Featuring our guest preacher The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith’s sermon from Sunday, information about the upcoming St. John’s Selects concert with Capella Alamire, info on our next Outside the Box coming next Sunday January 25, info on this year’s Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks from the Black Heritage Trail of NH, and links to all our content!
Featuring Rob’s sermon from Sunday, another fabulously spirited recording from Star Festival, information about the upcoming St. John’s Selects concert with Capella Alamire, an introduction to Nancy Garnhart’s new Community Meditation Group, and links to all our content!
Featuring Anne’s sermon from Sunday, a new recording from the Chapel Street Band, a poem from Anne’s sermon, information about Star Words, as well as links to all our content!
Featuring Rob’s sermon from Sunday, a second showing of our annual Christmas Pageant, a full listing of our Christmas services through the Epiphany, a writeup from our recent collaboration with Home For All and their Pop-Up Care Village, as well as links to all our content!
Featuring Rob’s sermon from Sunday, a second showing of our Service of Lessons and Carols, a note from Anne, info about Blue Christmas Service this Thursday, a full listing of all Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany offerings here at St. John’s, and information about the Vigil for the Longest Night, as well as links to all our content!
When I received Rob’s email asking me to write a Daily Reflection on gratitude, I was filled with, well, a deep sense of gratitude! I have been inspired and encouraged by the essays written by members of the St. John’s family during this trying and troubling year and am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the cause.
When I was seven years old, I am told, I started sitting down at that organ - picking out notes and attempting to teach myself to read music (with the Lowrey color-coded music left in the organ’s bench). I quickly found myself taking organ lessons with a graduate student in the University of Iowa’s Organ Department.
To be clear, Joanne was not perfect. She struggled to be a good human just like you and I do. Yet, it was her clarity about her own imperfection that drew people in and allowed them to simply be who they were. At her memorial service in Thaxter Hall last early December the cast of characters was like the Kingdom of Heaven. Devout 8 o’clockers who hadn’t missed a Sunday in decades and people who told me they hadn’t ever been in a church in their life. That was Joanne’s gift. Her light attracted light and drew people in.
