CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH of GUILFORD
  • Home
    • Christ Church Livestreams
    • Parish Newsletter
    • Transition Process
    • Monthly Calendar
  • Who We Are
    • What We Believe
    • Who Belongs Here
    • Clergy & Staff
    • Church Vestry
    • Annual Meeting Minutes >
      • Christ Church By-laws
  • What We Do
    • Services & Liturgy
    • Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
    • Children & Youth Ministry >
      • Archived Digital Sunday School
    • Music Ministry >
      • Choirs
      • Organ Music
    • Parish Ministry Committees
    • Outreach
    • Fellowship >
      • ECW/EECW
  • Visit Us
    • Contact Us
  • Stewardship and Giving

Christ Church Weekly Announcements

Fr. Harrison's Letter for January 28, 2018

1/30/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
​Dear Hearts,

The extended winter break for Thursday Bible Study ended on the 25th.  Between all the distracting busy-ness during the last weeks of Advent, Christimastide, and my absence after the Epiphany, it had been six weeks since we were last together.  I wish I could say our first gathering was crowned with glorious insight, and we all felt we had gained greater insight into Paul's message to the Corinthians.  I wish I could say that, but I can't.  If anything, I think some of us left more puzzled than when we began.

Noting that Graham had studiously avoided the Epistle in his fine sermon for last Sunday, and that I would have been clueless on what to say about it had I been the preacher, I thought the passage (I Corinthians 7:29-31) merited further study.  To paraphrase, Paul encourages the Corinthians (and us) to not be, as they/we are -- married, mourning, rejoicing, buying or otherwise doing business in the world, and all because "the appointed time has grown short" and "the present form of this world is passing away."  Usually reading the context for the verses provides some clarity about what is going on.  On Thursday, that practice added to our shared frustration. 

Sometimes Bible Study is like that.  We don't want to be appeased with simplistic explanations that mute the biblical message as we attempt to take the Bible seriously.  A former rector of mine would say in these situations, "Best to just leave that where Paul (or Jesus) flang it!"  So, I did just that.  Then, when I was not looking for it, I received an insight that I found truly helpful on, of all places, Facebook:  Perhaps what Paul was trying to tell his readers is that whatever their situation in life, that is not their fundamental identity.  Our fundamental identity is rooted in who and whose we are, adopted children of God, reconciled and restored to full relationship with God, and (hopefully) one another by God's gracious gift.

We also live in unsettled and changing times; the culture around us would gladly pigeonhole us and tell us whether we matter or not.  But even as the world changes around us, we too can know fundamentally who and whose we are -- members of the household of God, branches of the vine, inheritors of the Kingdom and Christ's own forever.  At least for me, that assurance is worth the occasional frustration in studying the Bible. 

We will continue to study the readings from I Corinthians appointed for these weeks following the Epiphany. Coffee and tea are served, and we aim to begin at 9:30 Thursday mornings in the Rectory dining room.  Please feel free to join the conversation!

During Sunday's Rectory Forum, we will continue watching, and discussing, topical clips from the producers of "The Sultan and the Saint: The Story of the Sultan of Egypt and St. Francis of Assisi."  This week's clips focus on religious thought in the time of St. Francis --particularly the thinking of medieval Islam and medieval Christianity.  Although the term "Dark Ages," has passed out of use to describe the life of western Europe, it was particularly inappropriate for regions under the rule of Islamic leaders.  Indeed, it was in just these regions where the science, philosophy and literature of antiquity was preserved in Arabic translations, having been destroyed in their original Greek.  The tolerance of medieval Islam toward Chrisitanity gets lost in the violence of contemporary extremism.  Coffee and tea will be ready in the rectory entry hall, and we will begin as soon as we can after 9 a.m.

In addition to groups focusing on the parish's finances, and on service within and outside our parish community, our Strategic Planning process also encouraged on-going conversation about our ministries with children, youth and their families.  These conversations began again during the fall, and will convene for a first time in 2018 on Sunday, January 28, during Coffee Hour.  At one of its last meetings in 2017, the group decided to title its efforts "Faith Formation; " all are welcome.
​
In faith, hope, and love,
Harrison+
Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector
1 Comment
Jane Ferrall
1/30/2018 07:23:00 am

The blog image is a 2006 photo of a street mural in Takoma Park, Maryland, and the Facebook image is of a mural by Millard Sheets, ca. 1964, that can be seen at the University of Notre Dame. Here is Mr. Sheets' comment on the mural: "What they asked me to do was to suggest in a great processional the idea of a never-ending line of great scholars, thinkers, and teachers - saints that represented the best that man has recorded, and which are found represented in a library. The thought was that the various periods that are suggested in the theme have unfolded in the continuous process of one generation giving to the next. I put Christ at the top with the disciples to suggest that He is the great teacher - that is really the thematic idea."

Mr. Sheets first made a painting of the design, and the Cold Spring Granite Company translated the design into a pattern of over 6,000 separate pieces of varieties of stone from around the world.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    We feature various authors from around our parish, commenting on topics of interest to our community.  Enjoy!  Comment if you are so moved!

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

We Would Love to Have Yo​u Visit Soon!
11 Park street, guilford ct 06437


Hours

Office Hours
Tues-Thurs
​10am-3pm

Telephone

203-453-2279

Email

info@christchurchguilford.org
  • Home
    • Christ Church Livestreams
    • Parish Newsletter
    • Transition Process
    • Monthly Calendar
  • Who We Are
    • What We Believe
    • Who Belongs Here
    • Clergy & Staff
    • Church Vestry
    • Annual Meeting Minutes >
      • Christ Church By-laws
  • What We Do
    • Services & Liturgy
    • Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
    • Children & Youth Ministry >
      • Archived Digital Sunday School
    • Music Ministry >
      • Choirs
      • Organ Music
    • Parish Ministry Committees
    • Outreach
    • Fellowship >
      • ECW/EECW
  • Visit Us
    • Contact Us
  • Stewardship and Giving