Our Spiritual Worship

By Jennifer Nicholson, Worship Ministry Intern & Master of Worship Studies Candidate

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” –Romans 12:1

Did you know we have a Worship Ministry Intern at St. Peter’s? Maybe you noticed in the worship section of the Keys several weeks ago that an analysis of Sunday service music was being offered, and you wondered, “What’s that about?”

St. Peter’s has graciously provided me a space to complete a Worship Internship under Fr. Matt Wilkins. I’m a graduate student at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, an innovative, hybrid program that allows students to learn directly from a ministry context while taking classes. Imagine the Charles Simeon Summer Fellowship here at the Cathedral, but expanded to an entire degree program open to anyone involved in worship. Part of my degree requirements is to complete a nearly 8-month internship of 10 hours a week, which I started at the end of July.

So what falls under worship, and what have I been doing this whole time? In all of my internship areas, I try to get to the heart of worship, namely God’s story: Creation, Fall, Covenant, Incarnation, Crucifixion, Redemption, Resurrection, and New Creation. When we worship, we are rehearsing God’s grand story and what he has done for us, on a personal and congregational level. 

We have many fantastic worship opportunities at the Cathedral, some of which were highlighted at Connections Sunday. I started here in music ministry as a section leader singing on Sunday mornings, but worship is much more than music. I have attended Evening Prayer, a beautiful spoken service that ends the day in praise to God, consistently every week at 4:30pm. I have been trained as a LEM-V and taken Communion to those unable to come to the Sunday service. I have been writing canticles, songs of Scripture, based on translations from our 2019 Book of Common Prayer. I co-lead an Engage group for 9th and 10th-grade girls, where I create lessons, teach and encourage the next generation in their faith and understanding of worship. I’ve been leading devotionals for the choir on Sunday mornings, analyzing the songs and our purpose in the service. 

You don’t have to be a worship intern to participate and grow in worship. Regularly attending the Sunday service is a great start, but our worship is meant to remind us of who we are as the Body of Christ, to praise God for who he is and what he has done, and to shape our hearts in service to Christ. Jesus leads the way; let’s worship as he does!

Worship and Prayer

By The Rev’d Canon Matthew Wilkins, Canon for Worship

We were made to worship...

The word “worship” comes from the same Saxon root as the word “worth." This means that to worship someone (or something) is to give that person (or thing) the honor that they are worth. As Christians, when we talk about worship we are talking about God and giving God the honor that is due his name (see 1 Chronicles 16:29). But worship is far more than just a thing we do, in the greatest sense, worship has to do with who we are.

From the very beginning, God created us to live in a relationship with Him, a relationship that I would argue is best described, at least from our side of it, as one of worship: where we know God’s incomprehensibly great mercy and love towards us, and are moved to offer back to Him not only thanks and praise but our very lives.

And even though sin entered creation and broke this worshipful relationship with God, the desire to worship still lives within each of us but is now distorted by sin. This means that we often point our desire to worship at things other than God, bundling our lives around those things in the process. As pastor/scholar/author Timothy Keller often points out, our problem isn’t whether or not we worship, but rather what it is that we worship.

This is why worship is one of the key components of the Parish Rule of Life. Worship is essential to a life of following Jesus because when we come to worship God we are reminded of what is true about ourselves, about the world around us, and about God. We are reminded of our brokenness and our deep need for God’s mercy, we are reminded that the world around us is not as it should be and that we are citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom, and we are reminded again and again of who our God is: a God of grace who week by week offers us pardon and feeds us both through His Word and in the body and blood of His Son Jesus.

There are two ways of thinking about our prayer and worship when it comes to the Parish Rule of Life.

The first is our corporate worship. This is where we gather every Sunday to sing and pray, to meditate on God’s word, and to gather around the Lord’s Table together. It’s the chance for us who have been wearied by the demands of life to come and find rest in the goodness of God, to hear the good news of what God has done for us and to offer ourselves back as a living sacrifice to Him, and then to be fed and replenished for the week that’s ahead.

Individual worship is what we do between these weekly gatherings. Our own daily pattern of prayer and worship keeps us connected to God and in relationship with Him as we go through the week. Some people read scripture and pray and journal. Some use the daily services provided in the Prayer Book like Morning or Evening Prayer, or the shorter Family Prayer services. No matter what form or which resources you use, the main point is finding a way to regularly be in God’s presence in the midst of life so that our worship (and our lives) are directed toward him.

My prayer as we begin to think about the Parish Rule of Life is this: that God will use it as a tool to draw us all into a deeper relationship with Him and into a more intentional life of following Jesus.

Cathedral Choristers

by Debbie Garven, Music Associate

The graded choral program at the Cathedral is what we call “Choristers”, but what even IS a chorister? 

Technically, a chorister is anyone who sings in a choir. Many Chorister programs in cathedrals around the world are made up of singers from the school on campus or in the nearby community. Most of the choristers at St. Peter's are parishioners of the Cathedral but some participate from other churches because of the unique training and opportunity it offers.

Our Chorister program is actually made up of children and youth from 5 years of age all the way through high school. The youngest choristers spend time rehearsing and learning about being part of a choir team and learning about music and worship. They sing several times throughout the year for Evensong.

The senior-most choristers sing about once a month at Choral Evensong on Sunday evenings. Singing in this program is an exceptional opportunity for musical growth in a healthy Christian environment as well as spiritual encouragement through leading worship. I do encourage you to attend the next Chorister lead Choral Evensong (you should attend Evensong regularly anyway as it is a wonderful and different service from the morning).

In fact, a small ensemble of our choristers will be leading this evening's Choral Evensong at 5:00pm.

As the writer of Hebrews wrote: "Let us not give up meeting together and encouraging one another," especially our younger brothers and sisters, in the corporate worship of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have an interest in your child or grandchild being a part of our Chorister Program, please contact Debbie Garven at Debbie@StPetersFL.com. Rehearsals are on Wednesdays at 4:00pm for grades K-4th and at 5:00pm for 5th-12th grades, beginning September 8.

Institution of a Rector & Dean

by The Very Rev'd Marcus Kaiser, Sr. 

This is an exciting day for me, but if I’m honest, it’s a little uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing I’d rather do than formally celebrate this Installation, but there’s two big reasons this is a little odd. First, it’s been 8 months! Normally these things happen after a few weeks, but… pandemic. So here we are, the better part of a year later, and we’re celebrating the new guy who isn’t so new. It’s been long enough that Kim, our boys, and I feel very much like this is our home and you are our people. We still get asked if we’re settling in, and as I’ve told many of you – at some point, one can no longer blame the chaos on settling. 

The other reason why it’s a little uncomfortable is because of how we style this celebration. We call it my institution (or installation, or induction, or… something… instaltution?). Here’s the thing, I really do think that’s right. In honesty, there’s nothing requiring us to do this. If it’s just about me, there’s certainly no reason to do a big celebration, much less fly in two archbishops and invite the entire diocese. The bishop could just send me a letter and saying, “tag, you’re it,” and Bob’s your uncle. 

No, this is really about you, the person reading this, the parishioner who has faithfully supported, served, and worshiped God in this place – whether you found us last week or have been attending St. Peter’s since her founding. This is a celebration of what you have accomplished, what you have endured, of your faithfulness. But, more importantly, it’s a celebration of what is to come. This is about our congregation, all of us together, as we lean into what God is making us, by way of what He has brought us through. The reason for all of the pomp and circumstance and for the big to-do is in some way because of what St. Peter’s has been and has endured. More importantly, it’s all about what St. Peter’s will mean – to us, yes, but just as much to the Tallahassee community and to the entire church.

So, thank you. Thank you for making this a special event, all of the dozens of folks who have put so much work in. Thank you for simply coming, if you are able, and thank you for offering a prayer if you aren’t. Most of all, thank you for sharing your life with my family and me and for sharing our excitement for what is to come. Today, you matter and we celebrate you. You matter to me, and you matter to the world, and most of all, you matter to Jesus. 

The Acolyte Program

By Dr. Cal Melton, Acolyte Master

Dear St. Peter’s,

To my church: My family is still celebrating the blessing of having my dad confirmed here at St. Peter’s last weekend. The Holy Spirit working in our Church brought my family here. You probably cannot even imagine how He is working in you to influence your parents and your children!

To my acolytes: It is truly an honor to serve you as head of the acolyte program here at St. Peter's. I enjoy every one of you, and I want to take this opportunity to share some direction within our acolyte program. I am excited to let everyone know that the staff, clergy, and I are on the same page about our program and youth as a whole.  We all believe the more you play a part in the service the better. We will be looking for new ways for you to serve as well as re-instituting some of our previous traditions. We will be building an acolyte page within the website construct and launching an acolyte channel for training and recruitment.  Most importantly, I would like to recognize your achievements not only in the acolyte program, but also in your life outside the program. Not because you need recognition but because it is important for your church family to know what is going on in all aspects of your growth.

To the acolyte parents: We know the acolyte program can attract new members to the church. This program can and will influence the growth of acolyte programs in our diocese and the entire ACNA. We are always looking to welcome new youth into the program. Parents, please share the message with your peers and have your children share their experience as well. There are many ways to support our program and our acolytes. 

To find out more, please contact me at (850) 570-0208 or drcalmelton@gmail.com.

In Christ,

Cal Melton