Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA: Home

Have you ever watched with an appreciative eye the choreography of a typical Sunday service? For many who attend worship I’m sure that the movement of the liturgy just happens. Most in the pews are so familiar with the service that the action of it never occurs to them. We all tend simply to go through the motions, physically and mentally.

There is, however, a beautiful deliberateness to our worship. The congregation is not just a crowd, in which people move as they wish. Something specific is played out, with intention, with skill, and with coordination. Our worship is defined spatially, for which we have identifying terms: narthex, nave, chancel, sanctuary, pulpit, lectern among them. It is also defined by function and role. On a typical Sunday some among the laity serve as torchbearers, crucifers, sub-vergers, junior vergers, vergers, choir, chalice bearers, and lectors. Each role requires a certain knowledge about when something is to be done and with whom. No one can choose simply to work independently.

As one who generally takes a position at the very rear of the opening procession, I often take delight as well as I watch people step into place to start down the aisle. A little bit of chaos comes to order, and after a few verses of a hymn, the chancel is filled with people poised to bring the varying statements of the liturgy to full expression. And, perhaps, what is most remarkable about all that then transpires, is that it is carried out by individuals who span almost the whole range of ages. Children sit with and next to adults. Seven-year-olds interact with octogenarians. high schoolers mentor middle schoolers. The youth lead all the movement to and fro. Relationships are formed. Respect is earned. An enormous expanse of experience is represented—in years, in skills, in insight and wisdom—and it is liberally shared.

Worship is a uniquely intergenerational engagement. The next time you are in church, choose to notice all that takes place within the chancel and notice the variation in ages. I don’t know of any other places or sets of practices that offer the same opportunity to be so fully a community. Often, in the midst of a service, I catch myself marveling at the deep, humane, beauty of what is being done and what is learned on so many levels. It’s this that makes the church a home—not so much in what is merely said, but in how the choreography ties us together.

Advent sets us all on our way into the church year, urging us to “Watch!” As with so much in life, the key is being attentive. This includes how we worship. Watch what is quietly but marvelously played out in the liturgy. It asks more from us, but it repays a hundredfold.

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Angel Voices Ever Singing

By Andrew Senn

What is the “secret ingredient” of Christmas? Is it food? Is it presents? Festive stalls at a Christmas market? Bright lights and baubles? Those things are all wonderful and enjoyable - but no, the secret ingredient is children. The bright eyes of children on Christmas morning, the joy of parents and grandparents watching their kids delight in this this special time of year, the cherubic voices of children singing Christmas music, and it’s all about a baby boy, isn’t it?

Children singing music of the Christmas season brings joy to our hearts; it embodies Christmas. And it’s not just having children there and singing, it’s having them mixed in with the teens and adults of the choir - the intergenerationality of it. In fact, The Redeemer Choir has one choir family that spans three generations (you know who they are!)

I’ve mentioned before how delighted I am that we don’t have a separate “children’s service” at Redeemer. I believe that cheapens worship. It’s patronizing to and undermines the intelligence of children. It gladdens my heart to see children in worship right beside adults. Of course the youngest leave for children’s chapel, so that the Gospel can be solidified in a more simple way. But for the remainder of the service, they learn the words, the movement, the patterns, and the music of the church by doing it.

To me, this is one of the beautiful things of the Episcopal church - that children are important. But so are adults, so are teenagers, so is our worship, so is our music, and so is our mission. In everything we do, we do it together. I’ve worked in a number of denominations, and so far the Episcopal church is the only one that really “gets” this. It’s one of the reasons I feel so at home here - I experience the same feelings and emotions every week at Redeemer that I did 30 years ago at St Luke’s, Evanston.

While I reminisce on my teenage years, I can’t help but draw many wonderful parallels between Redeemer and St. Luke’s. The style of the music program is nearly identical, though at that point there were separate boys and girls choirs. We all functioned together as one big choral family - laughing and crying, celebrating, and taking care of each other. (All under the Pied Piper-esque leadership of Richard Webster, who I hope to bring to Redeemer in the near future!) But beyond that, there were a variety of outreach ministries that were core to the mission of the parish - spreading the love of the Gospel and helping those who have no one else to help.

Maybe most similarly, and as I’ve talked about previously, these folks were from all walks of life. Evanston, Illinois has an astonishing make up of demographics. It’s the home of Northwestern University, and situated literally “across the street” from the hustle and bustle of Chicago, but leafy and green, with some of the highest property taxes in the country. There were folks scraping to get by, folks of every color of the rainbow, families of refugees, and those with seemingly endless means. All of these people contributed their time, talent, and resources to the work of the church.

Have you ever thought about how the content of our worship portrays intergenerationality? Evensong in particular! The canticles at Evensong are: “Advent” with young Mary’s Magnificat, and the “Presentation” with old Simeon’s Nunc dimittis. The juxtaposition between birth and death, young and old - with the child Jesus at the center. That service happens every month for us at Redeemer, every week for other churches, and almost every day in the Cathedrals of the UK.

Some of you may possibly remember this from days of yore, and it may be news to others - and certainly it’s hard to even fathom with the exhausting cult of secular Christmas starting as early as Halloween. Do you know when the start and end of Christmas are? There are, of course, the twelve days of Christmas, which start ON Christmas and go through January 5th (“Twelfth Night”), and then there’s The Epiphany when the magi show up. But that’s not all of it, the official end of “Christmastide” occurs on the aforementioned feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, on February 2nd. (Incidentally, that is 40 days after Christmas - a not-coincidental tie to the Resurrection after the 40 days of Lent.) That means, you may legitimately keep your creche up all that time, along with other decorations, you may continue to spread the Christmas joy (citing this date when you do so), and you may keep blasting Christmas carols.

And guess what, we celebrate ALL of these markers in the life of the baby Jesus here at Redeemer. We usher in Christmas (albeit a smidge early) with Lessons and Carols, the beautiful array of services on Christmas Eve (and Christmas Day for the strong-willed), the bright light of the Epiphany star on January 7th (both in the morning and at Evensong), and finally the end of Christmas with The Presentation, observed at Evensong, transferred to February 4th.

I urge you to share in these services - particularly the Evensong on February 4th. Presentation, also known as Candlemas is my very favorite feast of the year. It’s celebrated to honor light warding off evil and death, and commemorates Jesus’ coming as “a light to lighten the gentiles.” There are some fantastic hymns which are only sung on this day, and traditionally the church has also used this occasion to bless candles for the coming year.

This is indeed a magical time of year, but don’t let the magic fade early. Use Advent as it was intended, not as “pre-Christmas”, but a time to prepare for Christmas. Keep the fire alive for the whole season - attend as many services as you can, not just Christmas Eve. Relish in the story as it’s told over those several weeks, and listen to the beautiful music as it’s sung by choirs of young and old.

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Holy Week & Easter Worship

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The Joy of Worship

By Winnie Smith

On any given Sunday during a 9:30 service, there is a good chance that three or four generations are represented in the chancel. From acolytes in third grade to eucharistic ministers and choir members decades out of school, our worship participants have diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some know hymns by heart, others are still learning the Lord’s Prayer. But what is remarkable about the Anglican (Episcopal) form of worship is that they are all reciting and praying the same words. In worship, we all stand on equal footing before God.

Why does this matter? What difference does it make that our congregation is made up of different ages, interests, and backgrounds? Couldn’t liturgy be done just the same by a bunch of people who share these demographics?

Well, yes and no. Yes - the liturgy is written out, and its form can pretty well stand on its own. But the very act of worship necessitates people. It is the people who make worship what it is. Young, old, experienced, new to church, theologically trained, and doubtful: all are welcome into worship in the Episcopal Church and more than that, all are necessary to make worship meaningful.

Our Eucharistic service begins with the Collect for Purity, in which we remind ourselves that to God, all our desires are known, and from God nothing can be hidden. At the service’s conclusion, we pray in thanksgiving that God has accepted us and fed us, and we ask for strength and courage as we go out into the world. These prayers are offered up by every one of us, including priests, deacons, and lay people. If a bishop is present, he or she is praying those same words. All equal, all powerless without God’s help. To me, that is a perfect reminder of what Christianity is all about: our structures of power, our measures of success and ability crumble when put next to God. The torch bearer next to me and the fourth generation Redeemer-ite in the pew a few steps away are both reciting the words of the service and are both vital contributors to the full experience of worship we share.

My seminary professor of Liturgics (the study of public worship) begins his short book The Liturgy Explained, with the following quote from Alexander Schmemann, a priest and liturgical scholar: “the Eucharist is the entrance of the Church into the joy of its Lord. And to enter into that joy, so as to be a witness to it in the world, is indeed the very calling of the Church, its essential leitourgia, the sacrament by which it ‘becomes what it is.’” We are meant to be joyful in worship. And that joy doesn’t end when we leave the church after an hour on Sunday. We are to bring joy into worship, allow it to grow through the experience of praying and being together, and then let that joy radiate out into the world around us afterwards. So when you arrive at church this weekend, come ready to be made joyful. Come with open eyes and ears to behold the splendor of a congregation of all ages and all backgrounds, and know that you are an integral part of that.

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The Christmas Pageant Tradition

By Rebecca Northington

Every December 24th at 4 pm the Church of The Redeemer turns into a who's who of generations of Redeemerites. Young and old come dressed in their Christmas finest to witness the coming of the baby Jesus, the coming of the word made man, the coming of God. This service may not hold the gravitas of the late-night Christmas Eve Eucharist, or the solemnity of the Maundy Thursday foot washing; but it is for many the service that they attend more than any other, year after year, and remains their connection to the Church, to tradition, and to something that existed before them and that will continue well after they are gone.

At the beginning of this service Peter asks those who have participated in the pageant over the years to rise and be acknowledged; whether they were a shepherd, a page, Mary, or the baby Jesus. It seems as though half the congregation stands and is commended. This tradition represents more than a play, it represents something eternal. When we cast the pageant each year I am always surprised at the commitment to participation. The youth lobby early for Mary and Joseph, the shepherds or the angels, despite the fact that they are often over-scheduled and have little time for anything outside of their sports, music, theater, dance or schoolwork. Year after year, during arguably the busiest month, twenty or so teenagers will devote at least eight hours to the pageant; and they genuinely seem to comprehend the magnitude of this story, and take on their roles with appropriate dignity and care.

Why do people attend this pageant more religiously in some cases then they attend regular worship? Why do young people whose world has changed irrevocably in terms of tech, AI, social media and other unknowable ways, continue to apprehend the importance of this spectacle in the chaos of the season? What is it about that baby sitting in that teenager’s lap as we sing Silent Night that moves us all to believe anew? These are all questions for us to earnestly consider and I will offer one possible theory. In a world that is changing so rapidly and in ways we cannot fully comprehend, the Church offers us an abiding hope in the perennial story of Jesus. Without Jesus’s birth there can be no Easter resurrection. After months of anticipation we pause on this Christmas Eve, old and young, to marvel at the miracle of God’s love for us. The power of a live Mary and a live baby, and the continuity of one generation to another, holds us together in relationship eternally.

Last Christmas Eve the Redeemer Youth Group (RYG) began a new tradition of placing candles around the churchyard to remember those who have come before us, and to bring their light back into the world for this mystical night. It is a magical tradition seen throughout the world and helps to convey the timelessness of God’s love for all of us, past, present and future. This tradition of the candles, and the Christmas Eve services point to the same activity manifested in the Christmas Eve truce from World War I, where for a moment hope and peace overwhelmed the brutality of war. The battlefield of life went dormant and love and goodwill prevailed. One hundred years later when pageant goers of all ages enter the Sanctuary on December 24th, they have the opportunity to step away from the conflicts of our times. Perhaps for that hour they can become lost in the eternal hope of God’s covenant to us all, shared with us through the birth of the Messiah, the incarnation of his only son, our Lord. Perhaps we steadfastly return to this tradition to relinquish our anxieties, embrace humanity’s truly hopeful nature, and enter into that space of timeless expectation where peace and love reign supreme. All in the arms of a teenage girl.

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Dependent on Others

By Jo Ann Jones

Ubuntu Is a concept that undergirded much of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s thinking, philosophy and theology. Tutu’s sense of ubuntu comes from a Xhosa proverb. Ubuntu means “each individual’s humanity is ideally expressed in relationship with others” or “a person depends on other people to be a person.” As Tutu would write, “A person is human precisely in being enveloped in the community of other human beings. To be is to participate. The greatest good here is not independence but sharing interdependence.”

Here at Church of the Redeemer this sense of ubuntu is often expressed and experienced in the many occasions on which members of all generations participate seamlessly in establishing relationships in a variety of communities. And since this calls for any number of activities that require cooperation this allows for a natural camaraderie and engagement to arise—in greetings, sharing a meal, reading stories, just visiting with and learning from one another. What each person or human being brings to the interaction or activity only reveals to each the fullness of who that human being is and how easily these experiences and encounters more fully express and grow within our own being. One is even conscious of how this enveloping occurs. And that is the true gift of it all. We come to appreciate one another simply by being together, with no need to compete, but rather just to be.

These occasions and dependence on another to be a fuller person serve mightily to dismantle the constructs of race, class, religion, ethnicity and age that have often and tragically been used to divide and separate us unnecessarily. It may be that there are limitations on material things and services that are real, but no such limitations exist for what love and generosity towards one another may accomplish. This should arouse the interest, support and enthusiasm of the congregation as our engagement with all in the larger community is considered in a different and multigenerational manner. This might prove beneficial to those older members of The Redeemer who live in retirement communities, as well as to children and youth who spend a majority of their time in school with their peers. How refreshing to work and relax with all ages and to grow in wisdom and a broadening perspective on life.

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Redeemer Day at St. Barnabas Mission

By Anna Gerrity

St. Barnabas Mission Redeemer Day

Friday, January 26, 2024

Episcopal Community Services transformed St. Barnabas Mission from a 107-bed emergency shelter to a Community Resource Center. Tour the open choice pantry, the industrial kitchen, the playground, the health center, the community meeting rooms, and hear how St. Barnabas Community Resource Center is becoming a resource for community-centric health and prosperity in West Philadelphia. Then volunteer in Cook-Off, packaging meals to be delivered to residents of local senior centers: ECS Philly Cook-off - YouTube

Friday, January 26

11:00 tour and seated presentation

12:00 – 1:30 Cook-Off

Just 6 miles from the The Redeemer. Meet in The Redeemer parking lot at 10:30am if you’d like to join the car pool. Please contact Anna Gerrity for additional information and to let us know you would like to participate!

Parking and Directions: The entrance to ECS’ St. Barnabas Community Resource Center is at the corner of W. Girard Ave and N. Edgewood St, 6006 West Girard Ave. It is a large light green building with blue signage on the corner. Ring the doorbell when you arrive and you will be buzzed in.

The surface parking lot midway down the block on N. Edgewood Street is the easiest parking option. As N. Edgewood is a one-way street heading north, set your GPS to 452 N. Edgewood Street, Philadelphia in order to get to this lot just south of Girard.

Street parking is also available. Anyone parking on Girard should be careful to avoid blocking the active trolley line that runs on the street.

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Dates to Remember

December

17 5pm A Service of Nine Lessons & Carols
featuring The Redeemer Choirs

20 Red Cross Blood Drive

24 & 25 Christmas Services