Folks,
The lessons this week depict scenes that bring to life the words of the scriptures in Luke's gospel (and repeating v 21 as the start of Jesus' public ministry), even while the old testament from Jeremiah gives us a distant-sounding prophecy which might refer to Jesus and the epistle lesson, again helping build the growing church, places love first but goes on to speak of maturation in faith. In many ways these lessons relate to spiritual leadership, since in the OT the Lord says "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'" but adds "Now I have put my words in your mouth." Thus in Luke Jesus begins to speak and from the get-go his audience at the Nazareth synagogue were saying "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth." We can see from the rest of the gospel passage that just because those listening to Jesus are struck by the godly tone of his teaching doesn't mean they welcome him - indeed in short order he note that "no prophet is accepted in (his) hometown". Moreover, he states, using his thorough knowledge of OT history, that his ministry is about the widow and the leper - ie outcasts, rather than the pious in the temples. Ok, so how does this relate to the Jeremiah lesson? See, God has "put my words in your mouth." Jesus could speak with this assurance. His directed ministry to those outcasts is the practice of Paul's cardinal value in the Corinthians letter - LOVE. It is with this understanding that Jesus continues in a ministry of love for all humankind. In these lessons we saw Jesus start his ministry, with God's assurance as he speaks, of love - and the maturation of that ministry made great progress with Paul building the church as he and his fellows in ministry understood more (yet only "dimly"). Let us look forward to that more complete understanding, seeing it "face to face". Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Our fellow missions St Marks in King City and St Lukes in Jolon will have worship services at 10am, in St Lukes case with our friend Dave Miller leading the service, and Fr Filemon DIaz at St Marks in King City. As you all recall we had changed St Matt's meeting time for Sunday worship to an Evening Prayer time (3:30pm) which worked pretty well, so that TOMORROW we will meet at about that time, but this time at a parishioner's house - if you weren't there for the discussion - RSVP for directions. Our friend Kathanne Lynch at St Stephens Church in San Luis Obipso tells us that the parish will have a special Centering Book Discussion event series Tuesdays beginning Feb 15 from 4:30-5pm followed by the regular Cenetering Prayer at 5pm. The book is Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault (2004) and all are welcome. For the Zoom link please contact Kathanne at kathannelynch3@gmail.com St Peters Church in Morro Bay tells us while they continue to meet for the regular worship service at 10am, the coffee hour remains suspended, though they are tentatively considering resumption on Feb 6. And note that St Peters Java Chat group WILL meet outdoors from 10:30am to nooon Thursdays at the church. St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande tells us that parishioner Mary Ann Hjalmarson, helped by her husband John (the couple are personal friends of ours), started Bible Study and continue in that ministry at the parish (every Tues morning at 10:30am preceded by Morning Prayer at 9:30am) along with the Guardians ministry (keeping parish members intouch with each other and the church) and the Thrift Shop. See the parish website for details. Now St Barnabas has nominated Mary Ann as Honoured Woman at the 2022 Honored Women ceremony which will take place Sep 29 from 10am to 12noon. The Zoom link will be Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86469694296?pwd=Rml3eEF0QzdnR2htLzNGSGNUVzJzdz09 [saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com] Meeting ID: 864 6969 4296 Passcode: ECW2022 As we mentioned last week the Community of Divine Love Monastery is holding a very special book discussion on Greg Boyle's new book: THE WHOLE LANGUAGE Wed Feb 2nd and 9th at 6:30pm. The series started on January 19th, but you do not need to have attended the first session. The evenings consist of an opening contemplative "music meditation," discussion, and short video talks, with our closing prayer always being a music video liturgy. Click this link to attend via your computer or device: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81835978122 [saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com] The author, Greg Boyle, will be joining the discussion on February 2nd See St Barnabas websites for full details ontheir two Sunday morning services and other events. As at St Stephens (see above) St Barnabas has a Friday Centering Prayer event at 4pm. After first gathering for a few minutes they practice 20 minutes of silent Centering Prayer. Following the practice they will be reading and discussing a passage from The Cloud of Unknowing, an anonymous fourteenth century spiritual director. We'll be using Where Only Love Can Go, an edited collection of the writings. We will use the Zoom video conferencing service for this gathering. Clicka this link to attend via your computer or device https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86777561670?pwd=OEV0ajc1WXhuSGJINTIwbU1LUWR6Zz09 [saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com] And St Benedicts Church in Los Osos, besides their many regular events (see their websites) will continue the Hollister Institute on Tuesdays at 10:15am on Zoom (see those websites for the Zoom link). Currently yjru str trsfomh and discussing "Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of St. Benedict". Don't forget St Bens SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE CONVERSATION - Sunday Morning Bible Conversation is held each week between the two morning services starting at 9:20 in the classroom. Our friends Lisa G onzalez and Lorienne Schwenk will be leading the discussion. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas willhave special music at worship services this Sunday from violinist Sydney Schuler and recorder player Adriana Ribeiro St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tells that tomorrow at their Adult Forum at 9am via Zoom the program is as follows: Things Change: The Intersection of Life Transitions, Personal Faith and Our Own Theology of Change with Danny Love on a personal and theological exploration of how life's changes impact and inform our personal faith. This 2-part pastoral series is part of Danny's final capstone project for his Master's degree in Divinity. Dan will lead us in a discussion about significant life transitions and their broad impact and influence on our spiritual lives. There will be some brief audience participation and using audience examples to illustrate points of impact and points of influence that came about as a result of these life changes. Click Here to join the Zoom meeting: https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Hqx2DVSf0sWmDJXjKRlXz0j_cDpCNmj9q6kCqKxHM-MiUxhKDoJNsLe3BMk5KPjqvG9_W0kmOcV3xMbnClJeJjYhzJBLwAB-SmAK3OBwTW9qQdm2Tqpae5tlmvi6eZcSY6NIe63yQtgdy0nUhsKrC5ZHnaBXoXBb&c=tobewSD-cn9IWs6Eu3UadaHDLX5YDEubGbE3thUHMGRl6AVE0sUKsw==&ch=GGhaLtpmVxjBiqtlJJt9RmzN_UdpUNtiGukiiSX8WXPnRwIvXYScTQ== The Cathedral parish tells us they will have a couple of events in memory of their beloved Dean James E Carroll, including a Requiem mass on Feb 12 viewable on YouTube and Facebook. Also TOMORROW parish the Cathedral will present a pre-recorded broadcast of a service of Feb 3, 2019 with Dean Carroll officiating. The presentation begins at 5pm.
0 Comments
Friends,
I found the lessons appointed for this Sunday especially "real" in the sense that put life to the words of the Old and New Testaments. In the first lesson from Nehemiah are the story of the scribe Ezra reading from the book of the law. In a letter to the church in Corinth St Paul discussses the members of the group as parts of the body. And in Luke's gospel Jesus speaks in the synagogue on the sabbath. In all three lessons, I can sense being there - to hear Ezra not just read the law but explain it for all to understand better. In his letter, Paul is working with real church people as they sense their differences. In the lesson set in the synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth, Jesus was about 30 years old. Adept at sysagogue practice, Jesus reads from a scroll and is already familiar with what he will read (a good idea for lectors is to pre-read the lessons), so at the end of the passage from Isaiah he is ready to comment "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." In all three lessons one gets the sense of something stated explicitly in by Luke, that Jesus was "filled with the power of the Spirit". For Ezra in that Jubilee year, to read most of the morning, with explanation (ie, commentary) he was also powered by that same Spirit, and even at his writing desk, Paul was inspired to see how the body's parts make an apt analogy for the church community, for it is the Spirit that enables us to speak with calm "rightness". One further point to note is that despite the emphasis on words in the lessons, the first words of the Psalm appointed for this Sunday: "The heavens declare the glory of God, * and the firmament shows his handiwork." Little wonder then that so many have "begun their ministry" in whatever career they find themselves by deeply noting God's amazing creation. So let us all hear God's words with mutual commentary, inspired by the Spirit! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts in San Ardo Events Thanks to those of you who pointed out that St Barnabas Church is in ARROYO GRANDE, not King City. Folks, to enable more of our group at St Matthews Church in San Ardo to be present we have decided to try meeting for Evening Prayer worship this Sunday at 3:30pm. Please stay tuned to see if this time suits better. Our nearby missions, St Lukes in Jolon and St Marks in King City, will be meeting for morning at 10am in their respective chapels, with led by our friends SuRay in Jolon and Fr Filemon in King City. Note also that the two mission parishes will have their joint annual meeting at St Marks Parish Hall on Wed Jan 26 at 6pm. (For the following events precise details, including Zoom links, etc, please check with parish web pages - those for the San Luis Obispo Deanery can be found at www.sloepiscopalians.org at Our Deanery / Our Churches.) St James Church in Paso Robles tells us that in ongoing Epiphany celebrations they have "Star Words" available for the next few weeks = you can email their to request one if you aren't coming to church. St James services continue in-person and via their Facebook page. And following those services on Feb 6 they will conduct their parish annual meeting, both in person and via Zoom. On Thursday mornings at 11am Mthr Barbara will lead Bible Study. And this coming Tuesday at 6 pm they will have a 6pm service in person and via Zoom with Mthr Barbara officiating and our friend Tricia Ottesen preaching. St Benedicts Church in Los Osos reminds us their Hollister Institute, an opportunity for stimulating discussio, will take place Tuesdays at 10:15am on Zoom. St Bens will provide and serve food at South Bay Community Center there on the first Thurs of odd-numbered months, currently featuring "Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of St. Benedict". St Bens also offers their Vespers and Conversation event Thurs at 5:30pm and Sun morning services at 8am and 10:30am are in person and fiz Zoom with the Annual Parish meeting only via Zoom this Sun at 12:30pm. On Sat Jan 29 St Bens will be planting trees from 9am to 11am IN PERSON (those of you who know how keenly we have been planting trees here at the ranch will realise how much we value this effort!) St Barnabas Church in ARROYO GRANDE tells us their special Bible Study series using the Kerygma Program "Shalom": with Old Testament scholar Donald E. Gowan unravelling the multiple biblical threads of this eternal quest for peace in this masterful exploration of the Hebrew concept "shalom" and the Greek "eirene." The program is at 9:30am following Morning Prayer at 9am via Zoom. Note that Friday Centering Prayer at 4pm is also available via Zoom. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas will have Morning Prayer this Sunday with laypersons Lee Blankenship officiating and Yvonne Crane delivering the homily. Good Shepherd is also have their Star GAZING Party Feb 4 at 6pm at Eve's Peak (the hill behind the church) with telescopic equipment and guideance provided by the Salinas High Shool Astronomy Club with Good Shepherd's Scout Troop #93 providing assitance. Meet at church parking at 5:30 to walk up to the peak. The Community of Divine Love Monastery (San Luis Obipso area) is holding a very special book discussion on Greg Boyle's new book: THE WHOLE LANGUAGE Wednesday January 26, February 2nd and 9th at 6:30pm. The series started on January 19th, but you do not need to have attended the first session. The evenings consist of an opening contemplative "music meditation," discussion, and short video talks, with our closing prayer always being a music video liturgy. Click this link to attend via your computer or device: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81835978122 From the Diocese Bp Lucinda Ashby was formally "seated" as our bishop diocesan at a special service at our Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown San Jose. See photos and video clip at the diocesan Facebook page at https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=4e859c047a&e=90dff646c0 Meanwhile, another change at Sargent House, the diocesan HQ in Salnias, as our longtime friend, Rev Canon Brian Nordwick has retired after 18 years serving the Diocese (he was especially helpful to us at St Matts!) Brian said "“I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I took the leap of faith to leave the international seed business to start sowing seeds full time for our church" in a recent interview. The diocesan Resource Center at Sargent House tells u they have books, videos and other materials especially for Lent available - for more info go to mailto:resourcecenter@stthomas-svale.us And the Storied Pilgrimage with Race we mentioned in last week's New will explore "issues of race in our diocese; it is a holy offering of video interviews, education, action items, and room for reflection". They will meet 7pm to 8:30pm on Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 29, April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 15, and Dec. 6. To sign up, please email the Rev. Canon Martha Korienek at canonmartha@realepiscopal.org by January 24, 2022. And as we have mentioned, the women of the Diocese will be meeting Sat Jan 29 10am until noon for the annual ECW Honored Women's Event. The Zoom link for the event is : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86469694296?pwd=Rml3eEF0QzdnR2htLzNGSGNUVzJzdz 09 [us02web.zoom.us] Meeting ID: 864 6969 4296 Passcode: ECW2022 One tap mobile +14086380968,,86469694296#,,,,*9080579# US (San Jose) +16699006833,,86469694296#,,,,*9080579# US (San Jose) Dial by your location +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) Meeting ID: 864 6969 4296 Passcode: 9080579 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kvaWxXnKW [us02web.zoom.us] Friends,
Sometimes the lessons for a given Sunday seem to repeat too often. But it is amazing to me that if one "ponders" (as Mary is said to have done in the wonderful "Magnificat" canticle), new insights can come thru. So this week, we see that the gospel lesson is the story of the Jesus first miracle, changing water into wine at that Cana wedding. While it would be interesting to know more of the Holy Family's social connections, the writer limits the story to the salient points. As you may recall we not too long ago had this lesson on the Lectionary, and had a collective chuckle at the trick it cites of serving good wine first so that guests when later "drunk" and served lesser wine wouldn't notice. So when at first I saw it in the Lectionary, I thought "Not again!", but then I noticed anew that the steward tasting the miraculous wine noted that it was Good Wine. My point here isn't a comment on the sommelier's ability nor even surprise but rather that Jesus wanted his party to enjoy the best (and remember that Jesus invites EVERYONE to his parties!) Rather, this actually led me back thru the Epistle lesson from Corinthians discussing (as we have just last week) the gift of "tongues". But this week Paul sets this in gift in place among many "varieties of gifts". As we know "companies" (including non-profits like the Church) are formed for this very reason, that different "members" have different roles to play to make the entire effort productive. So let us assume that the wedding was of close friends and members of the company of Jesus. What sort of wine would you choose to serve to those who matter most in your efforts? But Paul actually adds a bit more as he notes that God's gifts are "activated" by the Spirit. To my surprise, this makes clear why the Old Testaments lessons so often, including this Sunday's from Isaiah, focus on nation building, in that case the nation of "Zion" usually interpreted as Israel. Yet the Church has taken this to mean the greater nation, the nation of all humanity, who are (lest we forget) exercising their gifts too. Our work is to help all others then is seeking the Spirit's activation. In this way we can at least work towards Zion for all. Our prayer is that all may enjoy the good wine, even while eschewing the excess of drunkenness, of any sort, that we might taste the good wine on offer from God even as we work towards that Zion. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and from all of us at St Matts! Events While St Marks in King City and St Lukes in Jolon will have morning worship tomorrow with Fr Diaz at 10am, our own St Matts ill be meeting for worship at that same our in San Ardo. All are welcome! (For a guide to the webpages of the parishes in the San Luis Obispo Deanery please consult the "Our Deanery" tab at the Deanery's website: http://sloepiscopalians.org/index.html Meanwhile, even with the Covid strictures (as mentioned very particular to each parish, so check ahead) St Barnabas in King City is moving ahead with Confirmation Classes, for adolescents but also adults. It is a joy to have other join the Zion-building effort discussed above! These classes will be at 9am and 11:30am (after the morning worship) but note that on Jan 30 there will only be a 10am worship so that everyone can focus on the parish's "corporate annual meeting", including budgetary matters but also existing and new programs and ministries (curiously this is also true to business world where we will be seeing such annual events). These classes will be online at 7pm on Thursdays (see the websites). Friends at St Barnabas also tell us they will start a new unit of the Kerygma Program at weekly Bible Study, time focused on the Hebrew notion of "Shalom" (peace). They expect the program to start Jan 18 at 10am and follows Morning Prayer on Tuesdays. Note also the weekly Centering Prayer which takes place on Fridays at 4pm. Both are on Zoom. Special thanks to St Barnabas for keeping careful track of the Covid situation in our Deanery area. For many months now, they have put out helpful advice, statistics and references to help avoid disease. At St Benedicts Church in Los Osos the Earthcare Group will meet this week at 3pm via Zoom, and at 6pm the choir rehearses, with a meeting of the Parish Council at 7:15pm, a runup to the annual parish meeting on the 23rd. And as we mentioned last week, their Hollister Institute program at 10:15am on Zoom will take up the book "Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of St. Benedict". See their website for full details. St James Church in Paso Robles tells this Wed at 6pm their Evening Prayer Service on the feast day of Wulfstan of Worcester will feature an homily by our friend Laura Learned and that us most of their services including Sunday Morning Worship at 10am will be in person or on Zoom (see their webpage for details). Our friends at St Peters Church in Morro Bay tell us they are back to worshipping in person including this Sunday at 10am, but coffee hour is suspended and Java Chat will NOT meet for coffee until further notice. St Peters has also been doing a good job keeping us informed about Covid in the area, as have most of our parishes. Padre Sid there is alway intellectually interesting and in the parish news he included results of a study on stress that showed via biological markers that while stress can caused more rapid aging, emotional regulation and self control can mitigate. Their news often includes bits of poetry and whimsy - eg an image of HIttite King šuppiluliuma I, looking like a bearded backpacker. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas (Corral de Tierra) tells us their events services, as at St Bens, are usually in person and online. In addition, the parish will play a major role in the Martin Luther King Day "I have a dream" Walk and Celebration in central Salinas - meet at at 10am in person at First United Methodist, 404 Lincoln at 10am, with food and entertainment to follow. And TOMORROW at 3pm Grace Cathedral will honor Dr King at a Zoom service at 3pm - see their websites for details. From the Deanery Our friend David Ottesen, Deanery Convenor, tells us of the upcoming quarterly Deanery meetings all at 2pm, including the next on Feb 27. The meetings have typically been via Zoom but stay tuned. From the Diocese Canon Martha Korienek of Diocesan HQ and the bishop's right hand tells us of "A Storied Pilgrimage with Race", a diocesan program which will be taking place once a month and is open to all. The first session of this course will be on Jan 25, 7-8:30pm. See www.RealEpiscopal.org for details. From the Broader Church Pastor Linda Mcconnell of Good Shepherd Church tells they enjoyed a live streamed broadcast marking The Feast of the Epiphany and the anniversary of the Insurrection at the US Capital, where Presiding Bp Michael Curry called on the nation to "reclaim the spiritual light that the holiday celebrates and reject the 'deeper darkness' shown in the attack". To hear the Presiding Bishop's sermon at the Lincoln Memorial go to https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=62bff912bb&e=cc1155f723 Folks,
The lessons appointed for this Sunday include Isaiah proclaiming God's favour up on Israel (in some pretty grand terms, giving "nations in exchange for your life," The New Testament lesson from Acts discusses about the missionary activity of the earliest church, in this case activity in Samaria, and notes that the group there "had only been baptized" and the Spirit had not yet "come upon any of them". And Luke's gospel tells the story of Jesus' own baptism by John, with the familiar words, "one who is more powerful than I is coming" and adding "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." While the Isaiah seems excessive to me, yet it is the case that in many ways God's spirit was with that tribe or nation, especially as Israel finally moved away from idol-worship, and while we can doubt the wisdom of the Pharisees and Sadducees at the temple, at least they had moved away from imposition of their religion by force, and instead engaged in wordy discussions. But the notion of receiving the Holy Spirit of God in a formal way is tantalising, and a topic of both the lesson from Acts and this gospel lesson. Perhaps I have missed out on something, but my sense is that a gradual "growing" in God's spirit seems to have been my experience, and not a sudden outpouring. This is not to say I am not affected by peer pressure - when I attended a church which regularly practised speaking in tongues especially with a "singing in the Spirit", for which the leader had us singing a repetitive song with each pass in a higher pitch (so that some of us were soon in effect screaming to reach the notes) and then broke into glossolalia over the entire room, I decided to sing as best I could my Russian Orthodox chanting from my youth in that church. The folks around me decided I must have "received the Spirit", but I was just glad not to stand out. Over the years, my understanding of my faith has grown clearer as well as deeper, and led to a concern over idolatry of any kind, including of a golden calf, but also of the Bible or a particular religious leader or any one thing except the ineffable love of God. I recently looked up Jainism, mentioned in an article I was reading, and while (as with most other religious) there have been further ideas and practices, and several divisions or "sub-traditions", the main pillars remain non-violence, non-absolutism, and non-attachment. It is amazing to me how Jesus seems to have adhered to these principles as well (think "turn the other cheek", "a new commandment", and "those who would save their life will lose it". Above all though I rejoice in God's Spirit of Love, that we find in our churches and temples today. It is for this Spirit, growing my understanding, that has made my attachment to the church enduring. So while we rejoice in baptisms, including in the Spirit, we pray for that deeper understanding of faith in God that only comes with time and faith - the trust beyond words. Our love to all - may we all find God's Spirit growing our understanding! Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts! Events As we have been for the past couple weeks, we encourage all to look on the events calendars and other webpages of your local parishes for precise details given the concerns over Covid. Our own St Matthews Church in San Ardo will meet for Morning Prayer at the usual hour, 10am, at the chapel on the corner of Railroad and Jolon in "downtown" San Ardo. A few other events caught our attention however, including a new Zoom series with the folks at St Benedicts Church in Los Osos described as "Buddhists Reflect on the Rule of St Benedict" Tuesdays at 10:15am beginning on Jan 25 and based on a book by that title. Note that that earlier series will continue this Tuesday at 10:15am. They say the book seems to be a good follow-on to their recent conversations on the "Book of Joy" which in turn was based on conversations between Abp Desmond Tutu nnd the Dalai Lama. The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7977776046?pwd=VUFZSXY3UVpNVitJaDl2VmhPS3E2UT09 and the passcode is 93402 You all will recall that St Ben's Earthcare/Creation Care team recently had an online 5 part series on Climate Change, but if you missed it, or even just want to experience it from a different group, St Timothys Church in Mountain View will have a 5 part series during Epiphany, a "Guide to Creation Care". For more info and to register go to https://mcusercontent.com/99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60/files/51434dfb-0976-bc0f-3510-73c63a028505/Beginner_s_Guide_annct_12_31_21.pdf For all of St Ben's services and other events go to their websites at http://www.stbenslososos.org/ St Lukes Church, Atascadero, will thru 2022 be undertaking "A Storied Pilgrimage with Race". For more on the curriculum see https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=39776b8f99&e=f67e3a9e13 and for particulars and all their worship and other events, most all available in person and via Zoom, see St Lukes websites at https://www.stlukesatascadero.com/ and don't forget their Taize music Sunday evenings at 7pm. Good Shepherd Church in Salinas tells us their services will be both on Zoom and in person and that they will be having mandolinist Dave Holodiloff at this Sunday's services along with Music Dir David Howe. For full info on all their events go to https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=c27b4c5505&e=cc1155f723 St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tells ut they will offer "An ancient tradition of the Church is for clergy to make the Epiphany Proclamation from the pulpit each year. In the days before standardized calendars or Google, this was how the faithful learned the dates of Ash Wednesday, Easter and Pentecost. So here is the Epiphany Proclamation" https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gwWyQG264E1k7IvfWVRan_TgjjDuvU2I69_KntqpvedcRe97sXm-vzFHaRH23JqtxVAq9KWYkgP1XYRodbh3SAe2xSJU12g1Ry_APvSfTcbH5owkZP7H-abn6-HuyX23E7mBrqGJAlcbRct2KFS4cFK5-LzjcQNmon6RgfeaDp05M1URRFzlwQNSd5kwMJlYnteSQf7JtRE=&c=BJo-y9j4hsMbwgKO4JX36MqfWoCM8gN4uh4m19FWhFqOAJZyrGeviA==&ch=fdLTqF9IzmB851YIsEqJMzUCRaJ8_f7ZCzmGJyahJU_hGtXfaBcdsQ== and note that they will offer a pre-recorded performance at 5pm Sunday described thus: The St Cecilia Choir of Girls & Men sing Evensong this Sunday in a rebroadcast from 2019. The evening canticles are from the St Paul's Service by Stephen Sturk. The introit is Heavenly Light, by Alexander Kopylov, and the anthem is "Christus est stella" by Will Todd. Please join us on our website - https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gwWyQG264E1k7IvfWVRan_TgjjDuvU2I69_KntqpvedcRe97sXm-v5kfkOxQtgHMYk2x0XDMYu3viIeSmozf9zrLOBiCPeZPqc5KQL5-wnV-5OVi3LiIZgjJpWfVVlOXDpkp93aH4gWnIxdF3gRoqd2X5Ivu9wfV&c=BJo-y9j4hsMbwgKO4JX36MqfWoCM8gN4uh4m19FWhFqOAJZyrGeviA==&ch=fdLTqF9IzmB851YIsEqJMzUCRaJ8_f7ZCzmGJyahJU_hGtXfaBcdsQ== From the Diocese We hear that diocesan communications officer Elrond Lawrence will be leaving to take his "dream job". Our friend Elrond has been a fan of railroads since boyhood and will now be working for a professional association, Center for Railroad Photography & Art, in that area. We will miss Elrond and his cheerful help for all the El Camino Real parishes. Folks,
This coming Sunday is the second of two this time are in the Christmas Season and includes lessons from Jeremiah, as so often a possible but unclear reference to Jesus coming ministry, and Paul in a letter to the church in Ephesus before he had ever been in the place lauding the new church community there. But I'd like to commend today the alternative gospel lesson from Luke due to a personal story. When I was four years old my parents accidentally left me behind as I was looking in a toy store window (at electric train sets), either having thought the other had put me in the backseat. They drove off without me, and I ran three blocks after their car up until the Calumet River in South Chicago (the big commercial district across the river from our neighbourhood and a boundary pf sorts for black and white neighbourhoods), which was just opening for a ship. As I saw the family car be the last one to make it across the bridge, I sat down on the curb and started crying. Just then for black men in a Cadillac (lots of jokes about that) saw me and asked if I wanted a ride? With tears in my eyes I said "Uh huh". They delivered me to the curb in front of my home where I found my parents had called the police. Later at home I told them I just walked home (which I could have despite the 3.5 mile journey) and they got the newspaper to include a story about me called "The Pioneer of the EastSide", our neighbourhood's name. The lesson from Luke, an alternative appointed for this Sunday, includes somthing I have never noted before and which seems useful to me. In the lesson, a 12 year old Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem - the big commercial district. His parents, assuming he was in their group actually went a day's journey before they noticed and went back to look for him. To their astonishment, they found him teaching in the temple, "And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers", but also asking questions. Now I'd like to say I said something wise about race relations to the guys in the Cadillac, but in fact I simply mumbled "Thanks" - or at least to my parents. but I was so afraid of what my parents would say because of the very difficult race relations in that part of Chicago more than because I shouldn't have accepted a ride, that I remained quiet So why is my little story relevant? Whatever you think about the Jesus story (a similarly personal one to mine), it seems to me he was clearly a remarkable guy, and worthy of our attention to his words, and of those around him. May we all look for Jesus in the faces, words and hearts of those who pay attention to his words today! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Our own St Matthew's will be having Morning Prayer this Sunday morning in person (we actually know the Covid status of all likely attendees, but if would like to join us, please let contact me by return email.) As was the case last week, this weekend there has been a great deal of schedule changing and for this reason again we want to be sure you consult the websites of the various parishes we often report on, and / or from your local parishes. But we strongly recommend continued mask-wearing in public events (KN95 or similar). Note that in several cases, as with events at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and St Benedicts Church in Los Osos an RSVP is needed so they can ensure safety (besides their regular events, St Bens is set to have their annual Epiphany "Star Party" on that feast day, Jan 6, while several other parishes will celebrate it on the following Sunday, the First Sunday after the Epiphany. As was the case last week, most parishes have made arrangements for you to join their events online, an excellent option! |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
st. matthews newsWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |