Folks,
This week's News will have to be very short due to the press of work here at the ranch as the heat of summer lets up. The lessons for this coming Sunday include Jeremiah being rather angry that the people have not "kept the faith" asking "Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods?" but goes on with a metaphor: "for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water." The Epistle lesson is from Hebrews again, with a beautiful admonition to show hospitality to strangers, "for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it". The gospel from Luke lesson is a favourite of mine, wherein we are told Jesus, upon being invited to the home of a leading Pharisee warns against pride especially by way of telling a story of being invited to a wedding banquet (don't presume to sit at the place of honour lest you be asked to move when the guest for whom it was intended arrives). Jesus goes on to remind us that all are equal so if you GIVE a banquet don't invite folks expecting something in return, but rather "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Note that one could reasonably quibble that such an invitation of those who cannot repay is in fact doing something for which you will be expecting payment. To my taste, it would be even better if it said to invite all sorts of people, because in so doing so you and all your guests might learn yet more. Remember folks, people, all sorts of people, are the best things in life (and can be the worst!) so cherish them and drink them in as a fine wine. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events St Matts Church in San Ardo will meet for Evening Prayer at 4pm this Sunday. St Marks Church in King City and St Lukes Church in Jolon will be meeting at their separate locations for services, both at 10am this Sunday. In view of our work load at the ranch, there will be no more event news until next except: Pastor Linda McConnell, just back from sabbatical, at Good Shepherd Church in Salinas tells us that their big annual art show, Art in the Pastures of Heaven, will be open for online bidding all weekend Sep 9 thru Sep 11. There will be an Opening Night Reception in person from 6pm to 9pm at Good Shepherds parish hall on Fri Sep 9. Full details of the Art Show can be seen at https://realepiscopal.us3.listmanage.com/track/clicku=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=f957c419a5&e=f136cc0442 From the Deanery There will be a brief Deanery Meeting this Sunday at 2pm. Contact David Ottesen for details at <ottesen2@icloud.com> From the Diocese Bp Lucinda will present a Q&A session on the recent Lambeth Gathering of Anglican bishops at 4pm Sun Sep 18. The session will be via Zoom and the link will be https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=946c1b42eb&e=f136cc0442
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Folks,
The lessons this Sunday include what might be called Jeremiah receiving his "commission' to be a prophet, another excellent passage from the Letter to the Hebrews where the writer makes very clear that the church is not about the "things of this world" that can be touched. Embedded in this passage is a quote from the prophet Haggai that "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven". The passage goes on to clearly say "indicates the removal of what is shaken-- that is, created things-- so that what cannot be shaken may remain." That remainder will be God's New Creation. The gospel lesson from Luke is the familiar story of a leader of the synagogue criticising Jesus curing a woman crippled for 18 years for healing with a laying on of hands on the sabbath. The leader received a stern rebuke from Jesus, calling the leader a hypocrite and pointing out that even that leader took his donkey to get water on the sabbath. After the healing the woman "stood up straight and began praising God" and "the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing"! All the above lessons are good food for thought, but the gospel leads me to mention a wonderful personal story as well: A little while ago I got a call from my ex (who like the song lives in Texas), and who had a Covid infection just a few days ago. He had to go to a rehab hospital and called me two days from there barely able to talk. Today, he was talkng and feeling much better, in large part he said because of what had happened yesterday. Apparently two cleaning ladies at the hospital came in to scour everything in the room, including him They were good friends with each other and enjoyed working together, so they were laughing and joking with each other and him. The healing effect was two-pronged as the cleaning women were feeling good but also laid hands on my ex. He was really astonished at the changes that it had in him: he was both feeling better (today his speaking sounded almost normal) and especially in spirit. As he has in most of his life had a tendency to be a bit "curmudgeonly", I was in turn amazed by the change in him as well. May we all recognise that the Spirit needs to work through personal contact, even in the time of covid, monkeypox or etc and use such means as we can, as the ad used to say, "reach out and touch someone"! We are glad he reached out to us! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events This Sunday Rev Dcn Rob Seifert will join Fr Filemon in leading a combined communion service of St Marks Church, King City and St Lukes Church, Jolon at St Lukes while we at St Matts Church in San Ardo will have Evening Prayer at 4pm. We'd like to focus on our friend at St Peters Church in Morrow Bay where "Padre Sid" has been gearing up the activity level. In particular: Padre Sid will offer a three-week learning and discussion seminar, “The Episcopal Church: Principles and Practices” this Fall. Join us on Thursday afternoons, September 29, October 6 and October 13 from 1:30 to 3 PM for an overview of what makes us a “denomination.” There will be plenty of opportunity for Q&A. All are most welcome. Following the Inquirers’ class and in the same weekly time slot, Lenny Erickson will resume her Eclectia class at last. Stay tuned for more news of Lenny’s class, beginning in October. Also the affiliated By-the-Sea Players will be presenting "Murder on the Orient Express in St Pete's parish hall Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and Sunday matinees at 3pm, thru Sept 4. We also want to mention that St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande will be having another in their "Dinner Night Out" series on Thurs Aug 25th at 6:00 pm at the Branch Street Deli. The speaker this time will be Dr. Hisham Assal, and he will be sharing about Islamic or Muslim spirituality. From the Deanery Our friend David Ottesen tells us that a special meeting of the SLO Deanery is being called on Sunday, August 28, at 2pm via Zoom. It will be a very brief meeting to elect Deanery representatives to the diocesan Board of Trustees. Check with David for the Zoom link at David Ottesen <ottesen2@icloud.com> Folks,
The lessons this week include a very personal sounding lament and excoriation by the prophet Isaiah, and another rather angy sounding lecture about the effects of Jesus' own teaching "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" But this Sunday I am yet more entranced by the Letter to the Hebrews. As we mentioned before its precise authorship is unclear and even early scholars like Origen writing in the third century could tell by its polished Greek that while the matter was in tune with the Apostle Paul's other writings, the style was quite different - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Hebrews#:~:text=The%20Epistle%20to%20the%20Hebrews,attributed%20to%20Paul%20the%20Apostle. But my enchantment is not due to the polish of the writing, but rather the subject - in effect a "resurrection" of "saints" who had gone before, including the prostitute Rahab who lived at Jericho probably a thousand years earlier and who helped Joshua win the famous battle there - the first battle of the Jews as they asserted control over Canaan (recall that the area was already inhabited by various tribes in their small city-states). The story goes that Rahab. whose "inn" (brothel?) was on the city wall, hid a pair of spies Joshua had sent to seek weak spots. Note in the reference to wiki above the author points out that Hebrews was likely written to help with some doubts that had arisen in the Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem, and includes debate points such as what happened to those earlier saints. Remember that Christianity was meant to be a thoroughly Jewish faith - even Jesus said he came not to "abolish the law or the prophets ... but to fulfill them". Rahab in particular serves as a reminder by the Jews themselves that their God is the God of all, and not just in times of Jesus earthly ministry but as well a thousand years earlier. The writer tells Jesus' followers in the land of Israel that such saints, including Rahab the prostitute, will not miss out on a reward for their faith, but rather will be a part of the coming kingdom (this was mentioned in last week's meditation and indeed the Hebrews lesson is part of the same chapter of of that book). This notion reminds me of the wonderful world of iconography, both in the Russian Orthodox churches of my youth and as well in the western Christian tradition. In both cases even if you are alone in the chapel, you are surrounded by a "host" of saints, including those of Old Testament times. This testament to the continuity of God's emerging kingdom, leaving none behind, is to me a wonderful reminder that the God in whom we have faith will be faithful to us. Let us enjoy the security of God's faithfulness, even as we work to bring about His kingdom! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) Events This Sunday St Matts will be meeting at 4pm for Evening Prayer and all are welcome. Our fellow missions St Lukes in Jolon and St Marks in King City will be having services Sunday morning at 10am, led by Roy Morris at St Lukes and Rev Filemon Diaz at St Marks and again all are welcome. TODAY! We just received word of the following important secular event (the sacred and the secular exist in the same earth that needs our stewardship): You are warmly invited to join San Luis Obispo’s Community Climate Party on Saturday, August 13th from 10am-2pm at Sinsheimer Park! Hosted by the City’s Office of Sustainability and Natural Resources and our community partners, the Climate Party is a fun and free family-friendly event where you can enjoy live music, food and beverages for sale, and kid-friendly activities. Attendees will learn about the City’s progress towards reaching carbon neutrality by 2035, and provide feedback on the forthcoming 2023 - 2027 Work Program of the Climate Action Plan. Event Details: * Date: Saturday, August 13th * Time: 10am - 2pm * Location: Sinsheimer Park, near the SLO Swim Center parking lot (900 Southwood, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401) * Transportation: We encourage walking, biking, and taking public transit to this event! * Event Partners include: SLO Climate Coalition, R.A.C.E. Matters SLO, ECOSLO, SLOAPCD, IWMA, SLOCOG, CCCE, Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District, Bike SLO County, iFixit, Bread Bike, Whalebird Kombucha, and more From the Diocese FIFTEENTH LAMBETH CONFERENCE CONCLUDES From Episcopal News Service - Bishops from across the Anglican Communion, meeting Aug. 6 for their last business day at the Lambeth Conference, looked to the future as they emphasized the conference’s theme of Anglicans engaging with the wider world. Click here to read more: https://realepiscopal.us3.listmanage.com/track/clicku=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=5aebc926a5&e=f136cc0442 Also note as we have mentioned that the Episcopal Church Women’s Annual Mary Lou Thompson Retreat takes place beginning Aug 19 near San Juan Bautista and led by our friend Rev. Mary Lou McKinney. This is the first year it will be a 3 day event. For full info, contact Donna Seelbach <dsdonnaseelbach2@gmail.com> Folks,
The lessons this Sunday include from first chapter Isaiah, who certainly had a lot to say to the rulers of the people of Israel, mostly noting how they erred in their ways. The gospel lesson from Luke could be called God's economics, In which we find the wonderful lines where "Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." But the Epistle to the Hebrews contains some of the most important words of all Scripture, including that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." It is this wise words that make clear that "faith" (here called "conviction") is easy, and isn't a matter of "proof" - quite the contrary. Note however that the Epistle writer has much more to say on the topic including about "died in faith without having received the promises". Put in context with prior verses citing earlier Jewish leaders of faith, Saul / Paul, ever mindful of his Jewish heritage of a faith that "looked ahead" - this is the very faith we have embraced as "Christians' - a faith that looks not to Jesus dead on the cross, but Jesus our rising leader, a living link to God, since Jesus is with us still, in the hearts of all who trust God. For a good write-up on the passage see https://www.bibleref.com/Hebrews/11/Hebrews-11-13.html#:~:text=Hebrews%2011%3A13%2C%20KJV%3A,and%20pilgrims%20on%20the%20earth. A very "secular" friend we hiked with recently noted that the word "Christian" has been corrupted, but to him its best understanding is one who is genuinely "good" (moral, loving, etc) - and indeed the word is commonly used that way still, even applied to "Christian behaviour", whether the people so described are church members or even if they have never read or heard the Bible stories. For this reason our prayer is that we may all be Christian, expressing God's love with our lips and in our lives, to all. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts Events Folks, Once again we are just concluding a work week away from the ranch, so this will be short. As is our custom, St Matts Church in San Ardo will meet for Evening Prayer at 4pm while neighbouring missions St Lukes, Jolon and St Marts, King City will meet jointly for services at the chapel in Jolon. We also want to mention two different Taize music events, including the one TONIGHT at 7on led by the Community of Divine Love (Br Dennis says simply to go to the Zoom event at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82768286485 and tomorrow (Sunday) night St Lukes Church in Atascadero has Taize music, also at 7pm - contact our friend Cindy at cindy castle <castlewood16@gmail.com> for the Zoom link and other info. Lambeth Gathering In more news from the Lambeth gathering of Anglican bishops worldwide we hear from Bp Lucinda that they discussed "the issue" (same-gender marriage / blessing) and she said "At my table, I was the only person clearly in the place of supporting marriage for all, and I also believe the only one fully allied with LGABTQ+ siblings. Yet, the discussion was carefully and beautifully prefaced by an address from the Archbishop of Canterbury who highlighted this one very important and central concept: “As Bishops we remain committed to listening and walking together to the maximum possible degree, despite our deep disagreement on these issues.” For those who know the history, we have not been able to do that in the Anglican Communion in the past 20+ years." We will hear more of this gathering at its conclusion next weekend. Episcopal Relief and Development We have received the following announcement from this arm of our church which helped remind me that its good works are not just in far off lands, but even when disasters strike close to home: Communities in the South and Western parts of the US are experiencing devastating flooding and fires. As you gather on Sunday, please pray for all of the affected communities and consider helping us bring awareness to this urgent situation. Below is an announcement in English and Spanish that you can read aloud or copy and paste into your communications for this week. Please contact engagement@episcopalrelief.org with any questions. We are here to help. Blessings, Episcopal Relief & Development For all of this worthy organisation's websites go to www.episcopalrelief.org |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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