Reflections

Reflections

This week Les and Jan Nichols and I will be on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to gather with representatives of all the Episcopal churches for our Annual Diocesan Council. This annual affair has been described by an old clergy friend of mine as the Episcopal version of the “ Neshoba County Fair at prayer”. 

There are, indeed, some striking similarities: food and fellowship and reconnecting with old friends in the context of presentations and reports about our common mission and ministry. There will be workshops on a variety of matters and exhibits that will tease our imaginations as we think through our ministry at Nativity. 

We will have the opportunity to elect our clergy and lay leadership for the coming year ( though there will be no election speeches). You will recall that it was at this very gathering a year ago that we elected our new bishop, the Right Rev. Dorothy Sanders Wells. Bishop Wells will be making her first Diocesan Address to the whole church on Friday night, a moment in which she will describe her emerging vision for our Church in Mississippi. It will be a significant moment.

All that we do will be framed in common worship, culminating in a Eucharist on Sunday morning with combined choirs from the Coast churches. But for me, deeper than the particulars of the presentations, addresses and elections, is the outward and visible sign of our being connected to something far beyond ourselves.

Nativity’s banner will be carried in procession in our opening worship on Friday, along with the banners of the 90 other Episcopal churches in Mississippi, reminding us that we are not alone as we seek to be faithful in this challenging moment. Bishop Wells, as an icon of that unity, also serves as a symbol of the wider relationship we have with the Episcopal Church in our own nation and the 14 other nations that are part of what is known as TEC ( The Episcopal Church). Broadening our connectedness, Bishop Wells also allows us to see that we are a part of a world-wide Church called the Anglican Communion, that has much national autonomy, but looks to the Archbishop of Canterbury as our spiritual leader. In this connection we are not simply a very isolated small church in a small community in Mississippi. We are part of a Church of some 80 million members, the third largest denomination in the world!

This a far cry from some cultural and religious traditions in our region that roots its worship and mission and decisions within a single congregation. I try never to say our tradition is better, but I am clear that it is different…and that is why I love going to Council so much!

The Reverend Ann Whitaker will be our preacher at celebrant at the 10:30am worship this Sunday. I’ll see you back on Sunday, February 9.

Other Matters of Importance:

Church Painting in Progress- 

Painters have begun freshening up Nativity with a new coat of white paint, all in time for Bishop Wells’ visitation on February 23! Several have made financial contributions to get this project started. If you would like to contribute to this renovation project,  please make your checks out to “Nativity-Church Painting” and place them in the Sunday offering or mail them to Church of the Nativity; 609 N. Main Street; Water Valley 38965.

Annual Meeting at Nativity- February 16 

We will hold our annual congregational meeting after worship on Sunday, February 16. Plan to join us as we hear reports from the past year, elect new Mission Committee members and formally receive the 2025 financial budget from the Mission Committee. Nominations for new Mission Committee members formally received by the Mission Committee include Barbara Phillips, April Hammonds and Laura Pitre. ( Food note: Because we will be going all out the next week with Bishop Wells, there will be coffee, but not much else, during our coffee hour).

Bishop Wells to Visit Nativity February 22-23!

As we welcome our new bishop to Nativity, the old and newly elected members of

the  Mission Committee will meet with her for a working/ planning/get acquainted dinner on Saturday night at 6:00 at the Salt and Light building. At 9:15 on Sunday Bishop Wells will meet for informal conversation with members of the congregation. At our 10:30 Sunday worship she will be administering the apostolic act of confirmation as well as praying over any who wish to reaffirm their baptismal vows. After worship ( and this is where we want to do something special) there will be a luncheon in her honor in the Salt and Light building. A signup sheet is in the S and L hallway for volunteers willing to bring salads, side dishes or desserts. Meet and beverages will be provided.

Second Annual Mardi Gras Parade- March 4, beginning at 5:00pm:

In preparation for the penitential season of Lent ( Ash Wednesday - March 5) we will , again, start at Nativity with our Alleluia Banner, costumes, beads and noise makers. We’ll march to the This Is Noteworthy building where food, beverage and music will be waiting! Come join the fun. A little silliness in a world gone crazy might do us some good! Note: lots of beads and some masks will be available for free.

Blessings and Peace,

Duncan

Dmgrayiii@gmail.com

(601)260-1937

Reflections

Reflections

Wednesday night we began our class on the history, traditions and culture of the Episcopal Church. In my brief overview of our church’s history I made special note of the deep internal strife in the Church of England in the mid 16th century where Protestants and Catholics were, literally, at war with each other. The reign of Queen Mary I ( “Bloody” Mary) was particularly violent in the persecution of religious opponents. 

Into this deep division and violence Queen Elizabeth I  ascended the throne. Refusing to take sides in this religious conflict, she negotiated what came to be called the Elizabethan Settlement in which she said that the religious ( and political) unity of the church and nation would not be based on specific theological perspectives, but on prayer. Thus, worship and the Book of Common Prayer, became,  and continues to this day to be our church’s instrument of unity. This particular historical moment profoundly shaped the inclusive nature of our church- a church where diverse theological, cultural and political perspectives are brought into worship and offered to God in prayer.

This little trip down memory lane reminded me, again, of how much of our lives are shaped, not so much by the events of our lives, but by our response to those events. The same tragic moment can break one soul and empower another. But our response will be the critical element in shaping our lives. Elizabeth’s response to her national trauma gave shape to what would become a unique religious tradition that nourishes us in our moment in time more than 400 years later.

Key to our response to painful moments in our lives is the willingness to believe that God is forever present, holding us close. We dare to believe that death, in its many forms, is never the end, but can be an entrance into a life, heretofore, unknown. Our participation in the  life, death and resurrection of Jesus is what our common worship is all about. May it give us the courage to respond to the challenges of our lives with hope, healing and love.

Other Matters of Interest

Rescheduled Mission Committee Meeting - Tuesday, January 21 @6:00pm

Annual Congregational Meeting- February 16 

      We will gather for our annual business meeting as a congregation after worship on February 16. This is the occasion where we elect our lay leadership (Mission Committee members), receive and accept the Mission Committee’s recommended budget for the new year and hear reports from different perspectives on 2024. Please plan to be with us for this important gathering.

Visit by Bishop Dorothy Wells- February 22-23

      The Right Reverend Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells will be coming to Nativity the weekend of February 22-23 for the first time. On Saturday evening she will be meeting with the Mission Committee for conversation and planning for the year ahead. Sunday morning she will be in the Salt and Light Building prior to worship at 9:15 to talk about a wide variety of matters with any members of the congregation who’d like to join her. She will preach, celebrate and administer the apostolic rite of confirmation at our 10:30 worship and be available for informal conversation afterwards at our coffee hour.

Second Annual Mardi Gras Celebration- March 4

      Mark your calendars now! We will prepare ourselves for the penitential season of Lent with a fun and crazy celebration of Mardi Gras on Shrove Tuesday, March 4. We will gather at the church to begin a parade down Main Street that will end at TIN where Becca Finley and her TIN community will host us with music, food and beverage and fellowship. We will also process our Alleluia banner that we will bury at the church afterwards. Find your wonderfully silly costume and join the procession! There will be some beads (“throws”)  and masks available for those semi-unprepared for Mardi Gras.

     We began this wonderfully crazy event last year and it was a great success. Rumor has it that and additional Krewe ( Mardi Gras lingo for group or club) will be joining Nativity’s own Krewe of Crappie for the parade and fellowship. Feel free to invite your friends and neighbors of all ages to join us. 

Flowers for the Altar- Sign Up Sheet in the Church

      There is a need for altar flowers through most of the year that can be given by members of the church as memorials to loved ones, to honor someone or in thanksgiving or a person of event. These flowers greatly enhance our worship and  are prayerful occasions to mark something special in our lives.

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed

      Remember the ongoing need for volunteers to make coffee, provide snacks and clean up for our post worship coffee hour. A sign up sheet is in the Salt and Light building.

See you Sunday!

Blessings and Peace,

Duncan

Dmgrayiii@gmail.com

(601)260-1937

Reflections

Reflections

As Kathy was preparing to be discharged from the hospital today we watched the funeral of President Jimmy Carter being broadcast from the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. I was visibly moved by several things during that service that are worth a word or two today.

First, these solemn national occasions most often provide rare moments of national reflection and introspection. Historians have already begun a rethinking and reassessment of Carter’s presidency, but this formal ritual of saying goodbye to one of our presidents touches something deep within me and, inevitably, points toward that which is very good about this nation. On a more somber note, I am reminded just how fleeting this moment is in our national life these days.

I was particularly moved by Stephen Ford’s reading of a eulogy that his father, Gerald Ford, had written for Jimmy Carter, prior to Ford’s death in 2006. It spoke of their fierce competition as presidential candidates and the subsequent deep friendship that developed between the two. Andrew Young’s personal and transformational story about Jimmy Carter’s friendship with a local sheriff whom the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King described as the “meanest man in America” reminded me, once again, of the infinite complexity of human beings.

Setting aside the implicit arrogance that I am reminded of every time one of these national moments is held at the National Cathedral ( i.e., only the Episcopal Church in its 20th century wealth and power would have dared considered building anything called the “National” Cathedral), I am always thankful for the tradition that has shaped me and how its dignity of worship and ancient rituals carries me(us) beyond ourselves to hallowed space and time. Seeing old friends presiding in the liturgy ( Bishop Mariann Budde of Washington, and our new Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe) connected me again in gratitude to this very imperfect, but still very beautiful tradition of the Episcopal Church.

I am grateful that Kathy’s surgeon was just a little late in dismissing her, so that this very important moment in her life-leaving the hospital after successful surgery on her birthday- could be woven together with what is still possible in this deeply divided nation of ours.

Other Matters of Importance-

Sunday Worship at Nativity: Rain or Shine, Sleet or Snow!

Depending on the road conditions, either Morning Prayer of the Holy Eucharist will be offered on Sunday at 10:30am.

Mission Committee to Meet on Tuesday, January 14 @ 6:00pm

Annual Congregation Meeting-February 16, Following Worship:

As is our custom, we will hear summaries of the past year, approve a 2025 financial budget and elect three new Mission Committee members. If you are willing to serve the church as a member of the Mission Committee, please let the Vicar know.

“Episcopal Church 101”-Exploring the Tradition of the Episcopal Church:

Beginning Wednesday, January 15 @ 5:00pm I will be offering a series of classes on Wednesday afternoons that are open to anyone wishing to know more about the Episcopal Church. These classes are open to all and will also serve as preparation for those wishing to formally affiliate with the Episcopal church through baptism, confirmation, being received or renewing their baptismal vows. We will take a look at each of these processes during the classes.

Bishop Dorothy Wells to Visit Nativity February 23!

Bishop Wells’ first visit to Nativity will be a time to get to know our new chief priest and pastor. He exact schedule has not yet been finalized, but mark your calendars now!

Flowers for the Altar- Sign up Sheet in Church

If you would like to enhance our worship experience by placing flowers on the altar as a memorial, a thanksgiving or to honor a family member or friend, please see the sign up sheet in the rear of the church. Lots of dates available!

Second Annual Mardi Gras Parade-March 4!

Details will be forthcoming, but plan on joining us and bringing friends for Nativity’s Second Annual Mardi Gras Parade, followed by a celebration at TIN.

Keep warm!

Blessings and Peace,

Duncan

(601)260-1937

Dmgrayiii@gmail.com