Friends,
This Sunday's lessons include from James' epistle. reminding us that all good things come of God, along with the importance of being doers of good, rather than hearers only and the need to bridle our tongues (for the sake of the "religious" community, the community of faith). the gospel lesson from Mark, where Jesus' disciples are noted as having forgotten to was their hand before eating. Jesus reproaches the Pharisees for noticing it, saying "there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” To me these have a real connection to the lesson from the Song of Songs (The Song of Solomon), inasmuch as they point to the intimate relationship of the members of the religious community. The Song of Solomon has often been interpreted as depicting such an intimate relationship. Some see it as almost erotic, but the words themselves seem rather more like a poetic depiction of a loving relationship. It is all the more remarkable then that the book is included in both the Christian and Hebrew canons of writings, especially given that the word "God" doesn't appear once in the text. The Song of Solomon is also an important text in the Kaballah school of thought, a mystical tradition of interpretation of the scriptures in both Jewish and Christian thought. Some of you may have seen the diagrams used by such schools of thought, depicting the spiritual "powers" also known as "Sefirot" in Hebrew through which "The Infinite" (see Wiki) reveals itself Such diagrams remind me of the more modern "Enneagrams" and especially because in both cases those thinking along such lines are seeking an understanding of spiritual reality (the most common interpretation of the Song of Solomon is just that - depicting a relationship between humans and God than is like the relationship of a married couple. With that in mind, you can see that all the behavioural norms set forth in the other two lessons are meant to preserve marital harmony. May we all be mindful of our words, and choose them to build more loving relationships within our spiritual communities! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Because of Tony's recent surgery, we cannot be at St Matts this Sunday morning, but we urge all to gather wherever they are for morning worship as we will be doing at the ranch. We pray for continued healing for all who afflicted with any illness or injury. As most of you know, we have been consistently mentioning the work of the EarthCare / CreationCare team at St Benedicts Church in Los Osos, who have worked diligently putting together the following Zoom-based event: ****************************************************************************** The Earth needs us, and we need a healthy Earth. Join in the facilitated five-session "Beginner's Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis" 6:30-8 p.m. PDT, Thursdays, September 9-October 7, via Zoom St. Benedict's Episcopal Church in Los Oso, CA, invites persons of all faiths to join in the series. Explore what's driving climate change, how we can think anew about God's call to be good stewards, and concrete steps we can take at home, church, and in community to make a difference. Sessions include Bible reflections, short videos, and discussion. Come and share your questions, insights and ideas. > To learn more about the Beginner’s Guide series, click here: https://www.stbenslososos.org/a-beginners-guide-to-creation-care-and-the -climate-crisis/ > To register directly for the sessions, click this link: https://www.stbenslososos.org/events/facilitated-sessions-creation-care- the-climate-crisis/ If the dates and times for the live sessions aren’t convenient for you, you can use the materials on the website for individual or group study. In these trying times, we hope you enjoy these opportunities for people of faith to explore, reflect, and act as stewards of Creation and support a healthy planet. Earthcare Team, St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church, Los Osos, CA ****************************************************************************** Other Events As with all our area parishes, St Benedicts has a full calendar of events to help you find spiritual community - for that calendar go to https://www.stbenslososos.org/calendar/ where you will find information about the following event. Starting on September 7th, the Tuesday Spiritual Conversation group will base its conversation on the book The Dream of God [www.amazon.com] by Verna Dozier. There are five chapters and each one will form the basis for one week's conversation, focused by Carol Brubaker-Walton. Everyone is welcome to join in, even if you don't have time to read the book. Conversations take place on Tuesdays at 10:15 on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7977776046?pwd=VUFZSXY3UVpNVitJaDl2VmhPS3E2UT09 You can meet Verna in this very short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0giAg2qP9mY [www.youtube.com] You can read about her life here: https://www.stmarks.net/learning/dozierlibrary/dozierlife/ And remember that you can find most events at SLO Deanery parishes by going to the "Calendar" and "Our Churches" tabs at http://sloepiscopalians.org/index.html From farther away we hear that Good Shepherd Church in Salinas (Corral de Tierra), along with many other parishes, is making a concerted effort to help Haitians after the recent earthquake there - see https://www.goodshepherdcorral.org and remember that their big annual "Art in the Pastures of Heaven" art show and auction will start on Friday, Sept. 10th @ 9 AM and run through Sunday, Sept. 12th at 9 PM and will take place online - for full info go to https://www.goodshepherdcorral.org/eventscalendar/2019/9/8/art-in-the-pastures-of-heaven From The Episcopal Church (forwarded to us by Rev Linda McConnell of Good Shepherd Church in Salinas): We hear the following prayers, offered by Most Rev Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church: "Eternal God, send forth your Spirit to encourage and strengthen the people of Haiti in these difficult times. We pray especially for those impacted by the recent earthquake and floods. Encourage and strengthen those who help and support others. In your mercy, receive the souls of those who have died; comfort their families and loved ones. Surround with your presence the sick and suffering. Aid the work of those who still search and rescue. Empower the medical and aid workers and all who labor to heal." "Eternal God, hear our prayer for the peoples of Afghanistan. There is a profound humanitarian crisis. Countless people, mostly women and children, are now fleeing and vulnerable. The lives of many are now endangered. The hopes of many are forgone. Send your Spirit, Lord, to rally the resolve of the nations of the earth to find pathways to save human lives, protect human rights and to resolve the hardships of those seeking refuge, asylum and safety. Hear our prayer for the peoples of Afghanistan. This we pray as followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen."
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Folks,
This Sunday the lessons are from 1 Kings more of King Solomon's story, from John's gospel the institution of the Eucharist and foreknowledge of Gethsemane events, and a lesson from Paul writing in Ephesians. This day I was struck both by Solomon's expansive understanding of God's love and God's people, such that even though he and Israel had built a fine house for God in the Temple asserts that it is for all peoples: “Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name —for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays toward this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built." And in Ephesians Paul makes clear that the "enemy" is not people of earth however difficult they may be but rather the true enemies which are spiritual in nature. Battling with such enemies requires spiritual strength which is aided mightily by being with people of God, those who openly display God's love in their actions and words. We pray that you will spend time with your local loving communities! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) Events Folks, Tony(!) just came out of hernia surgery and to aid his healing we cannot be at St Matts for Morning Prayer this weekend, but we encourage you all to meet for services if you can at the chapel at 10am. We expect to see as many of you as possible the following weekend. Other Events We encourage all to look at the Events pages of your local parishes and at the SLO Deanery's events page at www.sloepiscopalians.org where among other events you will see the following event(as you know, observing climate conditions worsen with drought and extreme heat at the ranch, we are especially concerned about climate change and have been trying to help the Earthcare team with it)): ************************************************************************** The Earth needs us, and we need a healthy Earth. Join in the facilitated five-session "Beginner's Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis" 6:30-8 p.m. PDT, Thursdays, September 9-October 7, via Zoom St. Benedict's Episcopal Church in Los Oso, CA, invites persons of all faiths to join in the series. Explore what's driving climate change, how we can think anew about God's call to be good stewards, and concrete steps we can take at home, church, and in community to make a difference. Sessions include Bible reflections, short videos, and discussion. Come and share your questions, insights and ideas. > To learn more about the Beginner's Guide series, use this link: https://www.stbenslososos.org/a-beginners-guide-to-creation-care-and-the-climate-crisis/ > To register directly for the sessions, use this link: https://www.stbenslososos.org/events/facilitated-sessions-creation-care-the-climate-crisis/ If the dates and times for the live sessions aren't convenient for you, you can use the materials on the website for individual or group study. In these trying times, we hope you enjoy these opportunities for people of faith to explore, reflect, and act as stewards of Creation and support a healthy planet. Earthcare Team, St. Benedict's Episcopal Church, Los Osos, CA ************************************************************************** From the broader church Our friend Daphne Denney teles us that our friend SuRay will be leading services at our fellow mission St Lukes Church in Jolon tomorrow at 10am. Those of you who know me know how keen I am on California history, which start at home, including your home church, temple or other spiritual group. We are pleased to mention that St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego has been recording oral histories, including from parishioners there before it was named the cathedral of that diocese. You can learn more about their efforts (inluding an interview with the first dean after it became the cathedral) at https://stpaulcathedral.org/dean-letter-st-pauls-an-oral-history-part-3/ and note that St Pauls is featuring one of their members, Mary Doak, who teaches theology at the University of San Diego, at their Adult Forum at 9am TOMORROW in a discussion aimed at discerning what we may have learned from the Covid experience - to attend go to https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001xp2pTGTzzoBuSwz3-Cy69D3kW3CJBu94yanHxhpe1D1VZ4jwcrLa4vSuERn6vlBPtHiH4fuoA3aTuQiiq5jOVD-XTgnXqpIor5BOa-703uIVWACgpabOl-31hIIZ9BwcbzU5OnZRZes_dek90xICTghmF0Lo7JPB&c=8yrdzVjD7sQpUQ71bJI4JM8yumGqx6IybYwyEHuO-xIjlxbQgvAedQ==&ch=WwN7XFDi8FbPzalgVFQ5Og6Kfp10Em-iBjPYEsOaBgmbTxPwfbGJmA== --- From the Deanery Besides the Earthcare event above, hosted by St Bens event but including the Deanery and beyond, the Deanery will meet via Zoom for its regular meeting TOMORROW (Aug 21) at 2pm. For full details contact convenor David Ottesen (copied on this email) at <ottesen2@icloud.com> Folks,
The lessons this week including from 2 Samuel - this time the story of David's successor Solomon, - for his wisdom, along with am alternate lesson from Proverbs depicting Wisdom as a woman. Paul takes up this thread of wisdom in his letter to the Ephesians, and being filled with the Spirit rather than spirits (liquor). And in John's gospel Jesus confounds the "wise" temple officials with his talk of the ultimate wisdom of faith, of which the communion elements are symbolic, as the talk of eating and drinking flesh and blood is not well-received. While I greatly appreciate all these lessons, I note that the day after Sunday we celebrate the Feast of St Mary the Virgin, and many parishes will be observing it this Sunday. There is good reason to observe this by reciting Canticle 15, the Song of Mary, known as the Magnifcat and written down in Luke's gospel but first spoken by Mary upon the visit of her cousin Elizabeth whose baby moved in her whom as Mary approached. There are many hauntingly meditative musical settings of the Magnificat, and one I especially remember from my earliest visits to Episcopal churches was the following Anglican Plainchant version: https://canticasacra.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Magnificat-anima-mea-Tone-VIII-S-1-.mp3 (also note that related event at St Pauls Cathedral, below) The canticle is a beautiful statement of humility and faith, including the term fear ("his mercy is on them that fear Him", meaning as we have seen before "highest regard") in the Lord whatever is to come. One could hardly be wiser than by following Mary in these words of humble trust! May we all find such wisdom! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events St Matthews Church in San Ardo will offer Morning Prayer this coming Sunday at the usual hour, 10am - we hope to see you there, but bring your masks! As well, we'd like to point you to all the regular and special events as listed both locally at www.sloepiscopalians.org and the parish websites there and other parish websites further away. Locally, the Tuesday Spiritual Conversation group St Benedicts Church in Los Osos will on Sept 7 and the four following Tuesdays begin discussion of the book The Dream of God by Verna Dozier. We think many of you might enjoy both the group and book - Ms Dozier was a leading layperson in The Episcopal Church for many years, especially in Adult Christian Education. The series is a Zoom event and will start that Tuesday at 10:15am. Note that Ms Dozier also managed to highlight Social Justice in her education programs. And a reminder from St Ben's to Join a five week Facilitated Conversation of the “BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CREATION CARE AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS” also via Zoom at 6:30p.m. – 8 p.m. PDT, on Thursdays from September 9 to October 7. Pre-registration for the Creation Care event, is very important. Please register if you would like to attend this event at https://forms.gle/LdReAAVdfBTwE8Xq7 https://forms.gle/LdReAAVdfBTwE8Xq7 and in the series you can explore * What’s driving climate change, * How we can think anew about God’s call to be good stewards, * Concrete steps we can take at home, church, and in the community to make a difference Session Topics: * Session 1: Sept. 9th What Is Climate Change and What Are Its Consequences? * Session 2: Sept. 16th How do Christians See Creation? * Session 3: Sept. 23rd What’s a Christian to Do about Climate Change? * Session 4: Sept. 30 What Can We Do as a Congregation? * Session 5: Oct. 7th How Are We Called to Be Public Advocates for Climate Health? Note that details for both of these special events are available at https://www.stbenslososos.org/ along with all other St Ben's events. Note that in a very much related event, the EarthCare group will have its monthly meeting Wed Aug 18 via St Ben's Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7977776046?pwd=VUFZSXY3UVpNVitJaDl2VmhPS3E2UT09 Our friend Daphne Denny at St Lukes in Jolon sends along the following notes for that parish, our fellow McGowan mission plant: Father Filemon will lead the Communion Service at St. Luke's this coming Sunday, August 15, at 10 am. SuRay will lead the Morning Prayer Service at St. Luke's the following Sunday, August 22, at 10 am. Good Shepherd Church's fabulous annual art show and auction, Art in the Pastures of Heaven, will take place Sept 10-12 - for full details go to www.goodshepherdcorral.org Good Shepherd also says that this Sunday will be "Back to School Sunday" and a special blessing will be bid for students, teachers and staff. From farther away we hear the following from St Pauls Cathedral, San Diego: "This Sunday is the Feast of St Mary the Virgin. The Cathedral Schola sings music for this feast in an Evensong broadcast from 2019. Musical offerings will include Ave Maria by Tomás Luis de Victoria (Spain), the great Magnificat in D by Dietrich Buxtehude (North Germany), an a cappella setting of the Nunc Dimittis by Arvo Pärt (Estonia), and returning to Spain for the anthem, Ave virgo sanctissima by 16th-century priest and composer, Francisco Guerrero. Please join us at 5pm this Sunday! Please join us via our website at" https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0019FGbHDrZa6dOWo4dRUnh6vMl2tf1V7UzWqgFWRA4WvTyWiR9ou8uxf0TOFS4h2NL_F2oXyNN62B-EEEqQSGtOa6kpgHVxm1L4bWueR596p7YdElFwto4LrkARebcf1mhh_pYDR9P2aZ61rr4AtIz6RWEFXMo8bU4&c=S6evkcfqlIMtqEV3pzpiqMfA8h26S40y5-_nKBVemzpIMtij6sYALA==&ch=IAhM7BNiKKQvESNYGSuLFO7nlvnM3Y2ztXf9wMLPewGPd8Wt2EdwNA== From the Deanery There will be a meeting of the SLO Deanery on Sunday Aug 22 at 2pm via Zoom. Contact David Ottesen, Convenor, for details at David Ottesen <ottesen2@icloud.com> From the Diocese A reminder of the Mary Lou Thompson Women's Retreaat (Episcopal Church Women) to take place at St Francis Retreat Center, San Juan Bautista - for full details contact Jane Pomeroy at jane.pomeroy@prodigy.net?subject=ECW%20Retreat Finally, I ask a Special Prayer for my partner of now 33 years, Anthony Saponate (the Tony! you are always hearing of) who will undergo hernia repair surgery this week. Folks,
The lessons appointed for this Sunday include the continuing story of King David's history, especially in regard to his son Absalom, along with another passage of communal behavioural rules in Ephesians and the foundation of our "Eucharist" (communion) services. These passage seem at first glance somewhat disparate, yet the people who put together the "canon" of the Bible, and even the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, knew the need to build a community of God's people. With that as a backdrop it seems clear that priests and scholars of the Hebrews and of early Christianity. going back to the priest/scribe Ezra could see among the Scriptues of the community a way to construct a thread that describes first the self-recognition of the community (the Jews, "God's chosen people") and then rites, including the eating of the true Bread of Christ directly, to be recognised by "God's people" (he mentions the rite in I Corinthians, and it was noted in the early church in Acts). (Note that this same order of the appointed readings is mentioned by F Filemon of St Marks Church in King City and also St Lukes in Jolon, which in fact echoes the historical order in which they were written.) Paul was one of the best "PR" people any spiritual group had ever had and traveled all over the then world (the Roman Empire) but also constantly revisited, in writing if not in person, the groups he had helped establish, and especially with standards of behaviour because, as Paul says in this passage, "we are members of on another". Some might call the standards "common decency" but is it so common? The community of God's loving people is in fact a rare jewel in my mind, and the history of human life on earth is replete with the opposite (and why the Scriptures speak fairly directly of sin, from David on down thru Paul's missionary era, and why we hear about it today). It is my prayer that humanity learns from David's errors and come together with such standards, aided by the reminder of God's love for us in symbolic rite and informed by the histories of all peoples. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Our St Matthews Church in San Ardo will be meeting at 10am at the chapel in San Ardo, at the corner of Railroad and Jolon. Note also that our friend Roy Morris will take the next turn leading worhsip at fellow mission St Lukes Church in Jolon in their historic chapel. The following week super Suray will lead the service at that same time. Also note that our big sibling parish, St James Church in Paso Robles, is having the meditative movement practice of Tai Chi both in person in their parish hall and via Zoom (see their website for details) at 10am Mondays. At St Stephens Parish our friend from several years ago Jennifer Sayre wrote an excellent piece about listening and speaking, while our friend Craig McCollum wrote another about dubious or at least less "natural" modern burial practices - both available in their excellent monthly "Witness" newsletter. Fr Ian Delinger also tells us that the parish is seeking Sunday School teachers, and explains that Sunday School first arose in England as a practice to help children who worked most days get an education - we are keen on education at every level! St Benedicts Church in Los Osos tells us of the following event: Starting on September 7th, the Tuesday Spiritual Conversation group will base its conversation on the book The Dream of God by Verna Dozier. There are five chapters and each one will form the basis for one week’s conversation, focused by Carol Brubaker-Walton. The Conversations will continues Tuesdays via Zoom - see St Ben's websites for full details. Also from St Bens, see the Study Guide offered for The Season of Creation called "A Beginners Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis" at https://www.stbenslososos.org/a-beginners-guide-to-creation-care-and-the-climate-crisis/ and mentioned below in the From the Diocese section of this News episode. Grace Cathedral will have yoga with their Amazing Sound Bath experience on Mon Aug 16 at 7pm in the cathedral atop Nob Hill in San Francisco. St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tells us they had youth event for the entire diocese last week at the beach at Bahia POint and that TOMORROW their Vacation Bible Schoold will premiere at 3pm on thier YouTube channel and can be watched by the entire family for dinner discussion - for full details (and their many other events) go to www.stpaulcathedral.org For other events we refer all to the calendar page at www.sloepiscopal.org and the various parish event pages and calendars, as we have been delayed down south by work and only just now returning. From the Diocese A reminder comes of the The Episcopal Church Women’s Mary Lou Thompson Retreat August 27-28, 2021 “Moving Forward: The Path of Love.” For full info Email Jane Pomeroy: jane.pomeroy@prodigy.net. Also a reminder of the SEASON OF CREATION STUDY "Season of Creation" starts September 5 and runs through St Francis Day. This is a great time for us to join in prayer and study prior to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. Consider using the "Beginner's Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis" program with your congregation. The five sessions include bible reflections, short videos, and discussion. Read full details and get the registration link at https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=8b93af450d&e=f136cc0442 A Story We appreciated this tidbit from Good shepherd Church in Salinas (Corral de Tierra): Outside the Box Once upon a time we captured God and we put God in a box and we put a beautiful velvet curtain around the box. We placed candles and flowers around the box and we said to the poor and the dispossessed, "Come! Come and see what we have! Come and see God!" And they knelt before the God in the box. One day, very long ago, the Spirit in the box turned the key from inside and she pushed it open. She looked around in the church and saw that there was nobody there! They had all gone. Not a soul was in the place. She said to herself, "I'm getting out!" The Spirit shot out of the box. She escaped and she has been sighted a few times since then. She was last seen with a bag lady in McDonald's. … -Edwina Gateley |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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