Weekly Letter, 12/26/2024
The Rev. John Mark Wiggers • December 25, 2024

Merry Christmas! 


Yes, the Church continues to celebrate Christmas beyond the one day. Even with 12 days of Christmas, the mystery of incarnation continues to unfold in our world. I see us living out that mystery at St. James by the way we seek to feed the hungry, do justice, and nurture our souls in prayer and worship together. We become those who bear Christ to the world. 


This is also a time when we are looking to a new year and thinking about the past. I pray that we can avoid the focus of our culture on production and consumption. We are called to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. As we make goals and resolutions for the next year, may that love be our guide. 


I invite you to join us at St. James as we continue to celebrate Christmas and move towards the new year. On Saturday, December 28, the labyrinth will be open in the nave from 10 am - 2 pm. Come and ask a question or name an intention as you walk. We will have a service of Christmas Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 29 at the 10:30 am service. Our regular 5:30 pm evening prayer service falls on New Year's Eve and could be a prayerful way to move into the new. 


As we celebrate we also remember those we love and see no more. We sing of Bethlehem while there is once again no celebration of Christmas there. Our proclamation that God works through humans is sounded as we see people doing evil things in our world. Even against that, we still declare hope and forgiveness for all because God is with us. May you and yours know the blessing of God with us and be that blessed presence of Christ to others.


Peace,

Fr. John Mark 

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Weekly Letter, 04/24/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • April 24, 2025
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By John Mark Wiggers • April 17, 2025
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Weekly Letter, 04/10/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • April 17, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, As the weather teases us with warm days followed by chilly ones, we enter Holy Week. You have probably heard me encouraging folks to experience the journey to the cross and the grave so we might celebrate the resurrection with that insight. God has shared this human experience and is with us in the darkness and the light. Our liturgies of Holy Week take us on that journey with Jesus and remind us that God is indeed with us on our own journeys.
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