Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
15 March 2012
Whoa! and Thanks be to God! That was the shorthand operative definition offered recently in Adult Formation for what it means to be “convicted” by God’s holy Word. The first part is the reaction which flows from the awareness of just how far away I am from who and what God has created and called me to be; the second is the joyful realization that despite this distance, God reaches out and bridges the gap. In Lent we tend to focus on the Whoa! part of the equation. It is good to remind ourselves of fallenness, but Lenten piety is incomplete when it does not include joy. What can we be but joyful when we realize that, although we can never close the distance between ourselves and God, God can and does when we but turn to Him and have faith in Him.
An ancient heresy which is quite popular in our own age is Pelagianism. Pelagius was a fourth century ascetic who denied the need for divine aid in performing good works and in meriting salvation. To Pelagius, humanity was not fallen, and could obey God’s holy law (which Pelagius recognized) on the basis of our own will. In our shorthand, Pelagius would have said “Whoa! It’s time to get to work to fix this!” Pelagianism is a trap easy to fall into in Lent, for if I focus on sinfulness it is easy to then focus on what I must do in order to restore myself into proper relation with God. Praxis then predominates over faith, and I worry about what I can do, forgetting that it is God who saves me; that His grace is unmerited. I forget the truth expressed by St. Paul: “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5.6).
The corollary to believing that we can somehow bridge the distance of fallenness is that we fail to recognize who God is. This is the point made by the 20th century theologian Karl Barth when he wrote:
Our relation to God is ungodly. We suppose that we know what we are saying when we say “God.” . . . We assume that He needs something: and so we assume that we are able to arrange our relation to him as we arrange our other relationships. We press ourselves into proximity with Him: and so, all unthinking, we make Him nigh unto ourselves. We allow ourselves and ordinary communication with Him, we permit ourselves to reckon with Him as though this were not extraordinary behaviour on our part. We dare to deck ourselves out as his companions, patrons, advisers, and commissioners. We confound time with eternity. This is the ungodliness of our relation to God.
—The Epistle to the Romans [commentary], 44
God needs from us exactly nothing. Despite this, He calls us to Himself and counts us worthy as heirs of His kingdom, when we confess Christ and follow Him. Therefore do we have joy, Lenten joy. This Lent let us live in joy; joy that God reaches out to us; that He “bridges the gap” when we but turn to Him and have faith in Him; that He counts us worthy of salvation despite our failings; that He gives His only Son for our redemption; that the burdens we carry may be offered to Jesus. Let us recall, always, that whatever the season of the year, we are Easter people; those called by and redeemed by God to be His own; those who live in the joy of the resurrection and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God, indeed.
Thanksgivings: Thanksgivings are offered to Jessica Ambelang for coordinating the Lenten supper this past Friday, and to all who helped in clean-up. Thanksgivings are also offered to Katy Maki for the Sunday coffee hours, and to the Klinzings, for allowing us to share in Caleb’s birthday sweets.
Please take the opportunity to notify the office of any member or friend of the parish to whom we owe thanks, in order that we can publicize this in the weekly newsletter.
Name tags: It is often said that children are the future of the Church. This is, actually, incorrect. Children are full members of the Church now. To better live into this reality, all children have now had name tags made for them, so they can join the rest of this parish in identifying who they are within this Body. Please pick up your children’s name tags on the table set up in the narthex. Adults, please wear your tags as well. We are going to invite the children to show theirs’ off at Sunday worship and fellowship.
Music this week:
Prelude Jesu dulcis memoria Davies
Introit: Rejoice, Jerusalem Plainsong
Offertory Hymn 690 “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah”
Communion Motet My spirit longs for thee Traditional Irish
Comm. Hymn 321 “My God, thy table now is spread”
Closing Hymn 302 “Father, we thank thee who hast planted”
Postlude Prelude on “Amor Patris et Filii” Stanford
Parish Notices
§ Friday Evenings in Lent: continue with Stations of the Cross at 5:30pm followed by suppers and study. We will be study Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. We still have a copy available for purchase at a cost of $15.00 each. Please speak with Deacon Michele if you need a book.
§ Adult Formation: Classes take place in St. Nicholas Hall, at 9 a.m. We have launched The Bible Challenge. A schedule of readings is provided on the parish website, along with weekly study summaries. During Lent we want to focus on parish participation, and so our Sunday morning adult education hour will involve review and discussion of the Bible readings for the week.
§ Bishop Salmon’s Visit: We will welcome The Rt. Reverend Edward L. Salmon, Jr., Dean and President of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, to Grace Church Sunday, March 25, 2012. No stranger to Grace Church, Bishop Salmon brings the greetings of Nashotah House and his visit gives thanks for a historic and fruitful relationship between the seminary and Grace Church. Noted for his theological clarity, quick wit and Southern accent, Bishop Salmon will preach at both Masses. Please join us as we welcome him back to Grace Church.
§ Brass and Organ Benefit Concert: On Sunday, March 25th at 4:00pm Ben Dobey and the Gaudete Brass Quintet will perform music from their new CD as well as other music for Organ and Brass. This concert will benefit Holy Trinity School in Haiti, part of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral complex in Port-au-Prince which was mostly destroyed in 2010. The Holy Trinity School and Music Academy has been one of the most successful educational institutions in Haiti, open to all children regardless of economic background. The suggested donation will be $20 per family. The CD is available for $10.
§ Sacrament of Reconciliation: Lent is a time of self-examination preparing for the death and resurrection of our Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered by appointment. Please contact Fr. Schaffenburg, Fr. McQueen or Fr. Okkerse to set up an appointment to make your confession.
§ Easter Vigil Dinner: The first Mass of the Resurrection is on Saturday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. The Easter celebration then continues at Trattoria Stefano, 522 South 8th Street, at 9:30 p.m. The actual cost of the meal is a gift to the parish, so you not only get a delicious meal but you help the coffers of the church by purchasing a ticket for the dinner. Tickets can be bought in the parish office or in the narthex after mass for $50 a person. Everyone is invited, but seats are limited. If you are unable to afford a ticket, but want to attend, a generous “scholarship” is available. Please contact Fr. Schaffenburg.
§ Staying in Love: We all know what’s required to fall in love … a pulse! Falling in love is easy, but staying together with the one you’ve found seems to be the real challenge. Join us as pastor and author Andy Stanley leads us through “Staying in Love” on DVD. Discussion to follow led by marriage mentors. This free session will be held 9 a.m.–noon on Saturday, March 17th in Sheboygan. Please call Great Marriages at 920-783-3660 for details and to register.
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