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Written by Webmaster
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Monday, 30 January 2012 18:15 |
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One of the things I love about the Episcopal Church is the importance we place on the church seasons. Through our celebration and observance of these seasons, we affirm with Qoheleth, writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
Every season of the church has its particular emphasis and tone. In Epiphany, we reflect on the mystery of the light of Christ coming to all people, with a tone of celebration and wonder. In Lent, we reflect on all that separates us from God and from one another, and the tone of our worship becomes more solemn and reflective.
The Lenten practices (prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and repentance) began in the early Church as a special time of preparation for those who would be baptized at Easter. Eventually, Lent became a practice that was embraced by both those preparing for baptism and those who had already been baptized (in recognition that all need to prepare their hearts and their minds for the Paschal Mystery of Easter). The hope therefore of the observance of Lent is that we can know again and in a deeper way God’s love for us in Christ at Easter.
I invite you then into the observance of a Holy Lent. Whether you decide to take something on (more intentional prayer practice, daily meditation, acts of mercy, acts of reconciliation, journaling) or give something up, I urge you to do so with the intention of deepening your trust in God’s all-abiding love.
Yours in Christ,
Mary
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 January 2012 18:16 |
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Written by Webmaster
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Monday, 30 January 2012 18:09 |
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I am the bread of life. (John 6:35)
Are you hungry for the abundant life that Jesus promises us? Then join your fellow parishioners in a brand new adventure of faith, the St. Michael’s Table!
Beginning March 1, please plan to be a part of five Thursday evenings in Lent, when we will gather to share, pray, and learn.
On those evenings, St. Michael’s Table will offer a variety of opportunities to deepen our faith, centered around a community supper. Participants are welcome to come for part or all of the evening?your choice! Childcare will be available from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with kids joining everyone for dinner; older kids are welcome to participate in the evening’s offerings. For all the details, please see the next page.
In the sacred season of Lent, these gatherings will offer us a chance to deepen both our friendships with one another and our relationship with Christ. They will offer food for our bodies, minds, and souls. Come feed yourself at St. Michael’s Table.
On the five Thursdays of March, the St. Michael’s Table will offer the following “menu”:
4:00 p.m. “Conscious Love and Holy Week”
An exploration of Holy Week chants and liturgies developed by the Episcopal House of Prayer and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault (see more below)
5:30 p.m. Contemplative Worship
Chanting, silence, and scripture in the Sanctuary
6:00 p.m. Community Supper
A family-friendly informal meal with warm, nourishing food and fellowship for everyone
6:45 p.m. Soul Food
I. “Art and Spirit”
Parish artists from different genres will share their art with us and reflect on how their faith relates to their creative work.
II. “Trusting the Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News for Lent”
A “rediscovery” of the Gospels as the testimony of Jesus’ eyewitnesses, using as our guide the book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by noted Anglican biblical scholar Richard Bauckham (see more below) |
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 January 2012 18:17 |
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“Conscious Love and Holy Week” |
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Written by Webmaster
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Monday, 30 January 2012 18:08 |
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February 23, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
4:00-5:15 p.m. in the Chapel Room
This study will explore a group of Holy Week chants and liturgies developed by the Episcopal House of Prayer in Collegeville, Minnesota, and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault. The perspective of the liturgies is one of Jesus’ work during Holy Week as being voluntarily chosen self-sacrifice, the spiritual path of conscious love. For some Christians this provides a welcome alternative to an atonement-based Christology.
This perspective and these liturgies pull Mary Magdalene from a peripheral position to the heart of these events: the anointing early in the week and at the entombment, her
faithful vigil at the Cross and tomb, her joyful surprise at the Resurrection. Last fall the contemplative community at St. Michael’s studied Bourgeault’s latest book, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity and are now
eager to explore new rituals that embody this understanding. Leader Helen Daly has been in training with the Rev. Bourgeault since 2007 and will participate in these Holy Week Liturgies at the Episcopal House of Prayer in April.
Please join us; it’s not necessary to have been part of the study last fall. The book, Contemplative Liturgies for Holy Week, is available at www.ehouseofprayer.org for $15.
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“Trusting the Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News for Lent” |
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Written by Webmaster
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Monday, 30 January 2012 18:04 |
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March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
6:45-8:15 p.m. in the Dunham Room
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:16
Have you ever been troubled by the discrepancy between what the Gospels say and what many commentators tell us they actually mean? Can thinking people of faith trust what the Gospels tell us without checking our brains at the door?
The answer is an emphatic Yes! We invite you to join us during Lent for a “rediscovery” of the Good News. As our guide we will use the book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by noted Anglican biblical scholar Richard Bauckham, winner of the 2009 Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing. Bauckham leads us with clarity and expertise through the various theories about the Gospels, finally bringing us back to the original eyewitnesses of Jesus and their careful reporting of what they saw, heard, and experienced. Many people today have the notion that the Gospels are unreliable. But Bauckham argues that we have every reason to discard the “gratuitous skepticism” that colors how many of us view Scripture. We can trust what the eyewitnesses tell us.
Bauckham’s book is both a serious work of scholarship and a good detective story. He masterfully puts the clues together to solve basic puzzles -- such as who wrote the Gospels and why -- and those lingering mysteries no one ever satisfactorily explains, such as why John’s Gospel is so different from the others. Along the way, he provides fascinating lessons about non-theological topics such as names in the Bible, oral traditions in societies, and memory and how it works.
This course will meet for five weeks as part of St. Michael’s Table on Thursday evenings, from 6:45-8:15 p.m. Participants will be asked to commit to attending the sessions and to doing the weekly readings and preparation. But we believe it will be well worth the effort. We found this book to be nothing less than a gift to our faith, and we hope it will be one to yours as well.
Please contact the office or any of us to sign up for the course, or for more information. Financial assistance is available for help in purchasing the book if you need it.
To see and hear Bauckham talk about his book, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=292NTf1cCNw
Clark Anderson, Jean Smith, Zachary Roesemann
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 January 2012 18:06 |
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Thad Bennett to Join St. Michael’s as a Priest Associate |
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Written by Webmaster
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Monday, 30 January 2012 18:02 |
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In February, the Reverend Thaddeus Bennett will join the staff at St. Michael’s as a Priest Associate. Thad will be preaching and celebrating the Eucharist on an occasional basis on Sundays and Wednesdays.
A Priest Associate is an unpaid clergyperson who serves a church in capacities to which he/she is called in cooperation with the rector. Currently, St. Michael’s is very blessed to have four Priest Associates -- Thad Bennett, Al Kramer, Jean Smith, and Phillip Wilson. Our Priest Associates bring a multitude of different gifts to our parish, for which we are very grateful.
Thad will be preaching at both Sunday services on February 12. Please be sure to give him a big welcome!
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