Each Morning, A Gift

Peggy and I certainly look forward to visiting all our friends at St. James’ and renewing once again those relationships that meant so much to us from the first moment we walked up the steps and passed through those large doors into that remarkable and majestic space.

As the parish approaches its 200th year, there is much to celebrate, far more than any of us could possibly list. While my list is long, a single thought, what floods my memory, is the physical space itself and how it has been made available to the world. For me it is a lovely metaphor of sorts for all that Saint James’ has been and needs to be as it engages its future.

One must always be on guard not to worship or pay undue attention to such things as physical space, but having recognized that reality, I do rejoice in the simple fact that Jean-Claude rises each morning from his well deserved night’s rest to open wide the doors of St. James’ Church. In that action something occurs that is, I am most certain, most pleasing to the heart of God. In that action each morning a free, grace-filled gift is offered to the world. It is a gift that enables anyone to find needed sanctuary, a sense of mystery and a place of inner discovery. It is a gift that allows persons to stand upon holy ground and engage the Living God in a transcendent intersection of human soul and the Divine. It has and continues to be a great gift to the community and a worthy tribute to the God we understand and worship in that place.

During ordinary days of the week I would often kneel all by myself in that space...kneel in both my brokenness and my Godly potential and find that which only God provides: the deepest kind of peace for my soul and the inspiration to rise from that posture and attempt to honor the God to whose glory that space was constructed and maintained.* I rejoice with the untold numbers who have benefited as I have and who have come away from the majesty of that space quieted, comforted, forgiven, inspired and resolved to better serve and honor the God before whom they have knelt. Is that not a fair metaphor for all that the parish has sought to be in the period of these 200 years, opening wide itself to make known the boundless love and care of Jesus Christ?

Yes, we have much for which to be grateful as St. James’ celebrates those years. We have the God inspiring space itself, mysteriously and practically drawing persons into the very embrace of God. We have all the life changing outreach, the soul enrichin Christian education, the warm fellowship, the embrace and comfort we have received in faithful pastoral care, all of the wisdom of rank upon rank of extraordinary clergy and lay ministers, the rich memories of baptisms, confirmations, the deep comfort received as the Burial Office was echoed off those walls and the wonder each Sabbath as bread and wine were held high in that space to become the Body and Blood of Christ. Let us rejoice in it all. In these celebrations may the God of all the heavens know our gratitude and our willingness, our passion to see the substance of the Christian Gospel continually proclaimed from the corner of Madison and 71st Street. And, as those doors are flung open each morning may all the world better know the power of Almighty God, the love of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

-Mark Anschutz
Rector of St. James' Church 1992-1996

*May I not let this opportunity to pass without thanking Brenda and all the parish’s lay leadership who so magnificently and wisely restored the properties. They have, very literally, provided “foundations” which will make the peace, guidance and love of God available for so many who will make their way up those steps and through those doors as they seek to have their lives be in rhythm with the God who dwells so evidently in that place.

The Rev. Mark Anschutz will be the next Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, November 15. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak at the adult education forum at 10:30: "Questions and Answers on Forty Years of Priesthood."

Response to Bishop Rockwell's sermon

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of hearing retired Bishop Hays Rockwell preach two sermons and speak at the forum on his time as 15th rector of St. James’ Church (1976 to 1990). Trying to write briefly about anything Hays says is daunting, but here goes.

Those of us who know Hays can easily recall his strong voice and gift for language that contribute to his wonderful sermons and teaching, and we heard it again on Sunday. Woven into those talks were themes that recalled his time here: the importance of history and continuity, kindness, influence, boldness, transformation and relationships. Hays spoke of people who influenced him and supported him in particular ways: The Rev. John Luce, Bishop Horace Donegan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and The Revs. Carol Anderson and Hap Warren, and Bishop Gordon McMullan. Each of them, in their own way, supported the two things he remembers hearing were important as he started his ministry here: caring for one another in the parish and caring for those in the wider world. These led to numerous programs over the years from pastoral, to local and global outreach, social justice and advocacy—some of them unpopular in their day—but all strengthening the fabric of who St. James’ was and is.

As the spirit would have it, the gospel for Sunday (Mark 10:35-45) spoke about servanthood. In his sermon Hays used the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” as a starting point to talk about what we may wish for in our lives and how, as Christians, we are to live our lives. Hearing all of this reminded me again of why I love this place—our long history of caring, outreach and building relationships and servanthood. Hays ended by saying that these are the things that draw us into the wider world and are the true dimensions of our calling.

-Madeline Schroth
Vestry Member
October 19, 2009

Response to Bishop Rockwell's sermon

As parishioners who joined in the early 1990s, Mary and I had only seen Hays Rockwell twice before: when he presided at a funeral in 1995 and at the rededication of the church after the 2001-02 renovation. Neither occasion afforded him the opportunity to speak about his tenure as rector of St. James’, so we were delighted to hear him preach and lead the adult education forum last Sunday.

We witnessed firsthand the strong bonds of affection that still exist between him and so many of our fellow parishioners, a living example of the care for one another that he described as the foundation of parish life. His sharp and superb wit was also an unexpected surprise to us (we are still laughing about how he and his wife beat the King of Norway to the emergency exits at the Nobel ceremony for Archbishop Tutu).

From his remarks, it is clear that Hays wove a wonderful pattern of faithfulness into his leadership of the parish. Many of the important mission milestones of his rectorate, like the relationship with Archbishop Tutu or involvement in the South Bronx, began with small acts of faith on very ordinary days. They always included uncertainty and risk, and never a guarantee of success. Yet he and the parish always moved forward, even when they were called to serve in faraway places that were, in his words, “on the periphery.” This example of faithfulness is instructive for us today, as we seek to serve in new ways those who currently live on the periphery.

We are thankful for the many gifts that Bishop Rockwell brought to St. James’ and that help make the parish what it is today. We hope that he returns for another visit soon.

-David Andryc
October 21, 2009

Thirty-Four Autumns

As I look forward to my visit to St. James' on October 18, I am all but overcome by a cascade of memory. It's been thirty-four autumns since my installation as 14th Rector of the parish, but—as sometimes occurs in the aging—the remembrances of that distant day are fresh for me. St. James' was my first parish. I had spent my time since ordination in 1961 hiding out in academies of one kind or another. Now here I was, kneeling before the Bishop of New York, in the midst of the congregation, praying that God would be "...always with me in carrying out the duties of my ministry." The emblems of that work were presented to me by members of the congregation—a Prayer Book and a Bible, bread and wine, the keys to the church. At the end, the Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, presented me with a map of the city and charged me to "be among us as a man of the city." (Ed would later claim that he made me the Rector.) It was all very moving, and the beginning of nearly fifteen years of stimulating, challenging, deeply rewarding days of sharing in the works of ministry in this great parish church.

I anticipate with joy the prospect of revisiting that time and of connecting to the current parish family as part of the year long celebration of St. James' 200th birthday.

+Hays Rockwell
Bishop of Missouri, retired

Bishop Rockwell will be the next Bicentennial Guest Preacher at St. James' on Sunday, October 18. He will preach at both the 9:10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services and speak at the adult education forum at 10:30: "From Rookie to Rector: Reflections on Fifteen Years at St. James’."

Response to Dean Kowalski's sermon

It was very significant to have the Dean as our first guest preacher for St. James' bicentennial. As he preached, I was fascinated to hear about his history with our church and many of our parishioners. He emphasized how important St. James' is not only in our diocese but in the world. He recalled the time when some members of the St. James' vestry flew over to Africa to support Desmond Tutu's role during apartheid. By the way, I am personally looking forward to Archbishop Tutu visiting St. James' next March. He also wrote the foreward in the book being written on the history of St. James.

The Dean's sermon was a reiteration to me of how the parishioners of St. James' act as ambassadors to spread God's message. And how moving forward, especially the state the world is in, we need to do that more than ever. He spoke about why St. James' is a parish that can continue to be a leader in the diocese and the world.

His message made me once again thankful to call St. James' my church. But it also made me determined, as we celebrate St. James' 200th year, to help make sure this continues to be a place of worship, education, mission, and God's love for generations to come.

-Campbell Wharton
October 6, 2009