A Posture of the Heart

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

12 December 2013

Last week we received a powerful witness from Bobbi Kraft, in an Advent meditation featured on this page.  In small part, she reflected on how we cope with “the holiday season” when we might not feel like celebrating.  This seeming dissonance between the (often forced) happiness which surrounds us, and how we may feel, points to the fact that happiness involves how we feel, but joy—the joy to which we are called in Scripture—is a posture of the heart.  We can experience joy regardless of how we feel, because joy involves how we choose to look upon creation.  Do we look upon (and even experience) loss or boredom, danger, drudgery, and small earthly hope of change, as evidence that “life stinks and then you die,” or do we look upon creation as the wonderful, daily, present, ongoing gift of God.  We may be able to describe God using words which include His reality as the source and summation of all Being, all Love, Beauty, Truth, and Good, but when when (for example) we are open to His love we experience that, despite how we may feel, there is Love and we are loved. 

In our gospel lesson for this coming Sunday (Mtt. 11.2-11), John the Baptist sends word to Jesus, asking the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”  John knows the answer.  (He baptized Jesus!)  His question is rhetorical, eliciting Jesus’ response in which He describes the works and signs of the Messiah.  In other words, His answer is “This is what the Messiah does.”  Despite how we may feel, whether we are happy, when our heart is in the “posture” of joy—when we are oriented to God—then we experience what faith does, and the world sees in us what faith does.  The season and all seasons are joyous despite whatever losses and disappointments we may experience, for the season and all seasons are experienced as the gifts that God gives us.  “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21.5), as in now, as in all times when our spirit and heart is oriented to God.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank:

§  Jessica Ameblang for the wonderful coffee hour this past Sunday. 

§  Nicci Beeck, Barb and Bob MacEwen, and Bernie Markevitch for the preparation of and clean-up from the Lessons & Carols reception. 

§  Ben Dobey and all of the choir for all of their extra work in preparing and offering the festival of Lessons & Carols. 

§  Ben Dobey and Fr. Karl for unscheduled organ maintenance.

§  Julie Davidson for volunteering to serve on the Altar Guild.
P Pat Ford Smith and Jane Hanson for providing office help.

§  Nancy Yurk for volunteering to sing in the choir.

§  Nancy Yurk for organizing the parish response to the Christmas Castle campaign for The Salvation Army.

Call for Contributions:  If you have a spiritual reflection to share, or want to point your fellow worshippers toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday (

Episcopal Youth Community:   Maybe it's the snow talking, or maybe it's the sub-zero wind chills, but when I saw this blog post floating around my fellow campers (and staff) I had a sudden and unrelenting urge to share it. This viewpoint is consistent with my own, and many of the people who have been sharing it. Please read it, and take a little insight into what it means for me to say "I LOVE going to camp!" Maybe then you'll see why those of us who have been there are so passionate about telling you about it, or encouraging you to go (especially our camp aged youth).

Here's the post: www.connorgwin.com/2013/12/08/why-the-church-needs-a-high-camp-ology/

And for your information here is the current information regarding our own diocesan camp program. This really is the best thing the diocese does with youth. We talk about it all year long, we plan it, dream it, pray about it, and then we show up, and let God take us where He is leading us to be.

Here is the diocesan Summer Camp page: www.diofdl.org/org.asp?page=SummerCamp

Registration is not open yet, but please consider what it can mean to the youth of our parish to have the type of experience that they will talk about for the rest of their lives. And who knows, maybe some of you are being called to participate in this ministry too!

Grace and peace,                                                                                                               ―Nick

P.S.:  I'm always willing to talk about camp, if you have questions please let me know.

Music this week:

Prelude                        Savior of the Nations, Come                           Buxtehude & Walcha

Entrance Hymn 59      “Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding”             Merton

Trisagion S-102                                                                                   A. Archangelsky

Offertory Hymn 444   “Blessed be the God of Israel”                       Thornbury

Sanctus S-114                                                                                     H. Willan

Agnus Dei S-158                                                                                H. Willan

Communion Motet      Rejoice, O Jerusalem                                      H. Willan

Comm. Hymn 615      “Thy kingdom come! on bended knee”          St. Flavian

Closing Hymn 65        “Prepare the way, O Zion”                             Beredan väg för Herran

Postlude                      Prepare the way, O Zion                                 C. Wood

Parish Notices

§  Interested in joining a local CHURCH VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE ?

Several area churches are involved in a volleyball league made up of church members age 14 and above. Play is Sunday afternoons, 1-4 p.m., Jan 5 - Feb 16, exclusive of Feb 2, at the Sheboygan Falls YMCA.  Teams can have up to 10 players, team cost is $100.  Sign up deadline is Dec 31st.  Anyone interested in playing or wanting more information contact Ed Clabots, 762-0500 or clabots@wildblue.net.

§  Study/Discussion Group: This group is studying the book of Galatians. They to meet after the 10:15 service on December 15, the group meets every two weeks in the conference room.  Contact people are Mary Massey and Fr. John Ambelang.

§  End of Year Pledge Reminder: Please make every effort to pay the remainder of your pledge before the end of the year. If you need to know your balance, please call the office at 452-9659. If you want tax credit for your pledge paid in 2013, you must have the payment in the office by Monday, December 30^th. A check dated the 30^th, but arriving later cannot be counted as paid in 2013. All payments received after the 30^th will be credited in 2014. Thank you so much.

§  Stewardship: Thank you for supporting Grace Church with your generous pledges. If you still have a pledge card and plan to pledge please return it at your earliest convenience. It will be helpful even if your response is you are unable to pledge that we hear from you as we are in the process of assembling the 2014 budget and need all the information. Thank you so much.

§  Youth and Children’s Choir: Youth and Children’s choir rehearsals for the Christmas Eve service are at 5:30-6:00pm on Wednesday December 18^th, downstairs in the choir room. Rehearsals are just before the Pageant rehearsals. The final rehearsal will be Sunday, December 22^nd at 9:00am. The choir is open to 2^nd graders through high school, and will sing for the 4pm service on Christmas Eve.

§  Christmas Pageant Rehearsals: on Wednesday December 18^th starting at 6:00p.m. The rehearsals will begin in the church and then go downstairs for costumes. Participation is open to youth of all ages. The Pageant will take place during the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. If your child would like to participate but cannot make rehearsals please note that on the sheet or call the office.

§  Christmas Joy: is scheduled to meet on Thursday, December 19th at 11:00 AM in the church kitchen. At that time we will assemble winter greens and flowers and bag cookies, and then make deliveries (there is a sign up sheet in the narthex.) We need helping hands and money (to buy for packaging supplies and flowers.) Can you bake, make a delivery or help arrange? Please join us for this fulfilling ministry to our shut-ins. They will appreciate it. If you have questions please call Barb MacEwen at 467-6909. 

§  To whom it may concern: I wish to thank my Christmas Angel (Angels?) and all who have deeply blessed me through the years. I am frustrated as I do not know “whom or why” but as Bernie would say “get over it”. The blessings have always been timely needed, and “in the nick of time”. I can sincerely say that this church has been my real family, my comfort, making up for anything lacking in my life. I send all my love in return, Julie Davidson

§  Special thanks to all of you for being the special people that you are. You again made our Salvation Army --Adopt a Family a huge success. A special thanks to Jessica Ambelang for her help with the tags. Also to Bob Hanlon, Anne Hanlon and Bev Evans for all their help with the delivery of the gifts. Blessings, Nancy

§  Meals On Wheels Christmas Cookies: Meals On Wheels volunteers will be delivering a box of homemade cookies to our clients again this Christmas season. (As many of you know, for some clients, this is the only gift they will receive). So all we need are the cookies.  If you would like to donate some of your goodies to our project please call or email Maureen at Meals On Wheels at 451-7011 or client1@shebmow.org. We have cookie drop off sites in both Sheboygan and Plymouth and we will be packaging cookies on the 17^th of December.  Your response in the past has been overwhelming and we cannot thank you enough for your continued support.