Saint James' Episcopal Church, Fremont CA

A reflection from Rev. Lori: Good morning and good week! Inspired by Little House on the Prairie, the show that brings my blood pressure down, I decided to use the oil lamp left over from my daughter’s outdoor, evening wedding. I pulled it out of the box, made a trip to Dale Hardware for the oil, set it up on my prayer altar, and lit the wick. I thought it would make a nice substitution to the candles that I usually use, allowing my aging eyes a little more light to read fr...Continue reading

Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Spiritual Communion for the Twentieth-First Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’.

This Sunday we observe the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost - St. James' Weekly News - https://mailchi.mp/b3aa92bbe1/st-james-weekly-news-12587226

Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a service of Holy Communion for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’ with a sermon from Rev Bill Hale.

This Sunday we celebrate the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, with both communion and spiritual communion options! - St. James' Weekly News - https://mailchi.mp/25050bc51b/st-james-weekly-news-12583022

Join Rev Bill Hale in celebrating a service of Spiritual Communion for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost from St. James’.

A reflection from the Rev. Lori Walton: Good morning and good week! Every time I sit down to write I think about what has transpired the past week, and every time, my anxiety rises. Every week I am compelled to begin with what a week this has been. It has been strange, unprecedented, unbelievable, chaotic, frightening, frustrating, stressful, etcetera. We’ve been using the same adjectives for months to describe our reality, and we are running out of words. Our common la...nguage has spiraled into the realm of negative descriptors because, well, our common language describes our common experience. The other day I was walking along the marshland at the bird sanctuary, and I happened upon three snowy egrets sitting on the railings of a bridge. This is a common bird in these areas, but I always delight in seeing them. I snapped a picture and sent it to Ron, who responded with standing guard. In turn, I responded with Holy Trinity. You see, we have another, more beautiful common language, and that is the language of God. When I see three of anything I think of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When I see the rising sun, now turned orange because of the nearby fires, I think of the burning bush, the one from which God speaks. When I see still ponds in the marshlands, I think of the pool of Siloam where the blind can now see. Water fountains become living water that renews and sanctifies, a smoke plume becomes God’s pillar of cloud by day, voices of truth become prophets crying in the wilderness, a shared meal becomes communion, bread broken becomes the Body of Christ. We have a common language that can both reveal and shape our reality. When we imagine our world as being filled with metaphors given to us by God, our world becomes more holy - our realities become more God-centered. It is a beautiful and necessary counterbalance to that other language of despair. And once again, I am brought to my knees in gratitude for what God has given us. I don’t know about you, but without this language of the sacred, my weariness would quickly turn to exhaustion and slogging through each day would be much more difficult. Instead, I can rise up in the light of each morning, look out my window and see evidence of God everywhere, reminding me, and all of us, that God is always present, always active, always showing Godself to us - if we have eyes to see. May it be so for each of us. Lori

This Sunday we observe the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. - St. James' Weekly News - https://mailchi.mp/136554b047/st-james-weekly-news-12582450

Our St. Francis Day Pet Blessing video, with music by St. James' Choir and a Blessing from the Rev. Lori Walton. Thank you to everyone who shared the pictures of their pets.

Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating a family service of Spiritual Communion for the Feast of St. Francis from St. James’, with a sermon from Jan Scrutton. Join our live-stream at 8:25am on Sunday or join our Zoom watch party on Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11:00 to worship with others (email [email protected] for Zoom access details). The service can be joined at any time on Sunday from 8:25am or during the week.

As a part of our ongoing efforts to best support our community in these times, we’re taking part in a national training program. We’d like your feedback on a couple of questions about your online habits to inform our discussion. Please could you help us by clicking on this link and answering the few questions you find there? https://us20.list-manage.com/survey

This Sunday we celebrate Saint Francis Day! - St. James' Weekly News - https://mailchi.mp/3074662766/st-james-weekly-news-12576282

A reflection from Rev. Lori. Good morning! Good week! I am just finishing up three days of time off, and am feeling so grateful for rest and the opportunity to just be, especially in these chaotic times. ...Continue reading