James Derkits

Some of you may be getting tired of Christmas Carols, the red and green palette, and white-bearded reindeer racer already. Some of us have been finding ways to wait and watch in eager preparation before we welcome the Christ Child on the first day of Christmas. Then for 12 Christmas Days we keep the party rolling until the the arrival of the Magi from the East. They came to welcome the newborn king, which was more than a little disturbing to the nearby authority who was in the habit of calling himself king.  There are a variety of estimates of how long the Magi, or wisemen, or three kings traveled, following yonder star to pay homage to the child of Mary. They all agree it was a haul; probably more than 12 days, but it helps us to tell the story this way. Our Magi figureines are already making that journey. Now they are settled near the doors of our church and they will hop from the oblation table to the piano, then to the baptismal font, and finally to the nativity scene set in our al

In November, I traveled to Florida, where I delivered the generous donations our church and community gave for Hurricane Ian relief. After that storm, I looked up Episcopal Churches in the pathway of the hurricane, and reached out to All Souls' in Fort Myers. Sunday, November 13, I preached at their church, sharing some of our experience of Hurricane Harvey recovery. I encouraged them to take care of themselves, their community, and to persevere. It was a powerful experience, and my eyes leaked to match theirs as they sent their thank you back with me to deliver to you.  Outside Westminster in London That is what I love about our church: we are connected with churches across the country and globe who share a similar piety and style of worship. In a small church across the Gulf that I had never visited before, I led the familiar service nearly from memory because we pray Common Prayers. I had a similar experience years ago in South Africa, even though one of the churches I attended