January Rector’s Letter

Dear Parish Family,

Happy new year and happy Epiphany! As I write this, I have several inches of snow at my house and I am looking out my window at a snowman in my front yard that Jude made yesterday, with a small assist from yours truly. I hope you all are safe and warm. Since the parish office is closed, I thought I would take this opportunity to write my first Rector’s letter of 2025. In this letter, we’re talking about the Epiphany, the construction that is now underway on our property, the LA fires, new year’s resolutions, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s resignation and the Annual Parish Meeting.

Clergy Christmas Gifts

On behalf of all of the clergy, thank you very much for the very generous Christmas gifts! We are very grateful for all of your continuing generosity toward us. It is a joy to serve the Lord with all of you.

The Epiphany

During this week of the Epiphany, we are reflecting on the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ to the gentiles. The wisemen were gentiles and the traditional thing that the church contemplates during this week is the fact that Jesus Christ seeks to draw all people to Himself. The wise men remind us, from the very beginning, that Jesus Christ did not come for a select group of people but for everyone. During these days, we pray for the conversion of the world. We see a world that is hurting; that is confused and we know where they should turn. Join me in praying that all might turn to the King of Kings. If you missed church on Sunday, you can hear more of my thoughts about the Epiphany by clicking here to watch my homily.

Construction Underway!

When you come to the Church again, you’ll see a blue perimeter fence has been set up. Work is underway...thanks be to God! Erosion control fencing has also been put in place in preparation for lots of dirt that will soon be brought to our property. As a reminder, the perimeter fence is there for our safety, which means that none of us should go inside the fenced area. It is so exciting to see things get underway. The expansion is a HUGE step forward for St. Laurence in terms of the types of ministries that we can offer. The whole idea is drawing more and more people to the Lord Jesus Christ, as beautifully expressed in the Anglican tradition.

The Archbishop of Canterbury

Many of you will have seen the news that the Most Rev. Justin Welby, the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned. He resigned over his lack of discipline and oversight of a priest who was a sexual predator. The wider church’s failures at addressing sexual abuse and properly discipling the perpetrators is disturbing, to say the least. We saw this play out in Roman Catholic circles and now in the Church of England. The church simply must do better and those who have failed should be held accountable. It was hoped, at the beginning of Welby’s ministry as Archbishop, that he would lead the Anglican Communion with clarity and faithfulness. Sadly, that rarely happened and his tenure now ends in disgrace. We pray that his successor would be an Archbishop who would lead our Communion to a clear and faithful proclamation of "the faith once delivered to the saints.”(Jude 3)

LA Fires

Please pray for all of those who have been affected by the wild fires in Los Angeles. The devastation is terrible and it appears that there is no end in sight. My cousin lives in Altadena and his house burned to the ground on Wednesday. He and his family are safe but they, along with so many others, have lost everything. Please lift all of them up in your prayers.

Annual Parish Meeting

The Annual Parish Meeting will be on Sunday Feb 2. We’ll start with Evensong at 5pm, followed by a potluck dinner and then the meeting. It will be a time for us to give thanks for the year God gave us in 2024 and then talk about where we are headed in 2025. We’ll elect vestry members and convention delegates, look at the budget, and hear about the many ways we serve God together. Please make plans to join us!

New Year’s Resolutions

If you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution, I would suggest praying the Daily Office, which is Morning and Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. If that sounds like a good idea to you but you’re not exactly sure how to pull that off go here to this handy website that updates throughout the day every day. It is also available under the Resources dropdown on our website here. In the morning time, it has the complete Morning Prayer. In the middle of the day, it has Midday Prayers. In the evening, it has Evening Prayer. You get the idea. There is also an app that you can put on your smart phone that does the same thing. Search for Daily Office in the app store if you’re interested in that. There is so much spiritual wisdom contained in the Book of Common Prayer and making it a part of your day, every day, is guaranteed to be a blessing to you.

Many blessings for a prosperous and joyful 2025.

Faithfully,

Fr. John Jordan