Search This Blog

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Muscle Memory

Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
29 August 2013

One of the things that is evident in developing athletic and some artistic skills such as a golf stroke, a gymnastics or dance move, a proper lead and reaction in skeet shooting, or a tennis serve is muscle memory.  Muscle memory involves the repetition of a motion enough that the involved body parts are trained to react, and we don’t have to think about the stroke, the step or the shot.  (In fact, when we do think about the stroke, the step or the shot, we tend to do it less well.)
Muscle memory reflects the development of a native gift as a result of intentional training.  In the practice of religion some muscle memory can be developed.  Episcopalians of long-standing just seem to know when to kneel, and if you sign the cross on yourself, you probably don’t think much about how to do it.
In the Body which is the Church or a congregation of the Church, “muscle memory” involves those patterns of doing things that we have learned and absorbed through long practice, and so we don’t have to think so much about how to do something.  This is why we refer to the practice of religion while recognizing that this is different from the faith we hold and profess.  The very word “religion” comes from the Latin for “that which binds again”.  In other words, no matter how strong our faith may be, we need to practice it.  Each and every time we pray, gather in worship, and receive the Blessed Sacrament, we bind ourselves more closely to God.
As we move closer to our Faith Alive weekend (20-22 September), every one of us needs to pray now, and continually, that The Holy Spirit will bless us with a mighty work of faith, that we will be so touched by God that we will literally become more alive in our faith.  In this new life, let us exercise every muscle and sinew of Christ’s Body.  Let every one of us as a member of this Body live into our identity and vocation as a member of a whole which far exceeds the sum of her parts.  But let’s start practicing now.  Let’s work on “prayer memory” and “praise memory” and “worship memory” and “memory” in Communion.  Establish the patterns while limbering up, and then (to borrow another athletic reference) “Just do it!”  Pray now.  Pray on your own.  Make a habit of coming to one of the daily services held at the parish, that we may pray together for our Lord to bless us with new life.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank Jennifer Pawlus and Sutton Cecil for a wonderful coffee hour this past Sunday.

Faith Alive:  Faith Alive and music
The Faith Alive team that is coming to visit us (20-22 September) includes musicians.  Our Sunday worship will include singing at the 8 o’clock service, and at the 10:15 we will include our typical music of hymns and service music/chant, supplemented by songs led by the Faith Alive team.  We will also be joined by Sheboygan’s “Winds of Praise” flute choir, and the Faith Alive team will lead us in music at parish gatherings during the weekend.  Much of the music will be familiar to you.  Some will be new, but easy to participate in.  All will be Spirit-filled.

Episcopal Youth CommunitySunday School Is Starting Soon!
Grace and peace to you! Did you hear that Sunday School is starting soon? Well, if not it going to be great this year. All of the teachers have been spending a lot of time getting ready for this school year, and we really want to meet you and get to see you before classes start. That's why we are having a Sunday School registration and ice cream social on Wednesday, September 4th from 6:30-7:30pm, it's an opportunity to meet your teachers, see the classrooms, and find out what we're going to be doing in class this year! (And eat some ice cream too).
After that happens, then we have our first Sunday School class (did I mention that was starting soon?) on September 8th at 9:00am. In fact classes for all ages will be starting that day; from 4K-Adults. And just in case you fit into this category, the nursery is also open, that way, the littlest ones can play in the nursery, the older siblings can go to Sunday School, and you the responsible and care-about-your-and-your-children's-spiritual-growth-and-development parent can edify yourself with the adult class in St. Nicholas Hall.
Don't forget about the ice cream on the 4th.  See you there!                                           ―Nick

Music this week

Prelude                        Two Slow Airs                                                                         Howells
Entrance Hymn 376    “Joyful, joyful we adore thee”                                                Hymn to Joy
Offertory Hymn 477   “All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine”                         Engelberg
Comm. Hymn 321      “My God, thy table now is spread”                                        Rockingham
Closing Hymn 438      “Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord”                        Woodlands
Postlude                      Fanfare & Galliard                                                                 Howells

Parish Notices

§  Sunday School Registration and Ice Cream Social! Come register for Sunday School, meet the teachers and see the classrooms Wednesday, September 4th, 6:30-7:30pm. Sunday School will begin on September 8th at 9:00am. The teachers are ready for another wonderful year of learning about the love of Jesus Christ! Please watch for more information.

§  Faith Alive is coming to Grace! On September 20-22 Grace will be hosting a Faith Alive event. Faith Alive is a church retreat held in the comfort of our own church and community. The weekend will be led by Witnesses, who are fellow Episcopalians, that travel here at their own expense to lead engaging activities with ALL members of Grace, from nursery through adulthood. The weekend will begin with a 24 hour prayer vigil beginning Thursday evening to set the tone and importance of prayer throughout the weekend’s events. Friday evening begins with a parish fellowship dinner and followed by programs designed for Adults, teens, children and nursery age children through 9:30pm. Saturday morning will kick off with coffee and discussion at homes of our fellow members throughout Sheboygan followed by luncheons and more activities and discussions. Lasting relationships with church members you may not know today are often created here. Saturday’s events are finished with a fellowship dinner and small group discussions. Sunday concludes the weekend’s events with active inclusion of the witnesses we have worked with in nursery and children programs, and also within the church service followed by a luncheon for the entire parish. We feel privileged to offer such an impactful retreat to our church family and hope you take the time to reflect and pray with your family on this weekend and participating in all of the events offered.

§  A Day of Healing: On September 14, 2013, A Day of Healing is a spiritual and instructional journey that consists of teaching and worship for people of all denominations, especially for those who seek to carry on the healing ministry of Jesus in their local communities. The sessions are led by Rev. Paul Feider who is nationally known for his work in spiritual direction, healing prayer and scripture study.  Topics for the day include: Healing in the Gospels and through history; Dealing with Bitter Roots and Inner Vows, Healing our Image of God; Healing Self-esteem; Healing Intimacy in Relationships. Arrival and registration is at 8:45am and the teachings beginning at 9:00 am and finishing at 4:00 pm.  This is held in St John’s Church and Center for Inner Peace at 1513 Pinewood Lane in New London, WI.  Lunch is provides along with coffee and snacks.
§  The second Day on November 2 will address:  Healing Miscarriage; Dealing with Evil; Healing Depression; Healing the Dying; Healing Marriage and Wounds of Divorce.

§  Education for Ministry: How do I learn to make the Bible stories become my stories? How do I learn how God wants to bless me with more than I can imagine? Join an EfM (Education for Ministry) group that is starting on Monday, September 9th. The 9:00-11:45a.m. group will meet at St. Paul’s in Plymouth.   the evening EfM class will be on Monday nights starting at 6 pm at Grace Church in Sheboygan. You can still register by calling Barb at 920-893-5189 or email at bzimmy@excel.net. Scholarships are available, so don’t let the cost of $350 for this college credited class, stop you from joining. This year starts the use of all new materials and textbooks, so anyone who has taken any of the classes before can repeat them.

§  Bishop Search: For all information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please go to bishopsearch.info.


Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Truth of Love, the Love of Truth

Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
22 August 2013

This week has included the Feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, an 11th century mystic remembered for many things, including a commentary on The Song of Songs as an allegory of the love between Jesus Christ and His Church.  The idea and experience of love reminds us that lovers are passionate.  For example, the behavior of St. Francis of Assisi can only be properly understood when we realize that we witness in him the passion of one in love; otherwise his actions appear anything from curious to morbid.
St. Bernard and St. Francis remind us that in faith we can experience the truth of love (an affective faith) or we can focus on the love of truth (a faith in which we are enlightened to God’s will).  But, really we need to have a faith which combines the heart and the mind, to live in the truth of God’s love (and so embody this love to others), and to love the truth of God’s Word (that we may proclaim His Good News to all).  To combine these two aspects of faith into the love of God not only with heart and mind, but above all with soul (Mtt. 22.37), requires diligence in will.  Fortunately, the Church provides ways to do this, such is in the practice of the Daily Office.
The Daily Office in your prayer book includes Morning Prayer, Noonday, Evening Prayer, and Compline.  Try to pray at least one of the hours of the office.  Noonday and Compline take less than five minutes; M.P. or E.P. about fifteen.  You can use your prayer book, or you can use a computer or smart phone to access a site like http://www.missionstclare.com/english/, which will walk you through the prayer service with lessons, notes on the feast, even hymns.  When you make prayer a regular practice in this way, you will better experience the truth of love as you live your love of the truth.  And, when these complimentary loves come together, you will find (as do all lovers) that the experience of God transforms.
At Grace you can pray the office prayers with others, every day.  Praying in the chapel together with others will allow you to experience the fullness of God’s love as experienced in community.  It will also allow you to learn the minor ins-and-outs of how to use the prayer book in praying the office on your own.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank Mike Boland, Susan McIntosh and family for the coffee hour this past Sunday.

No 9 a.m. Mass on Saturday, 24 August:  Holy Eucharist will be celebrated in the context of the Imig funeral at 11:00 a.m.

Faith Alive:  Housing                                                                         Friday–Sunday (Sept. 20-22)                                                    
Grace Church doesn’t own a hotel, but we have several families who have invited our guests to stay with them over the weekend.  This will be a blessing for both.  Our guests won’t be out on the street for the night, & the hosts will have additional time to spend with the visitors.  Mary Snyder has taken responsibility to find housing.

Episcopal Youth CommunityClutter

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord!  This week we hosted a small get-together to play some games. In order to do that we needed to have a place to play, and that required clearing away the mail that had gathered up, and the everything else that was put on the dining room table (everywhere except where we eat ... mostly). One of the reasons we have such a pile is our 15 month-old, who can reach most things. Therefore, the table becomes a refuge for those things that we don't need to deal with right now, or don't have a place for right now. Now we have to deal with it; this is where most of our time gets invested. And I promise you this wasn't the fun part of the evening.
 As far as my walk with God is concerned there is a huge correlation between the way I deal with things spiritually, and apparently physically. I keep piling stuff up on my spiritual table (literally tableing all of these decisions, and difficulties). It has so much stuff on it, that doesn't belong there. The reason it's there is so that it can't go away, and the reason it's there is also so that I can deal with it when I have time. But every now and then we have to deal with it, either because something in our lives is forcing it, or there's no more room for any more junk. So we begin sorting, and filing, and getting rid of the crud that is taking up space in our lives. And sometimes it takes a long time, maybe most of our time. Finding where things belong in our lives, finding how that fits into our faith, deciding that we no longer need to hold on to that and let it go.
 Next time you find yourself purging your junk mail, or finding those long lost whatever's at the bottom of the pile, let it be a spiritual practice to let go of the burdens we carry. Let it be a physical display of clearing the clutter between you and living out your faith. And may you find that when it's done, that you will suddenly have space to think, and enjoy, and have peace.
―Nick

Music this week

Prelude                        Chorale Partita on Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness         Joh. Gottfried
                                                                                                                                    Walther
Entrance Hymn 368    “Holy Father, great Creator”                                                 Regent Square
Offertory Hymn 493   “O, for a thousand tongues to sing”                                      Azmon
Comm. Hymn 339      “Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness”                                  Schműcke
dich
Closing Hymn 524      “I love thy kingdom, Lord”                                                    St. Thomas                                                                                                                                          (Williams)
Postlude                      Prelude  and Fugue in F                                                          Joh. Krieger

Parish Notices

Free upright piano.  A piano in playable condition is available.  If you are interested contact Gene Wilhelm.

Faith Alive is coming to Grace! On September 20-22 Grace will be hosting a Faith Alive event. Faith Alive is a church retreat held in the comfort of our own church and community. The weekend will be led by Witnesses, who are fellow Episcopalians, that travel here at their own expense to lead engaging activities with ALL members of Grace, from nursery through adulthood. The weekend will begin with a 24 hour prayer vigil beginning Thursday evening to set the tone and importance of prayer throughout the weekend’s events. Friday evening begins with a parish fellowship dinner and followed by programs designed for Adults, teens, children and nursery age children through 9:30pm. Saturday morning will kick off with coffee and discussion at homes of our fellow members throughout Sheboygan followed by luncheons and more activities and discussions. Lasting relationships with church members you may not know today are often created here. Saturday’s events are finished with a fellowship dinner and small group discussions. Sunday concludes the weekend’s events with active inclusion of the witnesses we have worked with in nursery and children programs, and also within the church service followed by a luncheon for the entire parish. We feel privileged to offer such an impactful retreat to our church family and hope you take the time to reflect and pray with your family on this weekend and participating in all of the events offered.


Sunday School Begins: We are getting excited about Sunday School! The teachers have met and plans are being made for another wonderful year of learning about the love of Jesus Christ! Sunday School will begin on September 8th at 9:00am. Please watch for more information.


 Education for Ministry: How do I learn to make the Bible stories become my stories? How do I learn how God wants to bless me with more than I can imagine? Join an EfM (Education for Ministry) group that is starting on Monday, September 9th. The 9:00-11:45a.m. group will meet at St. Paul’s in Plymouth.   the evening EfM class will be on Monday nights starting at 6 pm at Grace Church in Sheboygan. You can still register by calling Barb at 920-893-5189 or email at bzimmy@excel.net. Scholarships are available, so don’t let the cost of $350 for this college credited class, stop you from joining. This year starts the use of all new materials and textbooks, so anyone who has taken any of the classes before can repeat them.


 If you have a desire to help: The Salvation Army Red Shield Free Clinic needs you!!  Of urgent need are on site medical professionals- Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses.  If that's not you, but you have great people skills, we are also looking for volunteers to help patients with paperwork and in the evangelism area.  Clinics are open every Thursday evening, two Monday evenings and two Thursday mornings each month. Volunteer commitment is typically three hours each at each session. Please consider this opportunity to help your community.  Contact Pam Sandee, Clinic Coordinator at 694-1262 if this is for you!!


Bishop Search: For all information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please go to bishopsearch.info.




Wednesday, August 14, 2013

A Laughing Matter?

Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
14 August 2013

[Grace Notes publishes a day early this week.]  God is transcendent and God is immanent.  These two realities are not separated.  God is both transcendent (above us) and immanent (one with us).  If we think of ourselves as being in a swimming pool, God stands above us on the diving board, but He also dives in.  “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us ...” (Jn. 1.14).  The almighty Creator of all also comes to us.
As humans we want to make God more like us, because this makes Him more comfortable.  And yet God remains the transcendent God.  God’s “human” qualities, in fact, include the “image and likeness” in which we are created (Gen. 1.26), and perhaps we can see this best in something that we think of as uniquely human:  laughter.
God laughs, and we laugh.  The Bible describes God as laughing at Ps. 2.4 and Ps. 37.14.  We are described as laughing both at Ecclesiastes 3.4 and at Psalm 126.2.  We can conclude that Jesus—fully God and fully human—especially laughs.  But what does God laugh at?  In the psalms He is described as laughing at human folly (the folly of wickedness).  We certainly laugh (for example) when a self-important snob slips on a banana peel.  In other words, when that-which-is-not-godly (e.g., pride) is exposed it is seen to be absurd, and whatever draws us away from God is exposed as a sort of cosmic bad joke—the type of joke that may produce laughter but is far from funny, producing a laughter of discomfort.
The psychology of laughter (gelotology) and the philosophy of laughter (notably in Schopenauer and Bergson) both focus on contrast, on the contrast between that which is inflexible and that which is flexible (e.g., between the self-importance of the snob and the happenstance which produces his fall).  These insights allow us to glimpse a little of the contrast between that which is godly and that which is not.  Godliness and holiness are flexible in that they involve growth, cosmic movement, creation.  God is alive.  Evil is negation only; it is a rigid “no” to all that God calls us to be, and it is in this contrast that we see the laughter of God “at the wicked, because he sees that their day will come” (Ps. 37.14).  God sees what will be—what will grow and flourish by His will—and knows the smallness, the negation, the rigid “no” of evil to be absurd and worthy of contempt.
God is alive, and faith must be.  God sees what will come for the wicked because He is outside of time—past, present and future are all the same for Him.  He sees the growth He wills and knows that what the wicked will results in a grand total of nothing.  Hence, the laughter.  But the laughter is coupled with love.  God is not laughing at us when we fail.  He laughs, and we laugh, in the joy of new life and growth, of triumph over evil.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank Dale and Mary Massey for the coffee hour this past Sunday.

Faith AliveChildren                                 Friday – Sunday (Sept. 20-22)   
Children are included in Faith Alive. Jesus does tell us to bring the little children to him.  We have two visitors committed to this Children’s Ministry coming to work with Pat Ford-Smith.  It’s a wonderful gift that God gives some, the ability to minister to children when their minds are unencumbered & open.  It's a precious time not to waste.  Sometimes God even uses these children to reach their parents.  May God bless these efforts.

Being the Body:  On Saturday, 17 August, we reconvene from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  We are in the middle of our discipleship program, now focused on how we act to be the Body of our Lord.  We will welcome The Rev. Dr. Marie T. Gray, Priest-in-Charge of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Plymouth.  She will be leading a session on how a rule of life, and on how we may follow the pattern of study in prayer, immersing ourselves in Scripture and in the Benedictine understandings of silence, study, meditation, prayer, and contemplation to live into our vocation as members of Christ’ Body.

Episcopal Youth Community

Music this week

Prelude                        Chorale Preludes on O God, thou faithful God           Max Reger and
                                                                                                                        Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Entrance Hymn  544   “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun”                            Duke Street
Offertory Hymn 366   “Holy God, we praise thy Name”                               Grosser Gott
Comm. Hymn 419      “Lord of all being, throned afar”                                Mendon
Closing Hymn 655      “O Jesus, I have promised”                                         Nyland
Postlude                      Fantasia in E Flat                                                        Johann Pachelbel

Parish Notices

Free upright piano.  A piano in playable condition is available.  If you are interested contact Gene Wilhelm.

St. Mary the Virgin: Thursday is the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin also known as the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We will celebrate with a Solemn Mass at 6:00 pm. We will continue the celebration with an All Parish Potluck Dinner. Please join in the fun. If you can stay and help clean up that would be wonderful.

Faith Alive is coming to Grace! On September 20-22 Grace will be hosting a Faith Alive event.  Faith Alive is a church retreat for the entire family.  Activities from nursery and children services, teens, and adults will provide a unique opportunity to grow closer to God through active sharing of faith stories in circumstances that are designed to not be intimidating but inviting.  If you are not comfortable sharing, no one will pressure you and you will gain significant benefits from witnessing or participating.  We feel very honored to offer this event to our church family and hope everyone can participate in the entire weekend.  Please contact any of the committee members for more information.

Sunday School Begins: We are getting excited about Sunday School! The teachers have met and plans are being made for another wonderful year of learning about the love of Jesus Christ! Sunday School will begin on September 8th at 9:00am. Please watch for more information.

 Commemoration of Blessed Charles Chapman Grafton is observed as a Feast Day of the Diocese of Fond du Lac at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Fond du Lac. It is included in "Holy Men, Holy Women" by the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music of the Episcopal Church. The Feast Day is August 30th, although the Commemoration liturgy may be translated to another day. The 2013 Commemoration will take place Saturday, August 24th beginning at 2:00pm. at the Cathedral of St. Paul the Apostle, Fond du Lac. For more information and to register go to diofdl.org/grafton.

Education for Ministry: How do I learn to make the Bible stories become my stories?  How do I learn how God wants to bless me with more than I can imagine?  Join an EfM (Education for Ministry) group that is starting on Tuesday, September 9th.  The 9:00-11:45 am group will meet at St. Paul’s in Plymouth.   A 6:00-8:45 pm group is also forming with starting date and place to be determined.  Scholarships are available, so don’t let the cost of $350 for this college credited class, stop you from joining.  This year starts the use of all new materials and textbooks, so anyone who has taken any of the classes before can repeat them.  Registrations are due by August 10th so materials can be received before the first class.  Contact Barb Drewry-Zimmerman at bzimmy@excel.net or 920-893-5189 for registration materials.

If you have a desire to help: The Salvation Army Red Shield Free Clinic needs you!!  Of urgent need are on site medical professionals- Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses.  If that's not you, but you have great people skills, we are also looking for volunteers to help patients with paperwork and in the evangelism area.  Clinics are open every Thursday evening, two Monday evenings and two Thursday mornings each month. Volunteer commitment is typically three hours each at each session. Please consider this opportunity to help your community.  Contact Pam Sandee, Clinic Coordinator at 694-1262 if this is for you!

Bishop Search: For all information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please go to bishopsearch.info.



Thursday, August 8, 2013

Proper Focus

Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
8 August 2013

It can be dangerous and depressing to troll through the blogosphere as it relates to the Anglican expression of the Christian faith.  Examples abound of statements of belief or of practice that cause one to pause and ask, “And how is this an expression of the faith-once-delivered?  How does this proclaim the Good News of God in Christ Jesus?”  Rarely, however, are those things we might question motivated by evil intention; the issue is misplaced focus.
Misplaced focus is evident in the recent “Seusscharist” held at St. George’s Anglican Church in Guelph, Ontario, in which the Sunday worship was observed using a liturgy in which characters from Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat acted out worship. (This is not a joke!)  See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7rIbNCJGpI .  As observed by St. George’s rector:  “The intention of this service is to create an experience for children and give them the language to make sense of that experience.  So that's why we're doing the Dr. Seuss Eucharist.”  Compare this experience to what we have practiced at Grace, in which the youngest children have gathered around the altar during a solemn celebration of the holy mysteries.  They appear to have “made sense” of the experience, in that they were focused.  They knew something important was happening.
When we seek “relevance” only, our focus is only on the immanence of God—that God is very much with us.  And yet we cannot forget the transcendence of God—that He is above us.  This past Tuesday we celebrated the feast of the Transfiguration, the revelation of Jesus’ glory (Mtt. 17.1-8; Mark 9.2-8; Luke 9.28-36).  The same Jesus who has been with His disciples, who has traveled and lived and eaten with them, is the same Jesus who appears on the mountain top, His face shining like the sun, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, and the voice of His Father which says, “This is my Son, my Beloved; listen to him!”  The man who has been accessible and “relevant” to His disciples is revealed as the God who is far beyond them.
And yet this “beyond,” transcendent God comes to the disciples, and to us!  A focus like that in the “Seusscharist” is one in which we try to make God more like ourselves, and forget that He calls us to be more like Him—that He calls us and equips us; that He pays the price of our redemption.  Let our focus ever remain on all that is holy.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank Zack and Dee Whitford for the coffee hour this past Sunday.

Faith Alive:  Faith Alive: “Follow Up”                               Friday – Sunday (Sept. 20-22)   

What happens after Faith Alive?  We’ll have a meeting for those who participated in the weekend….those who want to reflect on what happened, & where they want to go or what they want to do next.  Faith Alive doesn’t have any program they are pushing.  But typically some people may want to meet in small groups to pray & study the Bible.  Some may feel that God is leading them to some new outreach project or to join something that is already going.  Bob Hanlon has a committee that is working on facilitating this meeting, & the Prayer Committee will be praying that we will hear the Holy Spirit & carry through.

Being the Body:  On Saturday, 17 August, we reconvene from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  We are in the middle of our discipleship program, now focused on how we act to be the Body of our Lord.  We will welcome The Rev. Dr. Marie T. Gray, Priest-in-Charge of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Plymouth.  She will be leading a session on how a rule of life, and on how we may follow the pattern of study in prayer, immersing ourselves in Scripture and in the Benedictine understandings of silence, study, meditation, prayer, and contemplation to live into our vocation as members of Christ’ Body.

Episcopal Youth CommunityInspiration  Hello everyone, grace and peace. This week I struggled greatly finding something to write. Lately my submissions have been revelations I've encountered either recently, or recently became revealed to me in a new way; or simple informational posts regarding some activity or other. This week I didn't have anything. I looked and waited, and found interesting things online, but nothing seemed to stand out as the thing I should share with you.
And then last night (tonight as I write this) I had an epiphany: my uninspired brain was in fact the inspiration I was waiting for. After I let my brain melt out of my ears for a little while from the surprise and suddenness of this thought (and after I quoted the movie 'Hook' to myself), I began to think about it. I spent my whole week waiting for something to happen, and finally in the absence of what I was looking for I found my answer.
There is a story in the bible that I want to share with you. It's from 1Kings 19:11-13:

"11 [The Lord] said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave."

Elijah is the man experiencing all of this chaos. But it is not in the chaos that God reveals himself. Instead, it is in the sheer silence that he speaks to Elijah. Wind, fire, and earthquakes are frightening forces that ought not be reckoned with, and we don't know how long Elijah was up there waiting for God to show up. It seems to me that it would have taken a bit longer than the line at the DMV. We expect God to stand out when being revealed. Something like a choir of angels, bright lights, glitz and glamor and trumpets blaring. Instead when the chaos around us (or of our minds) settles down, and we can hear the silence, we have a better chance to hear God in that moment of our day than when we are facing the winds, fires, and earthquakes of our day to day lives.
I feel now that I have been shown this in as mundane a way as only God can manage, that I feel a little bit like Daniel learning from Mr. Miyagi (from 'The Karate Kid') that by doing all of the chores for a week, I have laid the groundwork to begin my training without even knowing it.
May you find God's voice in the absences. May you find God's will in prayers that seem to go unanswered. May you find that God is present even in the sheer silence, whether because we have found a quiet place or because we have nothing left to say.
Here are youtube links to the two movie clips I referenced:
"Hook" (only the first 20 seconds) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsB2KGaX6bg
"The Karate Kid" (mild language) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K24jL-06H0
―Nick

Music this week

Prelude                                   Prelude on ‘Song 46’                                      Leo Sowerby
Entrance Hymn 637              “How firm a foundation”                               Lyons
Offertory Hymn 680             “O God our help in ages past”                        St. Anne
Communion Hymn 328        “Draw nigh and take”                                     Song 46
Closing Hymn 436                 “Lift up your heads”                                       Truro
Postlude                                  Chorale Prelude on St. Anne                           C. Hubert H. Parry

Parish Notices

Free upright piano.  A piano in playable condition is available.  If you are interested contact Gene Wilhelm.

St. Mary the Virgin: Thursday, August 15, 2013 is the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin also known as the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We will celebrate with a Solemn Mass at 6:00 pm. We will continue the celebration with an All Parish Potluck Dinner. Please bring a dish to pass and join in the fun. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the Narthex.

Being the Body: The second block of the Being the Body program will continue on Saturday, August 17th. We will welcome Mother Marie Gray as the presenter. Being the Body involves an examination and experience of knowing (who God is and what His will is for us), being (experiencing and living who we are called to be as Jesus’ Body), and doing (doing God’s will as His people, and each as His son or daughter).

Faith Alive is a church retreat! On September 20-22 Grace will be hosting a Faith Alive event. Faith Alive is a church retreat held in the comfort of our own church and city. Witnesses, who are fellow Episcopalians, will be travelling here from around the country at their own expense to lead impactful activities and discussions to bring us to a greater understanding and appreciation of our relationship to God and the power of his love. We hope to have everyone at Grace participate and come closer as a church family and will be supporting this through activities for all age groups from nursery to adulthood consistently throughout the weekend.

The Commemoration of Blessed Charles Chapman Grafton is observed as a Feast Day of the Diocese of Fond du Lac at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Fond du Lac. It is included in "Holy Men, Holy Women" by the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music of the Episcopal Church. The Feast Day is August 30th, although the Commemoration liturgy may be translated to another day. The 2012 Commemoration will take place Saturday, August 24th at the Cathedral of St. Paul the Apostle, Fond du Lac. For more information and to register go to diofdl.org/grafton

Education for Ministry: How do I learn to make the Bible stories become my stories?  How do I learn how God wants to bless me with more than I can imagine?  Join an EfM (Education for Ministry) group that is starting on Tuesday, September 9th.  The 9:00-11:45 am group will meet at St. Paul’s in Plymouth.   A 6:00-8:45 pm group is also forming with starting date and place to be determined.  Scholarships are available, so don’t let the cost of $350 for this college credited class, stop you from joining.  This year starts the use of all new materials and textbooks, so anyone who has taken any of the classes before can repeat them.  Registrations are due by August 10th so materials can be received before the first class.  Contact Barb Drewry-Zimmerman at bzimmy@excel.net or 920-893-5189 for registration materials.

If you have a desire to help: The Salvation Army Red Shield Free Clinic needs you!!  Of urgent need are on site medical professionals- Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses.  If that's not you, but you have great people skills, we are also looking for volunteers to help patients with paperwork and in the evangelism area.  Clinics are open every Thursday evening, two Monday evenings and two Thursday mornings each month. Volunteer commitment is typically three hours each at each session. Please consider this opportunity to help your community.  Contact Pam Sandee, Clinic Coordinator at 694-1262 if this is for you!!

Summer Lunch Volunteers Needed: By day two, Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization’s summer lunch program had already served over 900 children in four Sheboygan Elementary Schools. They are in desperate need of volunteers to help as there are an additional 300 children who could benefit from the lunch program. They are looking primarily for individuals and families to help distribute lunches at the schools during the lunch hour from 11:15 – 12:30pm. June 24th through August 15th.  You can register at the volunteer center website, which is:  www.volunteersheboygan.com or please call Kristin Blanchard at 920-457-7272 x 12 or email www.sheboygancountyinterfaith.org if you are interested in helping. 

Bishop Search: For all information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please go to bishopsearch.info.



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Dialogue Centered in Love

Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
1 Aug 2013

In the catechism found in our prayer book, we are instructed that Scripture is the Word of God “... because God inspired [the] human authors and because God still speaks through the Bible.”  The question becomes how we hear this Word, and in this we find two diametrically opposed approaches in Anglican Christianity.  Remember, this is within an Anglican prayer book understanding, and so these opposed approaches are not what might otherwise be characterized as biblical literalism (a Fundamentalist perspective) or mere literary criticism.  The approaches may, rather, be characterized with reference to two verses found within Scripture, Jude 3 and John 16.13.
At Jude 3 the apostle writes that he is instructing regarding “the faith which was once delivered for all to the saints.”  The “Jude 3 perspective” is one in which God has revealed Himself and His will for us to us.  The boundaries of our discipleship and conduct are specified, and cannot change from how they are specified in Scripture.
At John 16.13, Jesus reveals that the Holy Spirit “... will guide you into all the truth.  The “John 16.13 perspective” is one in which revelation is an ongoing process, and God can take us in a direction which is new, even when this newness is defined by being different from what has been revealed in Scripture.
The two approaches are not really compatible, and so many in the Church talk past each other, using the same words but understanding these words to mean different things.  But—and this is a really crucial qualifier—this difference in our understanding of God’s will doesn’t really matter when all concerned remain Christ-centered.  It matters, and is destructive, when we focus on an agenda (our own) or an issue (i.e., with each other).  When we are centered on the presence of our risen Lord in our midst; when we abide in Him as He abides in us in the blessed sacrament of His Body and Blood, then our differences become secondary at best, and if I disagree with your understanding of the faith, I can still recognize you to be one who seeks to know, and love and serve the Lord.  Let all dialogue be centered in this love.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank Jennifer Pawlus and Jack Britton for providing coffee hour this week.  We had a good turnout for clean-up, including:  Ellen Aparicio, Paul Aparicio, Jack Britton, Sutton Cecil, Tom and Ben Crouse, John Davis, Ben Dobey, Scott Gedemer,Bobbi and Kaleigh Kraft, Steve Larson, Dale Massey, Bill Munns, Mary Ann Neuses, Pat Sather and Elizabeth Schaffenburg.

Faith Alive: 
Faith Alive: “More About the Visitors”            Friday – Sunday (Sept. 20-22)   
 A quick look at the visitors being initially invited reveals that we have 2 adults & a teenager from Wisconsin, 2 college students from Illinois, 2 adults from MI across the Big Lake, 4 adults from Indiana, 2 adults & a teenager from Ohio, 2 adults from West Virginia, & 2 couples both from far away, Florida & Colorado.  Two are children’s coordinators, at least one a musician, a youth leader, and the two teenagers & college students to work with youth.  Wow; this is going to be an impressive investment of time & effort.
John
Episcopal Youth Community: 
Grace and peace to you.
Who wants to ride the roller-coasters? Or bash each other up on the bumper cars? Or maybe go to the water park, and get totally soaked (any hopefully not sun burned)?
This Tuesday (8-6-13) our Diocese is hosting the annual Diocesan Day at Six Flags Great America, and I wanted to make sure you were directly invited to join in.
There is a bus that will be leaving from Neenah at 6:30 am and returning at 11:00 pm. The bus will make a pick up/drop off stop in Fond du Lac also for anyone who would find that convenient. Otherwise we can drive ourselves.
The cost of tickets at the group rate is $40 with the bus and $32 without the bus. If you would like to go, but cost is an issue, please contact me, and we will try to make arrangements.
And here is the link to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/650490624980220/?ref=22
If you can let me know if you have any interest or questions so I know who might be going along, and we can go from there!
Thanks,
Nick

Music this week: 

Proper 13 C
August 4, 2013
Prelude   Cantabile    Joseph Jongen
Entrance Hymn 408  “Sing praise to God, who reigns above”   Mit Freuden zart
Offertory Hymn 594   “God of grace and God of glory”    Cwm Rhondda
Communion Hymn 302   “Father, we thank thee who hast planted”   Rendez a Dieu
Closing Hymn 555  “Lead on, O King eternal”   Lancashire
Postlude   Prelude and Fugue in C     Johann Krieger

Parish Notices

Transfiguration of Our Lord: On Tuesday, August 6th at 6:00pm we will celebrate The Transfiguration of Our Lord with a Solemn Mass. Please plan on worshiping with the Grace Church family and meeting with Jesus as his glory is revealed on the mountain top.

Faith Alive is a church retreat! On September 20-22 Grace will be hosting a Faith Alive event. Faith Alive is a church retreat held in the comfort of our own church and city. Witnesses, who are fellow Episcopalians, will be travelling here from around the country at their own expense to lead impactful activities and discussions to bring us to a greater understanding and appreciation of our relationship to God and the power of his love. We hope to have everyone at Grace participate and come closer as a church family and will be supporting this through activities for all age groups from nursery to adulthood consistently throughout the weekend.

Education for Ministry: How do I learn to make the Bible stories become my stories?  How do I learn how God wants to bless me with more than I can imagine?  Join an EfM (Education for Ministry) group that is starting on Tuesday, September 9th.  The 9:00-11:45 am group will meet at St. Paul’s in Plymouth.   A 6:00-8:45 pm group is also forming with starting date and place to be determined.  Scholarships are available, so don’t let the cost of $350 for this college credited class, stop you from joining.  This year starts the use of all new materials and textbooks, so anyone who has taken any of the classes before can repeat them.  Registrations are due by August 10th so materials can be received before the first class.  Contact Barb Drewry-Zimmerman at bzimmy@excel.net or 920-893-5189 for registration materials. 

Summer Lunch Volunteers Needed: By day two, Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization’s summer lunch program had already served over 900 children in four Sheboygan Elementary Schools. They are in desperate need of volunteers to help as there are an additional 300 children who could benefit from the lunch program. They are looking primarily for individuals and families to help distribute lunches at the schools during the lunch hour from 11:15 – 12:30pm. June 24th through August 15th.  You can register at the volunteer center website, which is:  www.volunteersheboygan.com or please call Kristin Blanchard at 920-457-7272 x 12 or email www.sheboygancountyinterfaith.org if you are interested in helping. 

Bishop Search: For all information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please go to bishopsearch.info.