Fr. Harrison's Letter for July 16, 2017

Dear Hearts, 

You don't want to miss Sunday's Organ Recital by Jeremiah Mead.  Newly graduated from Madison's Hand High School, Jerry is NYC-bound to continue his education at the Julliard School of Music this fall. Come at 4 p.m. to enjoy this "thank-you" for his rehearsal time here.  Jerry regularly practices on the Christ Church pipe organ;  and, this spring, with windows open in the church and the rectory, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him play, from my perch across the driveway. Now the opportunity is available to all!  As a bit of a preview, Jerry will also play during Sunday morning's 10 a.m. service.

And don't for a moment think that the Craft Fair on the Green will create a parking problem for us on Sunday.  The Fair doesn't open until noon, and will be winding up at 4 p.m.  Since the Town Hall lot also belongs to Christ Church, you can always park there, as well as in the Rectory driveway.

You don't even have to go inside to see signs of the great week our children had in Vacation Bible School.  Look around the lilac outside the Parish House, and you'll see flowers and helpfully named herbs, that they planted  Amidst the plantings you can see mosaic tiles they created. Then there's a large mosaic "Exaltation of the Cross" (that's Art History-speak), and you will be so amazed at the "tiles" used to create it.  Another group project started out as a wood pallet (the kind used with a forklift), and it became a celebration of one of the Beatitudes:  "Blessed are the Peacemakers ..." 

If you ask the kids who participated, my hunch is they might also tell you about Director Laurie Varley's creative telling of Bible stories, or Music Director Mark Sullivan's active, on-your-feet, singing time, or the games, or the snacks you all so generously provided. Special thanks to volunteer helpers Keelyn and Zoe, and Gabriela La Torre, in addition to Miss Laurie and Mr. Sullivan!

Looking ahead to Sunday, July 23, please plan on having breakfast with Christ Church!  A tradition of years-ago will return with a Sunday Mid-Morning Breakfast.  Organized by our In-Reach Committee, they've listened to your ideas about adding to occasions for fellowship.-- especially with folks who attend the "other" Sunday morning service. As a special, added attraction, you will also have an opportunity to meet the Rev. Rachel Field, the newly appointed Missionary for our South-Central Region of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.  Rachel asked if she could "drop-in" to get acquainted; "come to breakfast"was the Christ Church response!  The breakfast will begin around 9a.m.
 
The story of Eustace in C.S. Lewis's Voyage of the Dawntrader, keeps coming back to me.  Bishop Porter Taylor recalls how Eustace, trusting solely in himself, falls into the behavior of dragons, and then actually becomes a dragon.  Nonetheless, Aslan, the (Christ-figure) lion, does not give up on Eustace; instead Alsan does what has to be done to restore and reconcile Eustace.   Whether it's racist graffiti or other recent occasions of vandalism in Guilford, or the gun violence on Jerusalem's Temple Mount yesterday; or the toxic disrespect for the dignity of persons different from ourselves, that passes for political discourse these days, I keep coming back to Eustace.  And, I keep looking for the tipping point.  When do we get to the point that we say, this is not how we want to live?  We don't want to live in the dragon's lair?  When are we willing to accept "Aslan's" help?

​May  God's love and power enfold us all,
Harrison+
YFNR

​p.s.: Thanks to all who participated in Tuesday's Calendar Planning Meeting.  We got a lot sorted between now and Ash Wednesday 2018 (and yes, that'll be Valentine's Day 2018!)  If you have a date for the calendar, please get it to Parish Administrator Pat Wakefield in the parish office; [email protected] or 203-453-2279 

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