 2nd Sunday in Lent, February 28, 2021
Reaching Out During Lent: Our Outreach Team invites us to “shop” via Sign-Up Genius to help fill the pantry of the Amistad Catholic Workers House in New Haven. The Amistad House is located in the Hill neighborhood of New Haven and is open as a house of hospitality offering meals and companionship for folks who are unhoused, unsheltered and food insecure. They could use our help with breakfast and lunch items. Please "shop" on this "Sign-Up Genius" page, indicating the items you wish to purchase (multiples are welcome). Then send or drop-off the funds to the Parish Office. Items will be purchased in bulk for delivery directly to Amistad House. Checks should be made out to Christ Church with “Outreach” in the memo line. Donations of any amount are welcome for perishable items. Our Virtual Lenten Pilgrimage focuses this week on the role of mountains in the Bible. Specifically, we visit a Mount of the Transfiguration. Our guide will be the Very Rev. Richard Sewell, Dean of St. George's College in Jerusalem. The geography of the Holy Land is sometimes called "The Fifth Gospel," because the biblical narratives are so grounded in the the landscape. Again, Dean Sewell leads the video introduction and provides a guide for our conversation. He provides an introduction to the series, here. Here's the link for the 9a.m. Sunday Forums, and for the 7p.m. Tuesday Discussions. Prayers in the Garden service may meet again this Sunday, February 28, at 1p.m. if the rain holds off. Look for a message Sunday morning. Digital Sunday School continues with an introductory video from Children & Youth Ministries Director Tyler Jarvis about God's Promises. Even if the children's videos aren't your thing, I encourage you to check out Tyler's video introduction here. As usual, Tyler poses some great questions for your consideration in the email that went out on Friday about noon. Virtual Coffee Hour... is a great opportunity to "see" one another. The link to YFNR's Personal Zoom Room seems to work well. So, join the conversation via Zoom this Sunday, February 28 at 11:30a.m. by clicking this link. Wednesday's Order for Evening will commemorate the life and witness of John and Charles Wesley. Although their reform movement led to the Methodist churches we know today, they sought to offer a "Method" for holy living through the Church of England. Join our livestream Prayers, Wednesday evening, March 3, at 7p.m., for some great hymns! Thursday Bible Study will follow the Hebrews into the wilderness and the beginning of their complaints. Join the conversation, at 9:30a.m. Thursday, March 4, via Zoom. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People. Chancel Door Open for Prayers in the Church: We are continuing our experiment with leaving the door closest to the Guild Room unlocked between 10a.m. and at least 3p.m. Please enjoy a quiet moment of prayer, likely alone, in the church, and pick up a candle stub to light during your prayers at home. Help yourself to frozen waffles in the Parish Hall kitchen freezer. These were all made for Shrove Tuesday by Susan & Tony Leonard and YFNR. Thanks to all who are mailing in your offerings! Although our in-person connections remain severely limited, the routine of the parish continues in the new year. Thanks to your faithfulness, we are able to continue our shared life of worship and witness -- even while maintaining appropriate distances. Please continue your financial support of our common life by bringing your offering to the altar, or the parish office, or by mailing to Christ Church, PO Box 574, Guilford, CT 06437. Your offering will be presented at the altar; it will be physically present, while you remain safely at home. In the faith, hope and love of Christ, Harrison+ YFNR
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 February 23, 2021
Let Us Pray + Presiding Bishop's Message + Tuesday Holy Land Discussion Strengthen us, your servants, O God, to do what we need to do, and to bear what we need to bear; that by following the disciplines of wearing, washing and watching,* and by accepting your gifts to maintain our health through the inspired insights of medical caregivers, we may, with grateful hearts, be kept safe from disease, and our communities may be restored to wholeness and health; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP, p.459, adapted *i.e. wearing masks, washing hands, and watching our distance Dear Hearts, In a somber message to the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry takes stock of where we are in the pandemic, encourages us all to get vaccinated when it's our turn, and puts our response -- as you might expect from him -- in the context of God's call to us to "love God, love your neighbor, and, while your at it, love yourself." You can find it here. Let us pray for all who are commended to the parish's prayers: All who are ill, including Diane L, Kelly Taylor, Philip, Jerry, Jack's daughter, Jim R, Jason, and Peter; and for Buster, Dale, and all who are contending with Covid-19 disease; for the medical caregivers who minister of God's healing gifts; and for all facing financial hardship because of the pandemic. May they all know the healing power of Christ's presence and love. We've learned of the February 8th death of former parishioner, Mary West Marconi, at age 99, on Fletcher Island, FL; her granddaughter Sarah Lam reported her grandmother's gentle passing brought to a close a "long good-bye." Therefore, let us pray for the repose of Mary, and for all who have died -- including the over 500,000 of our fellow citizens claimed by the coronavirus. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord; may light perpetual shine upon them. Look with favor, O Lord, upon David Jones and Janet Moffat, as they celebrate their birthdays; may they continue to grow in grace and wisdom. Send your blessing, O God, upon Diane & David Barker, as they celebrate the anniversary of their marriage, that their home may continue a haven of blessing and peace. Jimmy C, Patrick and family, Felipe, Diane L, Richard D, Andrew M, Alice M, Elizabeth Ann, Parker, Webb, Jill, Andrew E, Ed C, Pastor Bryan Meyers, Bob C, Carol U, Sue S, George H, Alex & John H, Jeremy H, Shelly, Philippe, Kate, Frank, Jack, Judy & Ed S, Michael M, Richard D, Dave K, Brian A, Annie, John, Joan G., Lois C., Winnie Z, Bernie and family, Susie & Paul, Pam McG, Julie H, Murray E., Brooke & family, Kate S., Tracy M., Carl, Michael S, Joanne N-R, Madeline H, and Kelly G, Also: Paul D, Susan S, Linda B, Charlie K, Anne C, Mark S, Angela G, Maria, Bob, Olivia, and Jo B. Please also remember: St. Luke’s School & Church in Martel (Haiti) To add names and concerns for Wednesday's and Sunday's intercessions, and this "Let Us Pray" letter, please send them to YFNR at [email protected] with any details you care to share. Names will move to the longer term list upon request. Our Tuesday Lenten Discussion, "A River Through the Desert," begins this evening at 7p.m. We are taking advantage of a "Virtual Lenten Pilgrimage" from St. George's College in Jerusalem. This evening's focus explores the desert/wilderness setting for Sunday's Gospel reading. The College's dean Richard Sewell leads the video and provides a discussion guide. Here's his introduction to the series. And I've pulled up some photos from my experiences of the Holy Land's desert. Click here to link to this evening's conversation. Wednesday's Order for Evening will combine observances of St. Matthias' Day, and the Lenten Ember Days of prayer for all of us in our various callings. The livestream of the services will start before Noon and 7p.m. at www.facebook.com/cecguilford. Thursday Bible Study continues February 25 at 9:30a.m. with the songs and dances (?!) of the Hebrew people following their deliverance at the Red (Reed?) Sea. Join the conversation via this new Zoom code. There are no prerequisites or homework! Rooted in Hope in a Time of Anxiety: A Day for Laity -- Join our bishops and laity from across the Episcopal Church in Connecticut on Saturday, February 27, for a day of spiritual refreshment and learning. Living in the midst of chronic anxiety impacts all of us; our relationships with our children, spouses/partners, family, friends, colleagues, and faith communities. Together we will learn about the predictable ways humans react to chronic anxiety from Dr. David Olsen, a nationally recognized expert on the impact of anxiety on families and churches. We will also explore patterns of behavior that can help alleviate stress and anxiety. Interspersed throughout the day our chaplains from the Bethany House of Prayer will offer opportunities for reflection, meditation, and prayer. Note: This is a free event, 9:30a.m. to 2:30p.m., open to all laity in ECCT; preregistration is required in order to receive the Zoom link. To register click here. Our experiment continues -- keeping the side door, closest to the Guild Room, unlocked between 10a.m. and 3p.m. This provides an opportunity for a quiet moment of prayer in the church, likely alone, as well as to pick up a candle stub to light during prayers at home. On Sunday, our morning worship continues online with our own Holy Eucharist at 10a.m. Depending upon which forecast you look, Prayers in the Garden (or perhaps on the driveway) appear to be entirely possible on Sunday, February 28, at 1p.m. And another thought about keeping this Lenten season. If ever there were a Lent where wit, along with serious spiritual insight, was welcome, this is that Lent! If you haven't tried "Lent Madness," I commend it to you. It's a clever introduction to 32 saints of the Church -- most of whom are not widely known -- who are in "competition" for the "Golden Halo." And we get to participate in deciding who receives it! Of course, the "Golden halo" aspect is totally bogus. Nonetheless, the light of Christ which shines through these saints who have gone before us, is totally genuine. Find it here: www.LentMadness.org . O God, the King of saints, we praise and glorify your holy Name for all your servants who have finished their course in your faith and fear: ... for the holy patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs; and for all your righteous servants, known to us and unknown; and we pray that, encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP, p. 504 In the faith, hope and love of Christ, Harrison+ Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector  Lent began on Ash Wednesday following our Shrove Tuesday Conflagration of the Palms. Many thanks to Anthony LaFata and his official "Palm Burner." Quite a sight!
The Lenten banner now hangs out front, and the penitential purple hangings now adorn the altar, pulpit and lectern. The celebratory candles that we lit against the darkness of the past months are gone, and the span of daylight "lengthens" each day (the origin of "Lent.") To remind us of Lent's penitential agenda, our worship begins with the Penitential Office, and concludes with seasonal solemn prayers. Lenten Sunday Morning Forums & Tuesday Evening Discussions resume online this week with "A River Through the Desert." We will be taking advantage of a "Virtual Lenten Pilgrimage" from St. George's College in Jerusalem. Each week's topic highlights holy geographic place(s) within our Holy Land; this week's focus, drawn from Sunday's gospel, is Desert. The College's Dean Richard Sewell leads the videos and has provided discussion guides for the next six weeks. He provides an introduction to the series, here. Here's the link for the 9a.m. Sunday Forums, and for the 7p.m. Tuesday Discussions. Prayers in the Garden service will NOT meet again this Sunday, February 21: Still too much snow and too cold! Digital Sunday School resumes this week with an introductory video from Children & Youth Ministries Director Tyler Jarvis mostly about Noah and the Flood. Check it out here for a helpful preview of his sermon this Sunday at 10a.m. As usual, Tyler poses some great questions for your consideration in the email that went out on Friday about noon.. Virtual Coffee Hour... is a great opportunity to "see" one another. The link to YFNR's Personal Zoom Room seems to work well. So, join the conversation via Zoom this Sunday, February 21 at 11:30a.m. by clicking this link. High School Group participants and parents: This Monday, February 22 is already the Last Monday of February (and George Washington's actual birthday); so it is the date for our monthly High School Group chat. I'm looking forward to Tyler's discussion of the story of Noah & the Ark with us. Please let me know whether 6 or 7p.m. would work in your schedules; I understand there've been some changes with the season. Wednesday is a Lenten Ember Day -- one of the days when the Church asks us to pray for all of us in our various callings. It's also the day when the Church remembers Matthias, who was called to take the place of Judas among the apostles. Join our livestream Prayers Wednesday Evening, February 24, at 7p.m., for all the above. Thursday Bible Study continues with songs of celebration following the Israelites' deliverance at the Red (or Reed) Sea. Join the conversation, at 9:30a.m. Thursday, February 25. Look for the Zoom link in next week's "Let Us Pray" letter. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People. Chancel Door Open for Prayers in the Church: We are continuing our experiment with leaving the door closest to the Guild Room unlocked between 10a.m. and at least 3p.m. Please enjoy a quiet moment of prayer, likely alone, in the church, and pick up a candle stub to light during your prayers at home. Help yourself to frozen Belgian, "Mickey Mouse," and/or 8* waffles in the Parish Hall kitchen freezer. These were all made for Shrove Tuesday by Susan & Tony Leonard and YFNR. Thanks to all who are mailing in your offerings! Although our in-person connections remain severely limited, the routine of the parish continues in the new year. Thanks to your faithfulness, we are able to continue our shared life of worship and witness -- even while maintaining appropriate distances. Please continue your financial support of our common life by bringing your offering to the altar, or the parish office, or by mailing to Christ Church, PO Box 574, Guilford, CT 06437. Your offering will be presented at the altar; it will be physically present, while you remain safely at home. In the faith, hope and love of Christ, Harrison+ YFNR  February 16, 2021
Let Us Pray Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that we may take seriously to heart our mortality and penitence, and remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. BCP p.265 Dear Hearts, So that you won't be surprised during our Ash Wednesday services at noon and 7p.m., I want to share the prayer above. This is the amended prayer for that period of silence when we seek to "make a right beginning of repentance," and kneel before the Lord, "as a mark of our mortal nature."(BCP, p.265) This period typically includes the imposition of ashes for those who desire them. The original text of the prayer will be said at 1p.m. on the Parish House steps as an introduction to "Ashes-to-Go" for those who desire them. As a reminder, our Bishops have offered guidance about the keeping of this pious tradition during our current pandemic. You can find their letter here. Our prayers are asked for all who are commended to the parish's prayers: All who are ill, including Diane L, Allison & Ryan Burns, Kelly Taylor, Philip, Jerry, Jack's daughter, Jim R, Jason, and Peter; and for Buster, Dale, and all who are contending with Covid-19 disease; for the medical caregivers who minister of God's healing gifts; and for all facing financial hardship because of the pandemic. May they all know the healing power of Christ's presence and love. For the repose of all who have died; including the over 486,000 of our fellow citizens claimed by the coronavirus. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord; may light perpetual shine upon them. Look with favor, O Lord on Jo-Ann Ansaldo, and Rose Robinson, as they celebrate their birthdays, may they continue to grow in grace and wisdom. Send your blessing, O God, upon Donna & Anthony LaFata as they celebrate the anniversary of the marriage, that their home may continue a haven of blessing and peace. Jimmy C, Patrick and family, Felipe, Diane L, Richard D, Andrew M, Alice M, Elizabeth Ann, Parker, Webb, Jill, Andrew E, Ed C, Pastor Bryan Meyers, Bob C, Carol U, Sue S, George H, Alex & John H, Jeremy H, Shelly, Philippe, Kate, Frank, Jack, Judy & Ed S, Michael M, Richard D, Dave K, Brian A, Annie, John, Joan G., Lois C., Winnie Z, Bernie and family, Susie & Paul, Pam McG, Julie H, Murray E., Brooke & family, Kate S., Tracy M., Carl, Michael S, Joanne N-R, Madeline H, and Kelly G, Also: Paul D, Susan S, Linda B, Charlie K, Anne C, Mark S, Angela G, Maria, Bob, Olivia, and Jo B. Please also remember: St. Luke’s School & Church in Martel (Haiti) To add names and concerns for Wednesday's and Sunday's intercessions, and this "Let Us Pray" letter, please send them to YFNR at [email protected] with any details you care to share. Names will move to the longer term list upon request. Today is Shrove Tuesday, not a day that appears on the Church's calendar, but a day with popular traditions like pancake suppers and burning the leftover palms from the previous Palm Sunday to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. Unfortunately, we can't share supper this evening, but we can watch the "Conflagration of the Palms" in the parish driveway at 6p.m. The weather is permitting! Do remember to wear your mask and to watch your distance. Participants will be sent home with a plastic bag containing a waffle, courtesy of Susan & Tony Leonard, and YFNR. Ash Wednesday's Noon and 7p.m. services will be basically identical. However, there will be hymns and vocal solos at the evening service. The livestream of the services will start before Noon and 7p.m. at www.facebook.com/cecguilford. Thursday Bible Study continues February 18 at 9:30a.m. with the delivery of the Hebrews at the Red (Reed?) Sea. Join the conversation via this new Zoom code. There are no prerequisites or homework! Our experiment continues -- keeping the side door, closest to the Guild Room, unlocked between 10a.m. and 3p.m. This provides an opportunity for a quiet moment of prayer in the church, likely alone, as well as to pick up a candle stub to light during prayers at home. On Sunday, our morning worship shifts to Lent with our own livestream Holy Eucharist at 10a.m. The forecast makes 1p.m. Prayers in the Garden unlikely, again this week. And another thought about how to have a difficult conversation Since my sermon of a couple weeks ago, I've learned about another approach that allows remaining on the subject of the disagreement: Replace a "Why" question with a "How" question: Instead of asking "Why do you think that would that work?" Ask "How do you think that would work?" Instead of asking, "Why would the Rothschilds send lasers into space to start wildfires in California?" Ask, "How would the Rothschilds do that?" I learned about this on PBS's Amanpour & Company. Here's the link O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred that infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth, that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP, p. 815 May the Light of this last day of Epiphany be with you and yours, Harrison+ Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector  Depending upon which calendar you go by, and where you focus over this long weekend, this Sunday has a lot of names. (See above.) All of them accurate, and in our 10a.m. livestream Eucharist, we will touch on them all: The Transfiguration, the last of the epiphanies in this season after the Epiphany, is Sunday's gospel story; we always pray for those we love, and we will also pray for the President (and Vice President) as we give thanks, with the rest of the nation, for their predecessors George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Absalom Jones Fund: To honor the Rev. Absalom Jones, the Episcopal Church's first priest of African descent, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has invited Episcopalians everywhere to support the Episcopal Church's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, known as HBCUs. Details are here. Today, February 13 is his Feast Day. Prayers in the Garden service will NOT meet again this Sunday, February 14: Yikes! More snow and cold! Digital Sunday School is taking its usual Presidents' Day Holiday break. Blessings on our school families who are able to enjoy a "snow day" without online classes! Here's this Sunday's Junior Sunday Paper. I encourage every one to give the puzzle a try. See if you can make the links between the before and after "transfigured" pictures. Virtual Coffee Hour... is a great opportunity to "see" one another. The link to YFNR's Personal Zoom Room seems to work well. So, join the conversation via Zoom this Sunday, February 14 at 11:30a.m. by clicking this link. Our plan for Shrove Tuesday, February 16, is to have a brief "Conflagration of the Palms" in the driveway at 6p.m., offering waffles made by the Senior Warden and the Rector to all participants. Pandemic protocols will be observed, including mask wearing and maintaining physical distances. However, the weather may prevent a gathering in the driveway -- let alone a fire -- on Tuesday. If so, we'll reschedule for 6p.m. Ash Wednesday. Which I know is weird, but we live in weird times. Shrove Tuesday is also the day for the premiere episode of The Black Church: This is our Story. This is our Song, at 9p.m. on PBS. Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates will interview our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, among many others. Bishop Douglas reports that Prof. Gates is a cradle Episcopalian -- his father a longtime pillar of the family parish. Ash Wednesday Worship: We will offer the Prayer Book service for the day including Spiritual Communion via livestream at Noon and 7p.m. The Noon service will be a said service without hymns or solos; the 7p.m. service will include both. Because pandemic protocols do not permit the usual imposition of ashes, the sprinkling of ashes will be offered from the Parish House steps at 1p.m. You can find the livestream services here. Thursday Bible Study is following the Israelites to the next pivotal episode in Exodus (and in the whole Bible) -- deliverance at the Red (or Reed) Sea. Join the conversation, at 9:30a.m. Thursday, February 18. Look for a new Zoom link in next week's "Let Us Pray" letter. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People. Chancel Door Open for Prayers in the Church: We are continuing our experiment with leaving the door closest to the Guild Room unlocked between 10a.m. and at least 3p.m. Please enjoy a quiet moment of prayer, likely alone, in the church, and pick up a candle stub to light during your prayers at home. Offering envelopes are on the chancel table for those who requested them. Annual Parish Meeting to reconvene June 6, 2021: "Plan B"for our Annual Parish Meeting worked. A nice group gathered, on line due to the weather. on Sunday, February 7, but as expected we were well short of a quorum. So, as planned, the Meeting will reconvene in the garden on Sunday, June 6. Thanks to all who are mailing in your offerings! Although our in-person connections remain severely limited, the routine of the parish continues in the new year. Thanks to your faithfulness, we are able to continue our shared life of worship and witness -- even while maintaining appropriate distances. Please continue your financial support of our common life by bringing your offering to the altar, or the parish office, or by mailing to Christ Church, PO Box 574, Guilford, CT 06437. Your offering will be presented at the altar; it will be physically present, while you remain safely at home. In the faith, hope and love of Christ, Harrison+ YFNR February 10, 2021
Let Us Pray O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the mist of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In Time of Conflict, BCP p.386 Dear Hearts, You may remember that in Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus casts out demons and does not permit them to speak. Demons still exist, and on Sunday, they crashed the Annual Meeting of our neighbors, First Congregational Church of Guilford! In what is called, "Zoom-bombing," people possessed of unclean mouths, spewed racist, anti-LGBTQ, and Islamaphobic bile. You might want to be in touch with your First Church friends and neighbors, and assure them of your concern, support, and compassion. When order could not be restored, First Church's on-line meeting was quickly adjourned and will reconvene at a later date with tighter access control. Our own abbreviated 1p.m. meeting on Sunday was spared a similar violation. Our Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled to reconvene in the garden on Sunday, January 6. Our prayers are asked for all who are commended to the parish's prayers: All who are ill, including Diane L, Allison & Ryan Burns, Kelly Taylor, Philip, Jerry, Jack's daughter, Jim R, Jason, and Peter; and for Jay, Matthew, Buster, Jimmy C, Dale, and all who are contending with Covid-19 disease; for the medical caregivers who minister of God's healing gifts; and for all facing financial hardship because of the pandemic. May they all know the healing power of Christ's presence and love. For the repose of parishioner June Chittick, for Capitol Police officers Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood and Jeffrey Smith, FBI Child Protection Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenbruger; and all who have died; including the over 468,000 of our fellow citizens claimed by the coronavirus. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord; may light perpetual shine upon them. Look with favor, O Lord on Fiona Jones, as she celebrates her birthday this Sunday, may she continue to grow in grace and delight. Patrick and family, Felipe, Diane L, Richard D, Andrew M, Alice M, Elizabeth Ann, Parker, Webb, Jill, Andrew E, Ed C, Pastor Bryan Meyers, Bob C, Carol U, Sue S, George H, Alex & John H, Jeremy H, Shelly, Philippe, Kate, Frank, Jack, Judy & Ed S, Michael M, Richard D, Dave K, Brian A, Annie, John, Joan G., Lois C., Winnie Z, Bernie and family, Susie & Paul, Pam McG, Julie H, Murray E., Brooke & family, Kate S., Tracy M., Carl, Michael S, Joanne N-R, Madeline H, and Kelly G, Also: Paul D, Susan S, Linda B, Charlie K, Anne C, Mark S, Angela G, Maria, Bob, Olivia, and Jo B. Please also remember: St. Luke’s School & Church in Martel (Haiti) To add names and concerns for Wednesday's and Sunday's intercessions, and this "Let Us Pray" letter, please send them to YFNR at [email protected] with any details you care to share. Names will move to the longer term list upon request. Wednesday's Order of Evening will offer readings, hymns and prayers for healing The livestream of the service starts before 7p.m. at www.facebook.com/cecguilford. Thursday Bible Study continues February 11 at 9:30a.m. with the rest of the Exodus story of the Passover and the beginning of the flight into the wilderness -- two of the pivotal occasions in the Bible. Join the conversation via Zoom. There are no prerequisites or homework! Our experiment continues -- keeping the side door, closest to the Guild Room, unlocked between 10a.m. and 3p.m. This provides an opportunity for a quiet moment of prayer in the church, likely alone, as well as to pick up from the chancel table your 2021 Offering Envelopes, and a candle stub to light during prayers at home. On Sunday, our morning worship continues with our own livestream Holy Eucharist at 10a.m. The forecast makes 1p.m. Prayers in the Garden unlikely, again this week. And another thought: This Saturday, February 13, the Episcopal Church gives thanks for the life and witness of the Rev. Absalom Jones. Born in slavery, Fr. Jones was the first African-American to be ordained deacon and priest (1802) in the new Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church maintains the Absalom Jones Fund for Historic Black Colleges & Universities affiliated with the Church: St. Augustine University and Vorhees College. You can find out more about Absalom Jones, the fund in his name, these two Episcopal HBCUs, and how to donate here. A generous donation to the Absalom Jones Fund seems like another fine way to respond to those who violated First Church's meeting last Sunday! Set us free, heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear; that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servant Absoalom Jones, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you given us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen. May the Light of this season of Epiphanies be with you and yours, Harrison+ Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector February 2, 2021
Almighty and ever-living God, clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple in the substance of our flesh: grant that we may be presented to you ... by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, ... Amen. Common Worship, p.386 The Archbishops' Council. London: Church House Publishing, 2000 Dear Hearts, That the Bible includes the story of "The Presentation of Our Lord," was one of the things I learned during my first year hanging out with Episcopalians in Eugene, Oregon. I was a first-year graduate student at the University who found a spiritual home at St. Mary's Church. The Presentation was explained to me as a continuation of the celebrations of the Incarnation that began forty-days earlier at Christmas. The University group organized a special reception following the Sunday evening service; my Aunt Frances, who lived in Eugene, helped me bake something; and someone brought champagne. I thought these Episcopalians really knew how to celebrate! The impetus for this celebrating was more than just having a good time -- which it was. But that the Holy Family had also known joyful occasions, and in the Incarnation, God's own self had participated in them, as the prayer says, "in the substance of our flesh." Our prayers are asked for all who are commended to the parish's prayers: All who are ill, including Allison & Ryan Burns, Kelly Taylor, Philip, Jerry and Jack's daughter, Jim R, Jason, and Peter; and for Jay, Matthew, Buster, Jimmy C, Dale, and all who are contending with Covid-19 disease; for the medical caregivers who minister of God's healing gifts; and for all facing financial hardship because of the pandemic. May they all know the healing power of Christ's presence and love. For the repose of all who have died; including the over 447,000 of our fellow citizens claimed by the coronavirus. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord; may light perpetual shine upon them. Patrick and family, Felipe, Diane L, Richard D, Andrew M, Alice M, Elizabeth Ann, Parker, Webb, Jill, Andrew E, Ed C, Pastor Bryan Meyers, Bob C, Carol U, Sue S, George H, Alex & John H, Jeremy H, Shelly, Philippe, Kate, Frank, Jack, Judy & Ed S, Michael M, Richard D, Dave K, Brian A, Annie, John, Joan G., Lois C., Winnie Z, Bernie and family, Susie & Paul, Pam McG, Julie H, Murray E., Brooke & family, Kate S., Tracy M., Carl, Michael S, Joanne N-R, Madeline H, and Kelly G, Also: Paul D, Susan S, Linda B, June C, Charlie K, Anne C, Mark S, Angela G, Maria, Bob, Olivia, and Jo B. Please also remember: St. Luke’s School & Church in Martel (Haiti) To add names and concerns for Wednesday's and Sunday's intercessions, and this "Let Us Pray" letter, please send them to YFNR at [email protected] with any details you care to share. Names will move to the longer term list upon request. Wednesday's Order of Evening will commemorate The Presentation, one day following its official Feast Day. Another name for this Feast is "Candlemas," a day to celebrate the light of Christ coming to us, and a traditional day for blessing altar candles for the coming year. In the practice of some, this is the last day for lighting window candles until next Advent. The livestream of the service starts before 7p.m. at www.facebook.com/cecguilford. Thursday Bible Study continues February 4 at 9:30a.m. with the Exodus story of the Passover -- one of the pivotal occasions in the Bible. Join the conversation via Zoom. There are no prerequisites or homework! Our experiment continues -- keeping the side door, closest to the Guild Room, unlocked between 10a.m. and 3p.m. This provides an opportunity for a quiet moment of prayer in the church, likely alone, as well as to pick up from the chancel table your 2021 Offering Envelopes, and a candle stub to light during prayers at home. On Sunday, our morning worship returns to our own livestream Holy Eucharist at 10a.m. While the forecast makes 1p.m..Prayers in the Garden unlikely, there will be a brief outside gathering, likely in the driveway, to convene, offer a brief prayer, note the lack of a quorum to proceed, and then recess our Annual Parish Meeting until June 6. Yet another traditional name for The Presentation, is "The Purification of Mary." This practice, noted in Luke 2.22, ended a sort of quarantine for a mother and her newborn child, and served to re-incorporate her in her community in her new role as a mother. You may recall reading in Victorian literature about a period of "confinement" during pregnancy and following the birth of a child, when a woman was said to be, "In the family way;" this continued, among people with the means to observe it, the biblical quarantine. To re-incorporate new mothers into the community, old Prayer Books thus had a service for "The Churching of Women."BCP (1928), p. 305 These gave way to the current Prayer Book's "Thanksgiving for a Child" for births and adoptions.; BCP(1979), p.439 The "purification" element in the observance shows up in the Collects for the day, including the following from A New Zealand Prayer Book, p.645: Everliving God, your Son Jesus Christ was presented as a child in the temple to be the hope of your people: grant us pure hearts and minds that we may be transformed into his likeness, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever. Amen. May the Light of this season of Epiphanies be with you and yours, Harrison+ Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector |
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August 2022
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