CONFIRM MY HEART'S DESIRE

Welcome! You'll find here occasional writings, a few rants, and hopefully some insights too, about Christian discipleship, the Episcopal Church, and on faith community's life (at least from my viewpoint) at the Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, Massachusetts, where I am blessed to serve as the rector. At the Epiphany we understand ourselves to be "a welcoming Episcopal community, united in God, called to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to transform the world with love and generosity."
Why this title, "confirm my heart's desire"?
The title comes from a line in Charles Wesley's hymn, O Thou Who Camest from Above. You can read the text and listen to a schmaltzy-sounding version of the tune here. The hymn is not widely known, except in England, but with persistence on my part, and with the persuasion of other musicians, priests, and hymn-nerds, it's gaining, slowly, additional admirers.




17 January 2013

A day in the old city

Today's post is from Gayle Pershouse, a pilgrim from the Parish of the Epiphany:

Today, Thursday, is our second day in the Holy Land. We started out early (7am) for a walking tour of Old Jerusalem beginning with the Western Wall. The Holy Spirit in the form of a white dove enchanted us by perching in a niche right above us while we prayed at the Wall. We moved from there to the Islamic side of the wall where we saw the Dome of the Rock and then on to the pools of Bethesda and St. Anne's Church. Here there is a custom that each group of pilgrims stands in the center of the nave in front of the altar and sings. Our impromptu performance is posted below for your enjoyment. We  took coffee or tea in an arab coffee shop and enjoyed a peaceful and delicious lunch at the Lutheran Guest House. We were hungry: I estimate we walked at least 6 miles in and through the narrow winding streets, including the Cardo, a souk filled with every kind of beautiful (and ugly) thing you can buy. Our last stop was at the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus was buried. So many layers of history in one place! Iyad is showing us how to know what is from Roman times, what is 4th century Byzantine, and what is from the 15th century. Such a fascinating place!

Click here to hear us signing at the Basillica of Saint Anne in the old city.

Lest you are worrying, know that our leaders, Thomas and Bishop Harris, are quite recovered and joined us for dinner. Thanks be to God!


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