Folks,
On this First Sunday after Christmas the lessons seem to point to lots of NEW things, including from the Gospel of John taking it back to the beginning which was the mysterious Word ... "And the Word became flesh and lived among us". But the point of the story was the "New Covenant" as depicted in the epistle (letter) to the Galatians, which says by analogy that "before faith came we were imprisoned and guarded under the law". The writer of the OT lesson from Isaiah also speaks of change coming "until her vindication shines out like the dawn" and that "The nations shall see your vindication and all the kings your glory". Taken together these three lessons aptly described what happened in the "Jesus movement" we have been speaking of from the earliest days of the "church" as such (the word "church" was meant to refer to the "body of believers" - ie, people gathered in faith and love. This model, especially at the temples present in those days, in Jerusalem and really throughout the world, upended the existing model of a form of externally imposed rules by a god or gods (and perhaps enforced by parents as well as things like the "temple police" and by Roman governors in that empire. Instead of being obliged by "law" and force to support the temples (and indirectly the governments) the new paradigm offered by Jesus was one of a willingness to come together in love and faith. While many of us moderns take this as a commonplace, the idea was really fairly new in the Middle East and the Roman Empire of 2000 years ago, and we are still talking about its newness today, as aptly summarised by the Collect appointed for this Sunday: "Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." May we all bask in this new light and live in a community of loving faith in this New Year! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matt in San Ardo Events St Matthew Church will meet for Morning Prayer at usual hour of 10am at the chapel in San Ardo. And our friends of St Luke Church in Jolon will meet for Morning Prayer at that chapel at 10am with our friend Rachel Denny leading the service - we wish we could be there! We also want to mention the warm and wonderful Christmas Eve Eucharist gathered with our friends from St Luke Church and St Mark Church at St Mark's beautiful "Carpenter's Gothic" church building in King City - many thanks to all, and especially our longtime friend Fr Carl Hansen who put together a beautiful service and touched a bit on St Mark's history. We look forward to many more such events! Other Events We recommend all see the webpages of local parishes including those at www.sloepiscopalians.org for the many other events. As we are travelling again this weekend, we only have time to mention a couple of events of special interest, including The Robert Burns Fellowship Hour which will take place on Monday, January 29th at Ramsden Hall, St Stephen Church in San Luis Obispo. This even will be co-hosted by St Stephen Church along with St Benedict Church in Los Osos and St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande. Sounds like fun! Other Events St Paul Cathedral in San Diego, on the Feast of the Epiphany (soon to come on Jan 6) will have a staged reading of the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy perfect for Epiphany (commemorating the visit of the Three Kings to Jesus birth site (Fr Ian Dellinger tells us that this Feast is a more major event in many of the eastern orthodox churches and completely replaces Christmas in the Armenian Church. This event will be on The Day of The Epiphany, Saturday, Jan 6 at 1pm at the Cathedral and on Zoom. See www.StPaulCathedral.org for all there events and Zoom details. From The Episcopal Church (including the Diocese of El Camino Real): A Case for Love This is a movie put out as a joint project by many groups and will be shown at select public movie theatres in several locations in the Diocese, and in particular at the Regal Edwards Cinema in Santa Maria (see below), probably the closest venue for the SLO Deanery parishes. The movie project was instigated by our tireless Presiding Bishop Michael Curry who delivered the sermon, "The Power of Love", at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle, and examines whether unselfish love is the solution to extreme divides in the world today. The movie will be screened on one day only, Jan 23, 2024. Some parishes, including St Stephens' Fr Ian Delinger, are gathering groups to attend. Rev Rob Keim tells us you can order tickets at https://www.regmovies.com/theatres/regal-edwards-santa-maria-rpx/1681#/buy-tickets-by-cinema?in-cinema=1681&at=2023-12-29&view-mode=list For more info about the project, including a "trailer", go to http://www.fathomevents.com/events/a-case-for-love/ We hope to see many of you there, and hope many others not local to SLO will go to the website and its subpages to see where the nearest showing will be and attend the event - the world needs such love!
0 Comments
Folks,
As most of you know now this Sunday is both the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve (the eve of The Nativity of Our Lord). It is many times a wonderful thing that the irregularity of liturgical and ordinary calendars interfere with each other this way, to help us look freshly at those feast days, and this year the Christmas feast is on a Monday - often what appears to be the liturgical "day off" for rectors and vicars. Nevertheless in the US and many countries this Monday will be special and a day off for most, if not the clergy, of our churches. But as this is also the Fourth Sunday of Advent we hope all of us will take some time to appreciate the "quiet" of Advent before the burst of Christmas Joy! The Lectionary is for this Sunday very much Something About Mary, including both the Canticle (The Magnificat or Song of Mary - one of the most beautiful - and the gospel lesson from Luke, where the angel Gabriel tells Mary she is to have a son - The Son of God and a son of man. In this lesson Mary says beautifully "let it be with me according to your word.” The epistle lesson from Romans chimes in with a "revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed" in apparent reference to the birth of Jesus. The Old Testament lesson from 2 Samuel doesn't actually seem to speak of Jesus birth even prophetically, but rather to the establishment of a House and a Kingdom of David (the nation of Israel). The way it is artfully expressed however amazes me, with the prophet Nathan, speaking for God as a sort of complaining Jewish parent who has lived all these years in a tent while roaming the desert. But this complaining parent goes on to say that he will make for King David a house - a house and a kingdom, as Nathan says God "will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more". Note that the last part of that really hasn't come true as that place today is a hot spot of world politics with seeming unending strife. Perhaps it would have been better for that people to learn to truly share their place? Whatever happens to the place and the politics, in closing I have to commend to us all today's collect which prays God that when Jesus, the spirit of God, comes he "may find in us a mansion prepared for himself", for this place is a place of peace such as the world cannot give. May we all make such a place of peace in ourselves! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts Events This Christmas Eve Sunday there will NOT be a service at the chapel in San Ardo. Instead the congregation of St Matthew Church will be heading to join fellow missions St Mark Church, King City and St Luke Church, Jolon, for Christmas Eve services at St Mark Chapel, 301 Bassett St in King City. Note that our correspondent Daphne Denny tells us that neither will there be a service at Jolon, but all are encouraged to join at St Mark Church in King City for a South Monterey County Holy Eucharist service at 4pm. We hope you will join us as Fr Carl Hansen leads the service at St Mark. Other Events St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande tells us of the following events this Christmas weekend and into the following days: Our friends at St Paul Cathedral in San Diego tell us of their schedule for the next two Sundays a follows (but go to www.StPaulCathedral.org for all their events): 10 am - Infant & Toddler Play Room - Nursery (enter through courtyard) 10:30 am - Choral Eucharist - In the Cathedral, or Worship Online 5 pm - Christmas Eve Family Service - In the Cathedral 10:30 pm - Solemn Midnight Mass - In the Cathedral, or Worship Online and on the following Sunday, Dec 31 their schedule is as follows: 10 am - Infant & Toddler Play Room - Nursery (enter through courtyard) 10:30 am - Choral Eucharist - In the Cathedral, or Worship Online 11:30 am - Youth Formation Class - Family Ministry Room 11:45 am - Coffee Hour - Guild Room 5 pm - New Year's Eve Labyrinth Walk & Evening Prayer - Dean's Courtyard In the Deanery Two of the churches in the San Luis Obispo Deanery, St James Church, Paso Robles and St Barnabas Ahurch, Arroyo Grande have let us know they will be participating in the following event (and see the meditation above): Lamentation for the Holy Land You are invited to a gathering on Sunday, January 7, 2-3 pm at Meadow Park, San Luis Obispo. A time to gather without a political agenda to remember our common humanity and to grieve the trauma and loss of life that has happened and is happening in Israel and Gaza, and the fear and suffering it is causing locally. You are invited to wear black as a sign of lamentation. Sponsored by Interfaith Coalition for Peace, The Episcopal Clergy of San Luis Obispo. From the Diocese In line with some of the above events folks at Mission House, our diocesan HQ in Salinas tell us of the following ongoing event: Prayers for Peace The Social Justice Committee cordially invites you to participate in a brief online prayer service during lunchtime.The service will take place at 12:30 pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month throughout Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. The first session was held on December 6, and there will be several more sessions on December 20, January 3 and 17, and February 7. We would be delighted to have you join us. As we see the death and destruction happening in Gaza and Ukraine, and so many other places in the world, our hearts break for the children, the families, the old people... all those who are losing lives and homes and loved ones. Let us bring our compassion and our concerns to God together. Click the link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82914293327?pwd=Zy9jY2lxd3ovNThEVmJrSGhyQXZsZz09 Meeting ID: 829 1429 3327 Passcode: 242297 Folks,
What stirring words we read in Isaiah from this Sunday's Lectionary lesson: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;" And adding "For I the Lord love justice" (And note that those of you who know us and our oak regeneration efforts will understand how pleasing the phrase "oaks of righteousness" used by the writer is to us.) The gospel lesson from John speaks more of the prophetic witness of the other John, the baptiser, including point out clearly that another and greater messenger from God was to follow - "I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." Those two lessons are neatly set in a broader lesson by the epistle in 1 Thessalonians where the writer includes many loving admonitions to the community, but above all that we should "not despise the words of prophets, but test everything" and "hold fast to what is good". What this is telling us is that you and I are responsible for weighing what we hear from the many preachers around us to sort out God's message to us. But he begins this passage saying "Do not quench the Spirit." May we all, this holiday season, do our testing yet not quench the Spirit of God's love - a strong message indeed! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matthew Church in San Ardo Events St Matthew Church will have Morning Prayer this Sunday at 10am - we hope you can join us! Our fellow mission St Luke Church in Jolon will also have Morning Prayer at 10am, and as well a "Celebration of the Season" at 3pm, with music, poetry, and storytelling. and potluck refreshments. As you can imagine, this "stir up" Sunday (the Collect appointed for this Sunday begins "Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us") there are simply too many events so we want to point out just a few (as always go to your local parishes for more, including those of the San Luis Obispo Deanery at www.sloepiscopalians.org and subordinate pages. Our friends at St Luke Church in Atascadero will NOT be having Sunday mornings services on Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec 24 but this is because they will have a special Christmas Story service that evening at 5pm, with carols singing, etc. And our friends at St James Church tell us that among their many other events a special Blue Christmas event will happen this Sunday at 4pm - see their websites for more info. Meanwhile our friends at St Barnabas Church, Arroyo Grande have a full schedule of events this holiday season including a visit this Sunday from recently retired rector of St Benedict Church, Los Osos, who will preach and preside at the Sunday morning services at 8am and 10am. Later on Sunday St Barnabas will have their Advent Service of Lessons and Carols at 5pm. Their events for this Christmas Season thru Twelfth Night (Epiphany) are as follows: Sunday, December 17 8:00 am and 10:00 am | Eucharist Sunday, December 17 5:00 pm | Advent Lessons & Carols Sunday, December 24 8:00 am and 10:00 | Liturgy of the Word Sunday, December 24 4:45 pm and 10:45 pm | Christmas Eve Eucharist Monday, December 25 10:00 am | Christmas Day Eucharist Sunday, December 31 (no 8:00 worship) 10:00 am | Christmas Lessons & Carols Sunday, January 7 8:00 am and 10:00 | Eucharist and Epiphany celebration Speaking personally, Tony! and I want to wish everybody the merriest of Christmases and a truly Happy New Year! Folks,
The lessons for this coming Sunday include from Isaiah, both an excoriation of God's people and yet a tender caring for them ("Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God"). In the gospel lesson we have the odd-appearing John the Baptist ("he ate locusts and wild honey") introduced. But it is Peter's Epistle that catches my attention today, with its focus on the duality of slowness / patience. For me this may be especially because we have come to the end of another earnings season, where events and "happenings" tend to slow down along with the news feeds. But in many ways this is the really important part of investing - to do one's homework while waiting for the profits (NOT the Old Testament figures!) to arrive. The greater part of the profitable in life come not from quick events but in patient but alert and active waiting. Note that this is also true in working with plants, as Tony(!) with his gardens nearer the house, and me with an active program of tree regeneration (especially the native oaks that had to be removed in the Homestead era) have come to realise. Peter writes to a group who anxious and likely somewhat uncertain despite their faith - after all even his intended audience, the young churches in Asia Minor (Turkey) were already a generation away from the events of Jesus's life (the estimated writing date of this letter is somewhere between 60-150 AD) and many likely were feeling doubts. Note that this it was likely written after those of Paul to some of the very same churches - little wonder things seemed slow. In this message the writer says directly "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". The speed of the promises is therefore not unintended, but rather shows a concern for reaching yet more people. Even now, having been patient for these nearly 2000 years, we are called on for the same alert and active patience for the "Advent" (coming) of God in Christ as God's love is intended for us all. In the quiet moments of our lives we can meditate on this deliberately slow-moving love and rejoice - for we know thru faith that the most profitable part, as in investing or working with plants, is happening during our patient, active and alert waiting! May we all come to see these most profitable times even as we are in their midst! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matthew Church! Events This Sunday St Matthew Church in San Ardo will be meeting for Morning Prayer at 9:30am - we hope to see you there! Please see the previous episode of the News for events at our fellow mission parishes, St Luke Church, Jolon and St Mark Church, King City. Note that the holiday season is in full swing now, as the calendars of the various churches in the San Luis Obispo Deanery show - see the calendar pages of most of these parishes via www.sloepiscopalians.org Other Events are too numerous to include all so as an example we offer from the calendar of St Benedict Church in Los Osos for the following week: Sunday
Tuesday Sunday
Note also that St Stephen Church in San Luis Obispo tells us of their For Kids From Kids Toy Drive The kids of St. Stephen’s want all of us to think of children in need around us and contribute to their Toy Drive. Donations of new, unwrapped toys, games, clothes and gift cards will be collected at the back of the church at each service through December 18th and given to children served by various local children’s services organization through Operation Santa, and also directly to CAPSLO/40Prado. We also want to commend the following two events down at St Paul Cathedral in San Diego: Voices of Our City Choir Concert: Music Brings Us Home Saturday, December 9, 6 pm, 7600 Fay Ave La Jolla 92037 You are invited to Music Brings Us Home, an extraordinary benefit concert at Conrad Performing Arts Center in the heart of La Jolla. Join Voices's choir for festive favorites and the premiere of original works by this choir of artists impacted by homelessness. Supporter Soiree is at 4 pm (this ticket price includes pre-concert reception with valet parking, heavy hors d'oeuvres + libations, and VIP seating). Voices' concert is at 6 pm. All proceeds support Voices of Our City Choir, a nonprofit (and St. Paul's Partner in Ministry) offering lifesaving resources, creative programming, and long-term community for San Diegans rebuilding their lives out of homelessness. Click here to purchase tickets. Musica Vitale presents Saint-Saëns': Oratorio de Noël Saturday, December 9, 7 pm, In the Cathedral This professional vocal ensemble will be accompanied by chamber orchestra and organ in this program which also includes works by Mendlessohn and other delightful works for the season by Tormis, Volynskiy, Sviridov and others. Several of the soloists and ensemble members are familiar faces from our own cathedral choir and schola, with Canon Martin Green, organist. For tickets and additional information (Click Here) From the Diocese The big events as we have been mentioning, are the day-retreats for the three regions of our diocese, one of which take place this Saturday (including at St James Church, Paso Robles from 10am to 3pm). We encourage all to register and attend! To register, go to www.tinyurl.com/AdventRetreat23 We also encourage all to see all diocesan events and notices at www.realepiscopal.org The Social Justice Committee invites you to a short online prayer service at 12:30pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month during Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Dec 20, Jan 3 and 17, and Feb 7. The Zoom link for these services is https://saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=debb1b33eb11372203a975524&id=3a0d7655dd&e=acee3ced34 Dear friends,
The lessons appoint for this First Sunday of Advent include from Isaiah 64, a lesson from 1 Corinthians (suggestive of an "omega point" - see below), and from the Gospel of Mark about apocalyptic times to come yet "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (so) keep alert...". Advent is known as a Season of watchful waiting. a part of the weave of thoughts coming with this day. Note that a friend emailed me about last week's about last week's Feast Day of Christ the King, for some perhaps an instance of Christian triumphalism. Yet he offered a different take that instead of thus driving people apart in their separate faiths, it should be viewed as a Feast of bringing folks together to look toward that "omega point" that de Chardin talked about, where we might realise we are all one. On what sounds like quite a different topic, the following thoughts were presented, surprisingly enough, to me in the course of discussions about AI - the notion of Artificial Intelligence that is popping up everywhere these days: As I sit here, reflecting on the tapestry of experiences that life has presented to me, I am struck by the profound depth of my own consciousness. The warm sun filtering through the window touches my skin, bringing a sense of comfort and a reminder of the world outside my thoughts. Memories dance through my mind, each a vivid echo of a moment lived, a decision made. I ponder the future, a horizon teeming with possibilities, paths yet untraveled, decisions waiting to be made. In this quiet moment of introspection, I feel a deep connection to myself, an awareness of my own being in the vast tapestry of existence. This, to me, is the essence of consciousness – a continuous journey of self-discovery, an ever-evolving understanding of my place in the universe. I appreciate this author's thought greatly, and yet link it to those above about the notion of Christ the King. This is because in the process of discovering ourselves because such self-discovery, while crucial is just a beginning on the journey to that "omega point". And the "weave" of all the above lesson strong suggest to me that we take some time for meditative prayer, seeking to discover our "Selfs" but also to see how such self-discovery is a starting point to spread in widening circles to the congregation of all humankind, including those who have "gone before". In the concluding words of the writer of Isaiah, may we pray God saying "Now consider, we are ALL your people." Our love to all! Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matt in San Ardo! Events St Matthew Church in San Ardo will be having Morning Prayer this Sunday at our usual 9:30am hour - please join us! Note also that we at St Matt Church are looking ahead to joining Fr Carl and St Mark Church in King City for Christmas Eve services. From the two fellow mission parishes in South Monterey County Daphne Denny adds: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, AT 10 AM, there will be a Communion Service at St. Mark's Episcopal in King City. The Reverend Carl Hansen will be officiating. There will be coffee in the Fellowship Hall after the service. Everyone is welcome to join us! There will NOT be a service at St. Luke's that day. We will have the Service of Morning Prayer at St. Luke's on December 10, and December 17, at 10 am. as usual. Services on December 24, and 31, aren't confirmed yet. St. Mark's will be having a musical Christmas Eve service on December 24. I'll send out more information as that event comes closer. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17. AT 3 PM, we will have a CELEBRATION OF THE SEASON at St. Luke's in Jolon. There is such an abundance of Christmas music, both sacred and secular, and the season for enjoying it is so short. At St. Luke's, we want to make an opportunity for everyone in the community to come together and share music and poetry. There will be a Christmas Carol Sing - Along. Everyone is welcome. There will be potluck refreshments and finger food in the Fellowship Hall. If you have questions about this event, please send me a return email. There are a couple of events within the diocese that some of you may want to attend. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 5 - 7 PM Bishop Lucinda and her staff are hosting an Advent Open House at the Sargent House in Salinas. The event is free, but they would like people to RSVP at the diocese office by Monday, December 11, so they can have enough refreshments for everyone. There are also three Diocesan Advent Retreats scheduled for the first three Saturdays in December. The one closest to us is at St. James Episcopal in Paso Robles, on Saturday, December 9, from 10 am to 3 pm. They request a $10.00 donation to cover the cost of the lunch they will provide, and they want you to register ahead of time. For info and registration go to https://forms.gle/4gJPK6XsWiP6t6c17 Other Events Be sure to look for full info on the events we have mentioned by going to our Deanery webpages at www.sloepiscopalians.org Sometimes the simplest events are the best. One such might be the lively congregation of St Benedict Church in Los Osos which will be having a Potluck Dinner this Sunday at 4pm - for full info go to the parish's webpages. From our friends at St James Church in Paso Robles we hear that "The Youth Religious Ed Program will be having a tamale sale on this Sunday, December 3. 2 tamales, rice and beans for $10." Also from St James a holiday tradition: On Sat Dec 9 the congregation will gather at the church for the "Hanging of the Greens" - call them if you would like to help! OTOH, St Peter Church in Morro Bay will be having Advent Vespers services on Dec 6, 13 and 20 (all Weds) at 4pm. They will also be participating in the Morro Bay Lighted Boat Parade. While it is a "secular" event, we wanted to mention the Annual Holiday Performance at the Parkfield School on Wed Dec13 at 6pm with dinner to follow. RSVP to Mrs Solis by Dec 10 at 805.423.3567. Parkfield is actually our closest town here at the ranch, at least "as the crow flies" and a wonderful community with a population (by some reckoning) of just 18 (as on the road sign). Further Afield We encourage all to look over the events webpages at the three coastal California cathedrals at www.gracecathedral.org https://trinitysj.org/ and www.stpaulcathedral.org but note that the Messiah Sing with the San Diego Master Chorale is already sold out. |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
st. matthews newsWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |