Folks,
The Lectionary we use in The Episcopal Church, which can be seen at www.lectionarypage.net actually includes three optional sets of lessons for Christmas Sunday. but this email will focus on the first set including from the prophet Isaiah the lines Handel made unforgettable in his masterpiece oratorio, "Messiah" (though it we appreciate the website CatholicExchange.com telling us that it is difficult to actually "pin down" many sayings of the prophets as referring to a particular incident and this prophecy and others in the OT are in this category). The Epistle appointed in this group is from Titus, who many scholars believe was the same person as Timothy, Paul's companion in the work of organising and visiting "house churches", according to BibleProject.com and admonishing these early church members to live lives that are "self-controlled, upright, and godly" And the gospel lesson is from Luke, the beautiful recounting of Christmas Eve and Jesus birth with the host of angels appearing to the shepherds at night (Jean Kerr in Please Don't Eat the Daisies spoke of a Christmas Pageant wherein a child narrator, not recalling his exact lines, said "washing their socks by night"). These lessons suggest the prophecy may have pointed to the miracle of Jesus birth - the miracle being that God is indeed with us (the meaning of "Emanuel"), given the many miraculous things that have followed in the approximately 2,000 years since those events, such as great music, fine buildings, a society which cares for many who less able, etc (as well as some terrible things, especially wars). My sense is that the Feast of Christmas is indeed a great day to enjoy family and friends with good food and relaxation - and we hope you all will have a chance to do so before going back to your working routine. But spend at least a bit of time during the day to do as Mary who "treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart." In that vein (and reminiscent of a "Holiday Letter" (it is almost time for one) we think about how much enjoyment (along with lots of work!) we have had this past year, Tony(!) with a tremendously beautiful courtyard garden and in the areas within the concrete driveways, and myself with the growth of trees in this once homesteaded (and thus cleared for farming) ranch - of course we work together on both from time to time. If you do take time to ponder like Mary, you might find that on the next days you will have an appreciation for the events of those "ordinary" days as each being miraculous in their own ways! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events The three missions of South Monterey County will in a sense concelebrate Chrismas services ON CHRISTMAS EVE, with St Lukes congregation in Jolon joining St Mars / San Marcos congregation in King City at the chapel on Bassett St in King City at 2pm. Then at 4:3p[, St Matts will have Christmas services at the chapel in San Ardo. Both services will feature Fr Filemon Diaz preaching and presiding in a service of Holy Eucharist. As mentioned last week, parishes within the Deanery and further afield will be having many events, often (as at Matts) at unusual times so please consult their websites and calendars, or call parish offices for the details. From the Diocese Our bishop, Rt Rev Lucinda Ashby, has put out her Christmas message on a video this year - to see it, go to https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=357f205483&e=f136cc0442
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Folks,
The lessons this Sunday include from Isaiah, recounting the history of a prophecy to the House of David of a young woman bearing a special child, Paul in his letter to the church in Rome reiterating that Jesus was of that House in the flesh, and from our patron Matthew's gospel a description of Jesus birth that indicates quite a different spiritual lineage. I'd hope we all can chuckle a little about how Joseph might have reacted when told in effect that the father was "the Holy Spirit", so that he need not if effect divorce Mary. Words like comedian Bill Cosby, in Noah's conversation with God, saying "Yeah ... right" come to mind. But it is in the refusal of Ahaz in the passage from Isaiah to ask God for a sign that caught my eye, saying he did not want to "put the Lord to the test". This disingenuous refusal makes Ahaz seem like a wise and temperate ruler, not wanting to assert himself. But our friends a Working Preacher tell us that what was really going on was a chapter in the militarily unsettled affairs of Judah (of which Ahaz was king with Jerusalem his capital), Israel (the northern kingdom) and the land of Aram (whose language became dominant in the general area, supposedly spoken even by Jesus). If fact God, thru Isaiah, was urging Ahaz to join in a coalition against the greater military aggressions of Assyria. From this history we can see that sometimes the better (Godly?) path is to be a strong leader. Ahaz was engaging in "Realpolitik" (as are some leaders in today's world affairs) but God is urging courage to lead in the right direction for the good of many. As we face similar choices in our own lives, may we seek God's wise council by listening to the spirit so that we may lead in right directions. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events This coming Sunday St Matts will be meeting for Evening Prayer at 4:30pm while fellow missions St Lukes in Jolon and St Marks/San Marcos in King City will meet jointly for services led by Fr Filemon Diaz at St Lukes, Jolon at 10am. But we are especially pleased to tell you that on the following weekend all three South Monterey County Episcopal missions will have services led by Fr Diaz, who will preach and preside at services at St Matts in San Ardo on Christmas Eve at 4L30pm. And in a special note we ask your prayers for our many friends at the congregation of St Lukes Church in Atascadero as they have readies their parish profile and are about to post the "job" of a clergy leader for the parish. Note that in the interim and with much support of local clergy St Lukes lay leadership have been doing a great job "holding the fort" even while working with their many outreach efforts. Other Events As you can imagine in this Holiday Season, the number of special events is too great to list them here, so once again we urge you all to go to your local parish info sources and websites including the websites of the SLO Deanery at http://sloepiscopalians.org/index.html As you know, we do like mentioning occasional events of interest at parishes further from our own location, including those of St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego, where this Sunday their Schola Cantorum will sing at a special service of Advent Lessons and Carols at 5pm at https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UEhcNCko3n4zzEXhxipEkdr4TeCIwN6IiwCTqXvmieHwsRymteNVsIpcL72TCpxUY9QsaQjWNQ0mTCe2lrqJi15eDwn7QMJY4NdPl7ZmWhVwPjf3qsqb6tm3oWre37LWic18zgdKXYRFnRRvmttuiTSF5Zo6WLI23BTMkVbOIUw1AnyRdEbx-r_t0XYxE0AEfDuv10Ljf0o=&c=dE2NKOzBKKuNYSDZMtl1B2EmeO0_HbHEPaBnUSlzyViHPUk5wtOwJw==&ch=w1GoKI8wxIPdKl4rk43yL9dNcEXwakY0n8KrNmsC3Eb5S9ZRVClAMA== Also at St Pauls there will be a "Poetry Slam" during the Forum house at 9am - you can hear original or favourite poems recited by members of the congregation at https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UEhcNCko3n4zzEXhxipEkdr4TeCIwN6IiwCTqXvmieHwsRymteNVsIpcL72TCpxUY9QsaQjWNQ0mTCe2lrqJi15eDwn7QMJY4NdPl7ZmWhVwPjf3qsqb6tm3oWre37LWic18zgdKXYRFnRRvmttuiTSF5Zo6WLI23BTMkVbOIUw1AnyRdEbx-r_t0XYxE0AEfDuv10Ljf0o=&c=dE2NKOzBKKuNYSDZMtl1B2EmeO0_HbHEPaBnUSlzyViHPUk5wtOwJw==&ch=w1GoKI8wxIPdKl4rk43yL9dNcEXwakY0n8KrNmsC3Eb5S9ZRVClAMA== And St Pauls is offering a Free Organ Recial TODAY at 1pm - watch at https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001RbODQOtLJxXK0yd2nNHhNTiPyMcFoNpGUXlRJhnLbwqUMwwqHAx81L4hYSGERGrmb7RNTr4CF-IvoZiggWE7v2ap0kPruPY9mnxUTdHYEM9qBJmueD7KnAlyBi24nrWr9JVH3ILcJGvmcm7ECMRogNmFa333Nh04h2XZVpAVudZiqYOzPJUKjNuq5XnYoAFR1vJa9T63euU=&c=z1cGRK8OgOjVooMRgRvsdsHbirZrgnk2RuHtPf6ch1jWhQRcq6A9kg==&ch=QTGxyTh7YgnW2UhjXDfiIj-672dW_-vjutnw8UqVNPKtlk_amTUmCQ== From the Diocese A Reminder The final of the three diocesan retreats will take place this Saturday at St Pauls/San Pablo Church in Salinas. The retreat will be led by Rev Martha Korienek and is set to begin at 9:30am and end at 3pm, with the theme "Courage in the Wilderness". Also note that last night we took in the "Storied Pilgrimage with Race" event led by Fr Ian Dellinger of St Stephens Church, SLO. This program will be expanded next year by the Diocese of El Camino Real with monthly gatherings for entire Diocese via Zoom. For full info go to https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=79c531f72d&e=f136cc0442 and to register click https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=7ae45ad269&e=f136cc0442 The Canon to the Ordinary, Canon Martha Korienek, will be leading the sessions. Advent III St Matthews News - BATA?Folks,
A friend of ours, observing all the electioneering and divisiveness of the midterms, much of it supported by "soecial media", recently suggested a knockoff of the MAGA acronym, BATA, which would be Bring America Together Again. If this notion was ever important it is especially so now as the major holidays of giving and caring are just a few days away. If we take the lectionary lessons as a whole they seem very much in accord with this sentiment of bringing everybody together again. In the lesson from Isaiah we hear that "no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray." In his epistle, James tells the church to remember the suffering and patience of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, and to "not grumble against one another" - excellent advice for bringing people together again. But it is in the gospel lesson from our patron Matthew that we hear John the Baptist really starting to understand what Jesus ministry really meant, Emanuel, ie God is with us. in the human form of Jesus. If God is with us, none would be "left behind", not even the fools! May we all this holiday season come to feel the UNIVERSAL embrace of God's love, and especially by loving one another - for that is the summary of the law and the prophets for us all. Love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events St Matts will continue with Evening Prayer at the chapel in San Ardo at 4pm this Sunday. Our fellow missions, St Lukes in Jolon and St Marks/San Marcos in King City will be meeting together again at St Marks Church in King City at 11am, with services both in both Spanish and English. Be sure to check out the webpages of your local parish(es) for many more events, including those at the SLO Deanery's webpages at www.sloepiscopalians.org where you will learn of - Other Events including the Children's Pageant at St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande this Sunday at the 10am service. Many congregations will be having Advent Lessons and Carols services, including St Barnabas Church this Saturday at 5pm, while St Benedicts in Los Osos will have a "Christmas Parade" this Saturday morning at 9am (St Bens Christmas Concert of Carols will be on Sat Dec 17 at 3pm and St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo will have their Christmas "Sing-A-Long" on Christmas Eve at 10:30pm, just before the "Midnight Mass". And the inveterate thespians of the By-the-Sea) Players at St Peters Church in Morro Bay will be presenting what sounds a fun play, Suite Surrender, thru Dec 18th, a comedic story of two divas who happen to book rooms at the same hotel. Note that besides St Peters regular Sunday services are at 10am, they will be having contemplative Advent Vespers on Saturdays at 5pm. And on Christmas Eve Padre Sid will be reading aloud Truman Capote's story, "A Christmas Memory" for the congregation, followed by a Carol Sing at 3:45 and Festival Eucharist at 4pm. Reminder from the Diocese Diocese of El Camino Real Advent Retreat – You are invited to a diocese-wide Advent Retreat and we hope you will join us! There will be three retreats, with the hope that one is happening near you. On Saturday, December 3rd we will be at St. Francis in Willow Glen (San Jose), on Saturday, December 10th, we will be at St. Stephen's in San Luis Obispo, and on Saturday, December 17th, we will be at St. Paul's/San Pablo in Salinas. We will gather at 9:30am for worship, Bible study, and reflection. You are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a journal or computer, if you are someone who enjoys writing while reflecting. Lunch will be provided, and there is a $10 suggested donation to help with the cost of lunch, but this is not a required contribution. The retreat will end by 3pm. The theme of the day is "Courage in the Wilderness" and the retreat will be led by Canon Martha Korienek; on December 17th the retreat will be co-led with the Rev. Ale Trillos, and will be bilingual in English and Spanish. Questions? Please email Canon Martha at canonmartha@realepiscopal.org. To register, please click the image above. Folks,
Some of you may recall an American president, Lyndon Johnson, put out a call to form a "great society" - but what does that really mean? The lessons for this upcoming Sunday include a prophecy of "glad tidings" - including the line that "The wolf shall live with the lamb ...". As with much of the Old Testament, this lesson is really about getting the Jewish society of the times "settled" politically and spiritually - this would have been a "good society" in Isaiah's mind - but can we do better? And from Matthews gospel we hear of John the Baptist (it has been a while since he figured in the lessons) prophesying of the one who is to come (Advent) and who will finally bring about a stupendous society, beyond what we can ask or imagine. But that lies in the heavenly future. (My partner Tony(!) had an interesting comment about John's words to the Sadducees and Pharisees, pointing out that those two groups tended to act like God's blessings were their by way of right rather than effort. But it seems to me the scriptures tell us that the better examples, including John himself and especially Jesus, of whom John foretold, suggest they achieved their blessings by sacrificial effort, to the point of death.) As for my reading of the lessons, I was struck this week I was struck by the epistle lesson of Paul writing to the church in Rome, bidding us to "Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." This line brings to mind that if we want to attract others to join us, we need to have an obvious showing of love for one another - we likely all have heard several sermons that have made this point, and we know that such obvious agape love in the group is what won many hearts and minds to the church thru the centuries. (Note that in the text from Romans, Paul mentions "Gentiles" six times, but he really means more generally the unchurched, and his indomitable spirit has great hope that such people might be be coming to the church.) It is a wonderfully complex and oxymoronic reality that the church exists primarily for the benefits of other than its own members (ie, the unchurched) - yet done right its members in fact are beneficiaries of a great deal of love! Taken together the lessons suggest that sacrificial effort is required to show the love that will build the wonderful society that could be the church - and such effort ends up showering the blessings of love on those who apply themselves to that effort. It might not yet be the "greatest" society, but it can be one that makes living a joy in the face of all the effort. May we all make such effort even while we bask in each other's love - and thereby help build that society. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events St Matts will be meeting at our customary hour, 4pm, at the chapel in San Ardo for Evening Prayer - this Sunday we will be testing our reflexes by using Rite One to keep us on our toes. Note that some say that the older language is awkward, but it has a certain grandness as well. Our fellow missions St Luke in Jolon and St Marks in King City will be meeting for services each at their respective chapels, at 10am in Jolon led by laywoman SuRay (and special thanks to Daphne Denny for keeping me posted) and at 11am in King City, with bilingual confirmations included. Everyone would be most welcome at any of the three missions in South Monterey County. Other Events Good Shepherd Church in the Corral de Tierra area of Salinas is celebrating St Nicholas this Sunday with a collection of gift for children in need in the larger community as well as for their own children. This is one of many efforts of giving to folks in need which has curious result of being a blessing to the giver as well as to the recipient. Some our friends spent evenings recently helping serve meals to the homeless working with ECHO (the El Camino Homeless Organisation) and had a similar experience. We hope many will be able to experience that result! (Note that several parishes work with that organisation so check with your local parishes.) In the Christmas spirit, we'd also like to mention two delightful events, the Vine Street Christmas Victorian Showcase in Paso Robles on Dec 10, 6-9pm, and as we hear from our friends at at Stephens Church in SLO, the Victorian Christmas Historic Walk of San Luis Obispo Dec 17, 5-6:30 pm - the Walk starts from the Church and is led by Joe Morris. Diocesan Advent Retreat(s) As mentioned last week, a series of Retreats is coming for our entire Diocese. It will consist of three retreats in three parts of the Diocese, first at St Francis Church in the Willow Glen neighbourhood of San Jose on Dec 3, then on Dec 10 at St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo, and finally on Dec 17 at St. Paul's/San Pablo in Salinas. Each day will begin with worship at 9:30am, include a provided lunch and end at 3pm. (A $10 donation to help with lunch costs is suggested but no one will be turned away.) The theme of the day is "Courage in the Wilderness" and the retreat will be led by Canon Martha Korienek; on December 17th the retreat will be co-led with the Rev. Ale Trillos, and will be bilingual in English and Spanish. Questions? Please email Canon Martha at canonmartha@realepiscopal.org. |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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