish serving as an extension of the country club, and the parish hall being the most important part of the church). There is often in our parishes a sense of: "Why should anything change? Who cares if people join us or not? Let's not do that thing you are suggesting because it is 'too catholic'. Let's have community at the expense of worship, prayer, and devotion." And so on. Also, because these traditional Christian practices are being adopted by more and more Christians of all stripes and labels, I think it shows that, with some changes here and there, we continuing Anglicans will have our day in the sun the yet. People will be attracted to (our) churches where they can grow spiritually and have devotions - and explore and practice their faith. This instead of joining a place that is more concerned with having "English Garden Parties", dances, and cocktail hour.
It is a good, short, thought-provoking book to read by some who has been studying this for years. It is not programmatic, but the examples of various turn-around churches she's given do list some of the things they did/do.
It is nice to read, because the conventional wisdom is that liturgical/mainline churches have to give up elements from their tradition, or from the medieval/ancient tradition of the church, in order to be "relevant" to people, and to attract people. She does emphasize that some traditions have to be "re-imagined" in certain ways, and that sometimes people need to be educated as to what constitutes "tradition" in the theological sense rather than in the social sense. (She tells an interesting story of how there was a conflict in a parish where she was asked to teach an Advent study on peace, and how she had to take over a room that had, for decades, been used for the parish "Christmas Sale", and how the people who ran the sale were indignant that the "tradition of the church" was being cast aside for something as useless as an Advent study!)
Even though she's concerned mostly with the mainline churches, she does touch on evangelicals, and other groups, like the catholics, from time to time. I found a lot of her ideas and observations to be quite relevant to continuing Anglican parishes, which are often very "mainline" and classically liberal in their ethos (e.g. the parish serving as an extension of the country club, and the parish hall being the most important part of the church). There is often in our parishes a sense of: "Why should anything change? Who cares if people join us or not? Let's not do that thing you are suggesting because it is 'too catholic'. Let's have community at the expense of worship, prayer, and devotion." And so on. Also, because these traditional Christian practices are being adopted by more and more Christians of all stripes and labels, I think it shows that, with some changes here and there, we continuing Anglicans will have our day in the sun the yet. People will be attracted to (our) churches where they can grow spiritually and have devotions - and explore and practice their faith. This instead of joining a place that is more concerned with having "English Garden Parties", dances, and cocktail hour.
It is a good, short, thought-provoking book to read by some who has been studying this for years. It is not programmatic, but the examples of various turn-around churches she's given do list some of the things they did/do.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The Perfect Bulletin: A Deep, Thought-Provoking Theological Reflection
I have been reworking the bulletin of the church where I'll be going in a couple weeks, and like most rectors/vicars I am trying to create the "perfect" bulletin. But honestly, I don't know if it can be done. In fact, I think it would be easier to find Bigfoot (see photo to the left) or the Loch Ness monster.
To me the perfect Anglican bulletin is one that helps people not get lost during the service, does not replace a Prayer Book in the pews, is not a multi-page extravaganza, and gives the parishioner something to do during the week (not a crossword puzzle, but something to pray for, or a list of daily parish events).
But really, I don't know if such a bulletin could possibly exist. Yes, maybe it would be easier to find Bigfoot. The reason I say that is this: in my mind a good bulletin has all of the above attributes. But I have seen parishioners who are lifelong Episcopalians, who grew up on the 1928 BCP, who attend absolutely straight-28 Prayer Book services, who still get lost during mass! So honestly I don't think there is a foolproof bulletin design/model.
Maybe we'll just have to use an overhead!
Spiritual Direction
I will be sad to leave behind a good spiritual director when I move up north. I have had to leave them behind before, but a new one was always available to take his place. At this point I do not have any contacts for a new one, but I will keep looking.
Spiritual direction is very important - especially for priests. Priests have no pastor. It would be quite easy for a continuing Anglican priest to spend his whole ministry with no spiritual father in God! And I'm sure that that's the case for most of the priest out there, which is probably why the church is the way it is. So what is one to do? I guess you just have to go out and look for a starets. Leave no stone unturned. Go outside of your tradition if you have to. Find someone. Find anyone. But be sure that you will be searching by yourself.
Spiritual direction is very important - especially for priests. Priests have no pastor. It would be quite easy for a continuing Anglican priest to spend his whole ministry with no spiritual father in God! And I'm sure that that's the case for most of the priest out there, which is probably why the church is the way it is. So what is one to do? I guess you just have to go out and look for a starets. Leave no stone unturned. Go outside of your tradition if you have to. Find someone. Find anyone. But be sure that you will be searching by yourself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)