Folks,
Note that we will be travelling for work next weekend (New Years Weekend). Those of you who know me well know that I enjoy tradition as embodied in so many human behaviours. It's wonderful there are so many traditions to enjoy, provided we remember that they are for the benefit of humans. (There are also other traditions - this year Prince Charles and Camilla have, with many others, recorded "Twas the Night Before Christmas" while there are also several Messiah (by Handel) sing alongs via Zoom.) With the pandemic still raging even as we hope the corner is being turned Christmas Eve traditions are well observed remotely. Indeed we just got in the house in time to enjoy the Christmas Pageant at Good Shepherd Church in Salinas, with enough time left to catch the end of the Christmas Eve Zoom service at St Marks Church in King City. We caution everyone to be wise about such traditions that they are in accord or at least do not conflict with good health practices. The lessons appointed for tonight's and tomorrow's services are the familiar yet amazing story of Emmanuel - that God is with us, and nicely fulfilling all the prophecies, especially from Isaiah (whether you reckon his lineage from David on his father's side - Bethlehem where they were headed was the "city of David" - or his mother Mary's side. (Wiki tells us that there are two gospels that recount Jesus' lineage, and are identical from Abraham thru David (though Luke takes it all the way back to Adam). But they are very different from David thru Joseph, with 27 generations from David to Joseph in Matthew's gospel but 42 generations between those two (with almost no overlap) in Luke's. Moreover, Matthew says Joseph's father was Jacob, while Luke says it was Heli. Some scholars suggest the difference is because Luke was following the lineage of Mary. Some of the great Byzantine churches depict these generations in their decor. Whichever way you reckon the generations, the notion that a creator who "cares" to me is thrilling, and a reminder that love is indeed possible in a universe with little apparent meaning otherwise. I guess this might be why I find the lessons appointed for the First Sunday of Christmas of even greater interest with the lesson from John's gospel of this incarnation "the Word became flesh and lived among us". This Christmas Week, even while we try to observe our favorite traditions, may we all discover in the love we share, in the little blessings we discover, in the beauty of creation, that God is love and God is with us - Come Emmanuel! Events We remind all to look to your favourite parish websites, including those of our Deanery at www.sloepiscopalians.org and its calendar at https://www.mychurchevents.com/calendar/74061144/month/2020-11-01/2021-01-01 In addition, we want to mention the general website of St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego at www.stpaulcathedral.org or their calendar at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001KHQFRtvQ9KHuOWIqnTLmL4Kl35efuCkmDXqJnllvxodjSQGVMJZUUM19BunmwGLqU3H-PAFocgd4oSyQ3bCpCH3C06kTVCLBP9BKkbunUAy8zuUrd-VK0EbuZPQK7suwV-g-03WSbMMVhwkjpuj-jOjgR2zGQVkcoEwARRXz1cQ=&c=j9IHgc3gD24XKvGVhDSVmOY1o89mU9zfKquanuF1jU2eBa48lV7anA==&ch=XE0kaS8cqubp_raLCBSJ-cRefVa4XDIaJPRy0AHxc05O2I9m1-yMxQ== and the aforementioned Good Shepherd Church in Salinas at https://www.goodshepherdcorral.org/ While most of the events will be online, including the Christmas Eve service at St Benedicts Church in Los Osos which is still in progress as we hurry to send this out. We are glad to report that they are too numerous to list here. Note however that St Ben's will be meeting outdoors tomorrow, Christmas Day at 10 am. As always, be sure to check parish websites and even call in case they warn that weather may cancel. From the Diocese Finally, we wanted to include Bp Lucinda's Christmas Message (below): Dear people of El Camino Real, As we go toward this late stage on our Advent pilgrimage, I am reminded that this has been a year of Advent. Despite our tendency to solve or fix, we have been called to walk the way of Mary and Joseph through uncertainty; and, during these nine months, each of us has made new discoveries about our relationship with God and our neighbor. During this Advent of unknowing, we have been reminded that we are a people of faith, walking the Way of Love. We love our neighbor, wear our masks, and donate generously to those affected by COVID. We also know that in this pilgrimage, we tap into our Creator’s gifts of innovation, pivoting to be New Church. My mother lives in a retirement community deeply affected by deaths and illness due to COVID. She has spent the past nine months secluded in her apartment, learning to use technology to connect with friends and family. She figured out how to worship online and loves to comment in the chat about the sermon and share in prayer. What hit her hardest, though, was the fact that she, who knows every alto line in the hymnal, could not attend choir practice and worship to sing. One of the people in the retirement community figured out how to do an audio recording of a choir; he assembled six singers virtually, and trained them to sing over their phones. The result was an audio clip of “Silent Night,” sung by my 88 year-old mother and her friends. A critical ear would pick up on the fact that they aren’t quite in unison—that they don’t blend. Yet, these voices between them have 480 years of faithful journey on this planet. Their rendition of “Silent Night” is the combined prayer of people who know of the birth of the Christ-Child and walk the path of hope, no matter whether it’s 2020 or any other year. Despite safety guidelines that prevent us from singing with our lungs and mouths together, we carry a song in our hearts that is filled with hope and joy. During this Christmas, I encourage each of us to sing in the shower, in the car, on the hiking trail—to raise our voices in this ancient form of prayer. Because long ago, in Bethlehem, on a quiet night, those who gathered were few, and their song rested gently in their hearts; that same song continues in our hearts today and always. I wish you a very Blessed Christmas-tide.
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Folks,
On this "stir up Sunday" (the collective prayer or "Collect" appointed for the day begins "Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us...") many of us are feeling rather more restless than usual, as we see the Covid vaccine being hurried out by "Project Warp Speed" to save many and hopefully end the pandemic. This activity is happening even as we see more records being set in the numbers of cases, etc. Yes, the end of the pandemic cannot come soon enough. Yet even in midst of this we need to remember the words Teilhard de Chardin, the French Jesuit and evolutionary biology scientist who Said "we are not human beings having a spiritual experience - we are spiritual beings having human experience". The end of the pandemic will bring major relief, but we need to remember the importance of the life of the spirit, without which most would find life not worth living. In this vein, the words of this Sunday's scriptures from Isaiah and the gospel of John bring up that spirit - the spirit of God within us (the lesson begins "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me..."). In the gospel lesson about that other John, the Baptist, it seems clear that the calling to a spiritual life can come to anyone, and not necessarily to the set of priests. And so it came to John the Baptist, who for all his unusual appearance and diet (as we are told in the other gospels), was sanely reminding Israel of the need for a messiah (and he admitted he was NOT that messiah) and a spiritual life. As we have heard many times, his audience was keen to hear about a secular kingdom, but that was neither his nor Jesus' mission. Rather they are were keen to bring about God's kingdom. So also today, too many are concerned only about healing of the body, but if the spirit is dead, the body's healing will in effect be lifeless. So we must attend to both. As so often before, it is Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians who says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this." What a perfect statement of the combined life of spirit and body. Let us pray that we and many might find the combined life! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts Events St Lukes Church in Atascadero will have their Morning Prayer service tomorrow at 9am via Zoom - see details below, and be sure to tune in early to see the items for sale at St Lukes Annual Christmas Bazaar! Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5889421516 [us02web.zoom.us] Meeting ID: 588 942 1516 One tap mobile +16699006833,,5889421516# US (San Jose) +12532158782,,5889421516# US (Tacoma) Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Our friends at St Peters Church in Morro Bay along with Padre Sid tell us that outdoor services have been suspended due to the latest COVID wave, but they WILL be having Sunday Eucharist services online - go to www.facebook.com/StPetersMorroBay OTOH St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande will continue this Sunday with two in person outdoor services in their courtyard at 8am and 11:30am, in addition to their online Eucharist at 10am. BYOChair to outdoor events. St Barnabas is having Morning Prayer and Biblical Roundtable at 9:30am Tues via Zoom - go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87865134138?pwd=VnV3YnVuWEFsU21vczYxRWVnUmFzUT09 [saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com] To dial in call 1-669-900-6833. When prompted put in the meeting id of 878 6513 4138# and when prompted for a password put in 365072#, and then hit # a second time. Looking ahead St Barnabas tells us of their special Christmas events: Thursday, December 24 -- Christmas Eve In-Person Service with Eucharist 4:00pm Thursday, December 24 -- Christmas Eve online Eucharist 6:00 pm via Facebook Live Friday, December 25 -- Christmas Day online Zoom social 10:00 am via Zoom This Sunday (Dec 13) and next (Dec 20) Good Shepherd Church in the Corral de Tierra part of Salinas tells us they will hear from Dr Diana Butler Bass on Advent wisdom from Madeleine L'Engle. Go to their worship services https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=2b4f831f2c&e=cc1155f723 and note that their choir has made a recording of "Christmas in Corral", learn more and listen to parts at their websites. St Benedicts Church in Los Osos tells us that their Advent Study program continues tomorrow Tues Dec 15 at 10:15am using an Advent study guide prepared by New Testament scholar Dr. Amy-Jill Levine "In Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent". They also tell us the following: EARTHCARE – ZOOM – 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 2:30pm. Discussion/action group seeking local solutions to environmental concerns. HEALING SERVICE – FACEBOOK - A time for prayers for healing at the 10:30 service on 5th Sundays. HOLLISTER INSTITUTE – ZOOM – Opportunities for stimulating discussion and thoughtful exploration. Currently: “Streams of Living Water” book discussion Tuesdays at 10:15; and Bible Study of Romans Thursdays at 11am. In the same vein St Stephens Church, San Luis Obispo will be hearing from Dec 13 - Dr. Leola Dublin MacMillan, United Way SLO County Dec 20 - Rev Rick Uhls, Past of SLO United Methodist at their 10am services at www.facebook.com/ststephensslo/live followed by Coffee Hour at 11:15 via Zoom. For Christmas St Steve's is having Dec 24 4pm Family Service, Dec 24 4pm, Dec 24 10:30pm Carol-Sing-a-Long followed by 11pm Midnight Mass and Dec 25 In-Person Eucharist (but this is by reservation only - call 805-543-7212. Several readers have mentioned they took in the Evensong events at St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego and really enjoyed them where tomorrow at their Forum at 9am they will be discussing "A Holy Night in the (not so) Holy Land", with David Mosley that mixes Travelogue, Archeology and History, Contemporary Politics, and Biblical Exegesis (preceded by two morning prayer services at 8 and 10:30am and Zoom Coffee Hour at 11:30am) and Evensong again at 5pm. See their full calendar and event details at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001oDUYbVmQtaWkgX1I3uB6unGOl_4Fx_ofIs3EoopeXq9FwnnIOeRy19OCTdGQ9vVPfOIPlAfExGlKKwOG0Tl5YSmPI7Rk29HToawlCk4ublR37UNx5V_S2YVz_LzXiNWwK0iiAHQpWrogeDlOYKhT7p3QEBQqA4BIQ0tgBopUj50=&c=v8SBQfFVI8_dULlrQSEbBJP_wkqIGCTEXUTBHcs00zvSWpgKf5QbQQ==&ch=3qwmv5ds2Lm1kqZkOj_8iEf_hQVsLOvXCc-aH0mLrecxQZwUALeJdA== From Grace Cathedral in San Francisco we hear of Christmas Concerts starting TODAY - go to www.gracecathedral.org for full info. St Matthews Church in San Ardo will continue with Sunday Morning Prayer at 9:30 in our courtyard, but adopting a somewhat wider social distance (fortunately we have the space!). Note that for Deanery events it is wise to go to the parishes own website (the Deanery parishes events can mostly be seen at the Deanery Calendar at https://www.mychurchevents.com/calendar/74061144/month/2020-11-01/2021-01-01 and at the individual parish websites (for the Deanery at http://sloepiscopalians.org/our-churches.html which in turn are parts of the www.sloepiscopalians.org websites. From our delightful sister Brandy (of whom we are too proud) comes this: "Just thought you’d appreciate the brief story and prayers to Our Lady of Guadalupe; feast day is today, and the story is a beautiful one. https://www.chausa.org/prayers/cha-prayer-library/prayer/a-prayer-for-the-fea st-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe [www.chausa.org] Also Happy Hanukkah, too. Brandy" Folks, This Sunday is the Second of the Advent Season. The season is thought of as a time of preparation, and the lessons appointed seem to point this out clearly, with a Isaiah saying A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord" a passage which is quoted again at the very beginning of Mark's gospel lesson (and note in the church calendar we find the church year begins with Advent) in slightly modified form: As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight ...’” It seems to me that Peter in his second epistle catches the gist of this in a short but pithy lesson: "Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation." Why is God waiting to bring about the "kingdom" of peace on earth? The early church clearly was wondering about this, and we still are some 2,000 years later. But it seems obvious as we read on "not wanting ANY to perish". This is a God of Love for all humankind. Thus God is not acting "slowly" but hoping all will be caught in the net of love and peace. So let us "regard the patience of our Lord as salvation." Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts in San Ardo! A Special Note Folks, As we come into this season of preparation with the Covid virus reaching serious proportions, we again ask all to regard the patience mentioned by Peter as God's blessing, saving as many as possible, both in physical and spiritual health. No one can say when, but it appears that vaccine and cure are a short time away in God's measure. We say this because of an illuminating Zoom conversation with Bp Lucinda and the senior warders of the SLO Deanery parishes, where we heard that some parishes are riven on the matter, with some ready to drop all the precautions and go back to "business as usual" while others want NO services in person, even if with masks and meeting outdoors. PLEASE help all see that the waiting is a sign of God's love. (And note that our "mother" Church of England will probably be the first to see results of large scale inoculations). Note also that there is a high risk of "burnout" by clergy and lay leaders in the Deanery and other parishes. Several commented on this aspect in the Zoom event. Please help all our clergy with their missions as possible. Events As always, we hope all will look in on the individual parish and Deanerycalendars (the latter at www.slo.episcopalians.org - and note that the "SLO" may be interpreted as a sign of love). Besides the Deanery parishes, we can recommend online events at some parishes farther afield such as St Marks (meeting via Zoom along with the congregation of St Lukes in Jolon) at 10am and Good Shepherd in Salinas. Padre Sid Symington of St Peters Church in Morro Bay points out that almost every member of that congregation is in a "higher risk" group. For that reason plus the chilly late autumn weather, St Peters has decided to suspend all in person services until further notice. But Sid also very usefully reminds us to call one another often and pray for each other. St Benedicts Church in Los Osos tells us of the following events this weekend: Sunday, Dec 6 8am worship on Zoom [us02web.zoom.us]. If you want to phone in, the phone number is 669 900 6833. You also need Meeting ID: 797 777 6046 and passcode: 93402 9:30am Outdoor worship in the parking lot 10:30am Worship on Facebook [www.facebook.com] 11:30am virtual coffee hour on Zoom [us02web.zoom.us] 12noon to 1:30pm Eucharist from 10:30 available in the parking lot - please let Caro+ know you're there. 805-704-5826 Fr Filemon Diaz at St. Mark's [saintmarkskingcity.com] in King city tells us: Our Virtual Service at 10:00 am by Zoom or here Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4777200535 [us02web.zoom.us] Everyone is welcome WhatsApp Image 2020-07-26 at 9.07.59 AM (2).jpeg St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande is having an Adult Ed series on the Poetry of Advent (note how much of the Old Testament, including much of Isaiah, is written as poetry, as we have pointed out before). They say, "Please join us for a three-week series that starts Tonight, December 3rd at 7:00 pm. To join the Zoom Meeting with your computer or device click on this link or paste it into your web browser https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85689385851?pwd=ak5JM3dJcHMwc01BenBEM3RtbDNTUT09 [saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com] To join the Zoom call from your phone or landline call 1-669-900-6833. When prompted put in the meeting id of 856 8938 5851# and when prompted for a password put in 567205#, and then hit # a second time. St James Church in Paso Robles tells us they will be having online worship at 9am and in person at 10:30am TOMORROW. We are ever grateful for the ministry of our "big sibling" parish - go to the parish websites at www.stjamespasorobles.org et al for full details. And our own parish, St Matthews in San Ardo, will be having Morning Prayer in our courtyard. at the usual time, 9:30am. From the Deanery Note that Kirstin Nielsen, Bishop’s Assistant & Diocesan Coordinator, tells us that she has put together a spreadsheet with names of the participants of the Zoom conversation mentioned above in order to continue the conversation. For more info contact Holly Cooper at hollycooper@charter.net From the Diocese Bishop Lucinda and the diocesan staff are leading a weekly series of brief noonday prayers every Tuesday in Advent. View the first service, "Peace," at this link. [realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com] Each prayer will be streamed live at the diocesan YouTube page at 12 pm noon. The themes for following Tuesdays are: Hope (Dec. 8), Joy (Dec. 15) and Love (Dec. 22), in that order. The order of service for next Tuesday's service of "Hope" is available to download here. realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com] Humour A Bit of Humour from a catholic (in the Episcopal sense of the word) friend Sheila Vossler of St James Church in Paso Robles (and remember that some humour will help us all get thru the darkest hours): Our friend Sheila Vossler sent along some great church signs, including one from a Holy Trinly Roman Catholic Church (apparently located in a warm climate area) which reads "Too Hot to Keep Changing Sign; Sin Bad, JesusGood; Details Inside"! |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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