Tuesday, February 25, 2025
The Chapel St. Chronicle
Welcome to the Chapel Street Chronicle, your weekly St. John’s digest.
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Sermon Series
"Love our Enemies… Really?!"
Today's sermon explores this invitation. It is far too easy to move from Love to Revenge and Retribution, and that temptation diminishes all of us. Receiving this Gospel as a Promise from God instead of a threat or requirement from God is an important recalibration. Consider the end of today's Gospel and view it through a lens of Promise:
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
This promise of God propels us forward! Loving our enemies is not about being a doormat; rather this kind of love can serve as an act of resistance which exposes the false promises of the world. Revenge and Violence are never redemptive, nor are they ever the answer. In fact they are in direct opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
May we pray that we will find our solid ground in God’s love and resist the urge to give in to revenge, violence, and retribution. Onward!
Go and Do!
TIME AND MERCY
Coming to Roberts Hall at St. John's: TIME & MERCY: Music for Lent. Friday, March 7, 7pm.
An evening of thoughtfully interpreted spirituals and hymns, carefully selected to bring warmth and create a sacred space in which these traditional pieces of religious music may be reimagined and transformed through a range of styles typically native to gospel, jazz, and the avant garde. This intimate performance will draw listeners into the beautiful Roberts Recital Hall at historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, helping set the table for the season of Lent.
Local jazz luminaries Mike Effenberger (piano) and Chris Klaxton (trumpet), who have long performed together in a variety of formats, bring their newest duo experience to St. John's Selects.
Click here to learn more and purchase advance tickets. Don't wait - these will go fast!
LENT IS COMING!
From Stillness to Service: A Wholehearted Lent
Lent is a season of renewal — a time to pause, reflect, and make space for God’s presence in our lives. It is also a time of preparation, as we open our hearts to the work of love and justice in the world. This year, as we continue our journey of Building Wholehearted Community, we invite you into a Lenten season that embraces both contemplation and action, deepening our faith as we walk together toward Easter.
Join us for a variety of offerings designed to nourish the soul and strengthen our shared commitment to love and service.
St. John's has offerings for all ages throughout each week. Click here to visit our Lent 2025 page and learn more about our programs.
SAVE THE DATE
David Vargas, Marie Collins, Asst. Mayor of Portsmouth Joanna Kelley, Evan Mallett
NEW ENGLAND BIPOC FESTIVAL
The New England BIPOC Festival returns to Strawbery Banke on August 17, 2025. St. John's is proud to return to the festival as a sponsor again this year. Click the image above to learn about the festival, and mark your calendars to attend! It is a delicious and uplifting event and you should go!
FROM THE DESK OF The Rev. ROB STEVENS
I invite you to read this book during Lent. It is a classic and a book that I go back to again and again. It examines the practice of our faith (some traditional and some not so traditional) that reveal God wherever we might be. I will be facilitating a discussion group on the book Sunday evenings in Lent at 5pm and all are invited. I encourage you to read it even if you can’t make it to the group. Lent is an opportunity for self-examination that I pray will lead us all deeper into our relationship with God. Happy Lent!
Click the image above to order a copy from local bookseller RiverRun Bookstore.
Ash Wednesday is March 5 and the first book group will be Sunday March 9. Visit our Lent 2025 Page to learn about all our offerings.
SURVEY FOR NH RESIDENTS identifying as LGBTQ+
LGBTQ SURVEY
Do you live in NH and identify as LGBTQ? Click the image above to take this survey, brought to you by ACLU NH and NH OUTRIGHT.
FROM THE DESK OF OLIN JOHANNESSEN
WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, March 4 at 8pm, the third edition of my piece "And I Am Still Searching," an adaptation of a short meditative song by Pete Seeger, will be premiered at UMass Lowell. This piece has had a beautiful journey, including its initial performance right here at St. John's when the Choir School, Youth and Cherub Choirs, and Parish Choir had the honor of performing this for then-Presiding Bishop Michael Curry during his All-Saints Day visit to St. John's in 2022. This performance will not be live-streamed.
What are you reading? Listening to? Thinking about? Do you have any great recommendations that you're eager to share? Let Aaron know!