Dear St. John’s,
 
    Have you ever wondered why we’re called the Episcopal Church? “Episcopal” refers to bishops, one of the three ordained ministries in the church (the others being priests and deacons).
    The glossary of terms on the denominational website (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/) explains that “bishops serve as chief pastors of the church, exercising a ministry of oversight and supervision. Diocesan bishops hold jurisdiction in their dioceses, with particular responsibility for the doctrine, discipline and worship of the church. Bishops serve as the focus for diocesan unity and for the unity of their dioceses with the wider church. Since the bishop's ministry is a ministry of oversight, the term ‘episcopal’ (derived from the Greek episcopos, ‘overseer’) is applied to matters pertaining to bishops. An ‘episcopal’ church is a church governed by bishops, and ‘episcopal’ services are led by bishops.”
    Diocesan bishops oversee the geographic areas called dioceses in our church. St. John’s belongs to the Diocese of Newark, which encompasses the northern half of New Jersey and is led Bishop Carlye Hughes. Such bishops are required to visit every parish in the diocese at least once every three years. Bishop Hughes will visit us on March 17, where she will celebrate and preach at the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist, greet the congregation at coffee hour, and then meet with the vestry and clergy.
    To learn more about what’s happening in our diocese and the work of our bishop and the diocesan staff, I encourage you to explore the diocesan website (https://dioceseofnewark.org), read our diocesan newsletters (https://dioceseofnewark.org/e-news) and to listen to (or read) the bishop’s vlog posts (https://dioceseofnewark.org/bishops-vlog). On the website, you also can sign up to receive the every-other-week newsletters and other announcements via email.
    I hope you all will mark the date on your calendar and join me in welcoming our bishop in a few weeks!
 
Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,

I saw a Facebook “meme” this morning where one person asks, “What are you doing on Valentine’s Day?”
 
“Rubbing dirt on people’s faces and telling them they’re going to die,” the other replies.
 
The post pokes fun at the fact that this year Ash Wednesday, when we repent our sins and contemplate our mortality, falls on Valentine’s Day, when we celebrate love.
 
Ash Wednesday is a somber moment as we begin the season of Lent. The 40 days of Lent are a time for self-examination and repentance. We may fast – whether physically giving up things like alcohol or smoking or meat on Fridays or food entirely on certain days, or from things such as criticizing others or gossiping or participating in certain social media. We may commit to additional prayer time or Bible study or take on a new ministry or volunteer opportunity.
 
It’s a serious time, but that doesn’t mean we’re required to be miserable or berate ourselves for our shortcomings. Our actions should seek to enhance our self-awareness and our relationship with God. And they can be enjoyable!
 
For example, at St. John’s, we’ll host a one-hour Zoom prayer service and discussion each Friday night. Our neighboring Episcopal churches in Mountain Lakes and Denville are hosting a Wednesday night study of a brief book on the Lord’s Prayer to which all are invited. For an entertaining and education March Madness-style event about the Episcopal Church’s saints, check out Lent Madness at lentmadness.org.
 
I hope programs such as these can help you enter into a Holy Lent. We will begin our Lenten journey at St. John’s with a Eucharist and imposition of ashes on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m.
 
Rev. Sharon