March 30, 2023

As a parish, we have been reading Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle. (If you missed out being in one of the book groups, I’d still recommend for you to read the book!) In our groups last week, one of the questions was this: “Father Boyle quotes Jesuit theologian, Leon Dufour, who said “I have written so many books on God, but after all that, what do I really know? I think, in the end, God is the person you ’re talking to, the one right in front of you.” (Pg. 158) How does this shape your relationship with God? With others?”

In the Thursday evening group, Epiphany parishioner Marion Dry took this question a bit further. She encouraged her group to use this week to actually practice experiencing God in the person right in front of us. In their final session, they will be sharing about their experiences doing this practice.

I’d like to invite all of us into this practice in the coming weeks. What if God is the person you’re talking to, the one right in front of you? Because if we take the incarnation seriously, then God is actually in the faces of those around us. The unhoused person holding up the sign. The mail person. The people we see on a walk around the neighborhood. A friend who is experiencing a difficult time. People who are different from us. People who are difficult to be around. Classmates, coworkers, family and friends. To encounter these people with love and gratitude is what it means to love God.

We’ll be seeing each other a lot this upcoming Holy Week. Perhaps we can extend this practice to our own community and the ways we are to be together. In the familiar rhythms — waving palm branches, eating together, washing feet, keeping vigil at the foot of the cross. Might we experience each other in new ways, recognizing the divine sacredness in each and every face.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” What if we noticed the people around us in the same reverence we would have for God? What if God is the person we’re talking to, the one right in front of us?

I suspect that just might change everything.

With gratitude,
Rev. Janelle

Congratulations to all of our Epiphany friends celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in the month of April! 

This Sunday, April 2, our entire congregation is invited to join together in Hadley Hall and the Cloister Garden between our two services, from 9:00 to 10:00 am, for a special Palm Sunday reception. This will be a wonderful time of fellowship, hot cross buns, and activities for children. At 9:45 am, we will begin gathering for the Palm Sunday Procession, which will lead us into our 10:00 am service of worship. 

We are excited to announce that Epiphany will be taking a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2024. If you have interest in this opportunity, please contact Rev. Nick. You can join an informational meeting and presentation on the planned pilgrimage this Sunday, April 2 at 11:30 am in the Chapel. 

We invite you to join us during Holy Week for worship at Parish of the Epiphany!

On April 6, we will hold our traditional Maundy Thursday Supper and Service. This meaningful annual event is a favorite of many in our parish, and lots of helpers are needed to make it happen. If you can help with cooking, set-up, or clean-up, please sign up HERE. 

If you are willing to be a table host, please sign-up HERE. 

To sign up to keep vigil for one hour as part of our Maundy Thursday night watch, please click here. 

As we approach Easter Sunday, we would like to offer everyone the chance to share in this celebration with one another by bringing Communion to those who are homebound or unable to be present in church during this holy season. If you are interested in a Eucharistive visit, please notify the office via phone (781-729-1922) or email. Our Lay Eucharistic Visitor ministers will reach out to you directly.  

On Saturday evening, April 29, from 4:30 – 6:15 pm, Epiphany will be serving at The Dwelling Place, a soup kitchen in Woburn for those experiencing food insecurity. Volunteers will be needed to set up, serve, and clean up on that evening (families and kids all ages are welcome!). We will also have a cook day in the Epiphany kitchen to prepare the meals. Interested in the cooking team or the on-site at The Dwelling Place team? Please let Rev. Janelle know. 

An update on  the Rawan family, in case you have not already heard. The Housing team has faced the same challenges we are all reading about in the news: there just isn't sufficient affordable housing available and waitlists are years-long in Massachusetts. As much as the Rawans love Massachusetts and Arlington in particular, they have made the decision to move to Virginia in late June, after the end of the school year. They have family there (Ihsanullah has two brothers, Zahida has one), and there is a significant Afghan community to offer support. It's difficult for us  to see them leave the area, but they will be near family and a community network to help them find a home and a lifestyle they can afford. At the last Housing meeting, Isanullah said how are very grateful they are for all we have done for them.

The Housing team  will be needing volunteers to help with this move: to pack up; load on moving day; drive as part of a possible "caravan"; do post-move light cleaning at 72 Harlow St; dispose of what the family does not take.

If you would like to and are able to  volunteer for  any of these moving tasks (tentative timeline between June 20 - June 27), please contact Housing Team lead, Roz Nazzaro.

NOTE: The children do not yet know about the move, so if you interact directly with them, please DO NOT mention the move. Thank you so much!