Tuesday, March 25, 2025
The Chapel St. Chronicle
Welcome to the Chapel Street Chronicle, your weekly St. John’s digest.
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Sermon Series
"Tending the Unseen: Faith in Fragile Times"
The Rev. Aaron B. Jenkyn
When the world feels like it’s unraveling, we find ourselves asking deep, unsettling questions: Where is God in this? What does faith look like when everything feels fragile? In Sunday’s Gospel reading we encounter Jesus telling the parable of the fig tree, inviting us to discover once again how grace meets us in the waiting. Watch now for a message of hope, patience, and transformation.
MUSIC
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
"Abide With Me," W.H. Monk; Time & Mercy, the latest duo project of Chris Klaxton and Mike Effenberger.
TIME AND MERCY, Music for Lent: 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 was recorded live in Roberts Hall at St. John's Episcopal Church, Portsmouth on March 7, 2025, and helped us set the table for the season of Lent.
Don't forget, this Wednesday evening after Sabbath Walk you are invited to join us in the sanctuary for the UCSB Chamber Choir, presenting their program SO MUCH ON MY SOUL, featuring pieces that explore the raw weight of trauma, to the transformative path toward healing and hope. A beautiful program to further deepen our connection to this season of Lent.
FROM STILLNESS TO SERVICE: A WHOLEHEARTED LENT
Lent invites us into a season of deep listening — a time to slow down and notice what opens us to God’s presence and what distracts us from it. What keeps us from being fully available to the Spirit’s movement in our lives? This week, as part of our Lenten offerings, we share this poem as a guide for reflection. May it open space for you to listen with curiosity and trust, knowing that God moves with us in the unfolding.
The Bright Field, by R.S. Thomas
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the
pearl of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realise now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
As you reflect, what might God be inviting you to release or embrace in this season?
Join St. John's for a variety of Lenten offerings designed to nourish the soul and strengthen our shared commitment to love and service.
SABBATH WALKS: REST, RENEWAL, AND CONNECTION, Wednesdays, 5-6PM
Join us for a gentle, reflective walk with poetry and prayer, embracing the sacred in creation. Led by The Rev. Aaron Jenkyn at Little Harbor Trail Head, with an indoor option in case of inclement weather.
PRAYERS FOR PEACE, Thursdays, 9-9:30 AM
The sanctuary will be open for private prayer and reflection at 9 AM, followed by our Service of Healing Eucharist. Come pray for peace in your heart, our community, and the world.
EXPLORING AN ALTAR IN THE WORLD, Sundays 5-6PM
Gather for a weekly discussion of Barbara Brown Taylor’s “An Altar in the World,” led by The Rev. Rob Stevens. A simple soup supper will accompany our reflections on finding the sacred in everyday life.
SUNG COMPLINE: A TRADITION OF PRAYER AND PRESENCE, Sundays 7PM
Experience the beauty of ancient prayer and sacred song with The Compline Choir, directed by John Stromgren. This quiet, contemplative service offers a space for rest and renewal.
Click the button below for additional information about our Lent programs.
What are you reading? Listening to? Thinking about? Do you have any great recommendations that you're eager to share? Let Aaron know!