Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
30 October 2014
Technology doesn’t understand. The
word technology derives from the Greek techné (art, skill, cunning) and logía (words or
oracles). Technology, refers, in the
strictest sense, to how we describe and understand the use of tools. But the word has come to mean much more in
our modern society. Our understanding of
how things work has become one in which we have invested power in things. I must, therefore, confess to both amusement
and the experience of a particular “God moment” during the celebration of Holy
Eucharist this past Sunday. Having
pronounced the words of consecration over the bread, when I raised the consecrated
Body of Christ the smart phone in the pocket of the subdeacon was somehow
triggered, and the Siri voice-activated search engine said “I do not
understand.”
Exactly. Technology doesn’t and cannot understand. No thing can.
Even the most advanced technology, the most advanced “artificial
intelligence” can never be more than the projection of human understanding of
how tools work, and of how to use tools.
When we project a desire that technology can somehow “save” us (i.e.,
that we can better manage the problems we face in this world), we all too
easily fall into the trap of believeing that we are in charge. A stark example is found in the fact that
over 80% of all spending in the Medicare program is made for treatments given
during the last six months of the lives of program beneficiaries. No matter how sophisticated our technology,
and no matter how well it is deployed by us, death is not optional. No matter how well we may “manage” or lives
and our society using tools (even a theoretical self-aware computer) we can
address no more than finite material problems, such as the deployment of
material and monetary and information resources.
Our tools cannot participate in mystery, in salvation, in the presence of
Our Lord. We can. Our tools are created by us to facilitate how
we do things. We are created by God in
the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1.26), and it is to redeem us that God
became one of us.
When we focus on tools we focus on ourselves. When we participate in mystery, it is then
that we can understand; that we can experience blessing; that as we see,
now, partially, we may one day see “face to face” (1 Cor. 13.12).
Grace abounds: Please thank:
§
Jessica Ambelang for both
Sunday coffee hours, which included her signature All Hallows’ Eve spread. In clean-up she was assisted by Jack Britton,
Julie Davidson, and Jennifer Pawlus.
For parish clean-up
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Clear leaves around property: John Davis, Tom Wright, Anne Hanlon, and
Tomaso.
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Clean gutters: Paul Aparicio
and Tom Wright
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Trim grass edges: John Davis
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Cut back flower garden: Paul Aparacio and Elizabeth Schaffenburg
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Wash windows around columbarium,
hall, and narthex: Tomaso and Anne
Hanlon
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Deep clean the kitchen: Barb MacEwen and Nicci Beeck
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Clean nursery and lower hall-way: Mary Snyder
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Dust pews and major woodwork in the
Church: Bob MacEwen and Jack Britton
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Apply touch-up paint to the Church
monument-sign: John Davis
Useful hints about reading the
Bible: Language matters. We think using verbal constructs, and we
certainly express ourselves using words.
The language of the Bible matters especially, for it is in the Biblke
that God chooses to reveal who He is and what His will is for us. So, inaddition to paying attention, we need
to understand better how pay attention.
This link (to Relevant magazine) provides useful hints. (And, yes, I will confess to feeling a little
vindicated to have preached all of these points for years!)
Youth Events: The busiest times.
I have been busy. You have been
busy. Our youth have been busy. We're right about half way through the fall
semester, and we find ourselves to be very busy. Between school, and work (and
school work), there doesn't seem to be a very good opportunity to just sit
quietly, and just be for a moment. In the last few weeks there have been
several Diocesan events for youth alone (including New Beginnings, Fall
Lock-In, and Convention for some, just to name a couple). And the pace is
not lightening. We should commend our youth for being so active and
participatory. The busyness isn't bad. It may be tiring, stressful,
overwhelming (sometimes), but it is a sign of vitality; a sign of doing. To be
in a position of constant contact with the things that are important to you is
a great thing, especially when the alternative is to be absent from said
important things, or people, or places. One thing I tend to say to people who
tell me that 'they're too busy' or 'don't have time for something' is "you
make time for what you feel is important". I don't think that the busyness
is going to go away, but if there is nothing else to take away from this, I
pray that somewhere along the way we all hear that line in our heads, and we
find a new way of setting aside time so that we can take a moment and
decompress from our day, and live a little more comfortably, and simply, and
slowly. And that we, in the midst of our "busy", find that we also
are also doing the "important".
―Nick
High Schoolers If you have never been to a Happening
weekend, you're chance is coming. Happening is a High School only lock-in that
is intentional about being together and learning together about our faith, and
who we are as Christians. Many people find that Happening is a defining moment
for them in their faith journey, and the friends and community you create
together lasts long after the weekend. Happening will be held at All Saints in
Appleton, on Nov. 14-16, and you can register at www.diofdl.org/happening .
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 in the week of publication.
Personal
Reflection: On Saturday, at Diocesan Convention, I had
the privilege of observing my daughter as she served as thurifer at the
Eucharist and then, later that day, assisted with a presentation of what the
Diocesan Youth Program means to her and so many others. Since then, I’ve had a number of people
comment about and compliment her poise and confidence. For that, I’d like to say thank you to and
for the Grace parish family.
This week marks the sixth anniversary of our arrival at Grace. We’d been invited to attend a Sunday service
and go for healing prayer in the Lady Shrine.
We were broken, confused, and lost.
Grace took us in and allowed us a place to heal at our own pace and in
our own time amongst so many who showed they cared for us without even
“knowing” us. Today, you see a young woman and her mother who are much
different than the broken individuals who worshipped with you six years ago.
I probably wouldn’t have shared this story or marked our “anniversary
of brokenness”, if it hadn’t been for the words in last Sunday’s epistle from 1
Thessalonians 2:8, “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to
share with you not only the Gospel of God but also of our own selves, because
you have become very dear to us.”
Let us not forget that brokenness surrounds us all of the time. Our pews are filled with those who are broken
or healing. We see individuals who we
believe have it altogether. The trap we
can fall into is to not realize that we each have struggles…some known, some
unknown. But, the beauty of Grace is our
ability to let others know that they are loved and cared for. And because we are each carrying burdens it
is important for those of us who carry burdens silently, to ask for help
because we are in a loving family.
So, first, I’d like to say “thank you” to Grace. You have provided community and family to two
women who were broken and needed a home.
You each share a bit of the wholeness that Kaleigh and I now try to live
into. You have become very dear to
us. And, secondly, if you are feeling
broken or know someone who is, please know that we at Grace want to share “of
our own selves” because you have (or they will) become very dear to us. This is what it is to me to live in love in
our faith family … community. ―R. Kraft
A Milestone: After a month off (October was busy!) work
has resumed on the project to strip and refinish the church floor. As of yesterday (29 October) all of the floor outside of the nave is complete. All chapels, confessional/cry room, stair
alcove, entrance steps, and within the rood screen and altar rail are
complete. Now the big project on the
main floor begins! If you are interested
in participating, please contact Fr. Karl.
Music this week: Propers for All Saints’
Prelude Elegy Edward
Elgar
Entrance Hymn 618 “Ye
watchers and ye holy ones” Lasst uns erfreuen
Offertory Hymn 287 “For
all the saints” Sine Nomine
Communion Motet The souls of the righteous
Eric Thiman
Communion Hymn 620 “Jerusalem,
my happy home” Land of Rest
Closing Hymn 293 “I
sing a song of the saints of God” Grand Isle
Postlude Toccata on ‘Christe Redemptor Omnium’
Dom Paul Benoit
Parish Notices
§
Grace Kids and Youth: and even teachers or anyone that is so moved is
invited come to church Sunday, November 2nd in a depiction of their
favorite saint or biblical character in honor of All Saint's and All Soul's
days. Come and join in the Communion of Saints right here at Grace Church.
§
Adult Education: On Sunday, 2 November, our 9 a.m. adult
education hour will feature John and Stephanie Weiss, Sheboygan natives, of
Wycliffe Bible Translators. They will present on the topic of bible
translation and biblical literacy. The couple and their family will serve
next year in Tanzania. Join us to learn more about how we better understand
God’s Word by understanding how this world lives in our own language and in
other languages, and about the challenges of making the Bible available to all.
§
Simple Potluck Supper and Compline: Sunday, November 2nd
we will have our first Sunday of the month Simple Potluck Supper at 6:30pm.
Come and enjoy the fellowship then stay for Compline at 8:00pm. The Schola
Cantorum will be singing Compline which is the night time prayers said or sung
just before retiring. It is a wonderful and peaceful way to end the day.
§
All Soul’s Day: All Soul’s Day will be transferred to Monday,
November 3rd. we will celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful
Departed with a 12:10pm mass.
§
Office Closed: The office will be closed Monday and Tuesday,
November 3rd and 4th for Sabbath rest. There will be no
Daily Office on either of those days. There will be Mass on Monday –see above–
and no mass on Tuesday. In case of an emergency, please call Fr. Karl on his
cell at 889-7190.
§
Heresies: Adult Formation on the third and fourth Sundays will
begin a five part series on Heresies. Heretical beliefs are both ancient and
current, with none really being new. For example, it is common to hear Jesus
described as a very holy man adopted or anointed by God, but “not God”. This is
one of the ancient heresies (Arianism) about the person and nature of Christ.
We’ll examine all of the classical heresies about who God is, what His will is
for the Church, etc., to better understand our own faith. The class will be
facilitated by Fr. Karl.
§
Commission on Ministry Discernment Series: The focus is vocation to ministry, lay or ordained. The next Circles of Light is
about to begin. This is the first step in diocesan discernment for
ministry-baptismal or ordained. Clergy are invited to encourage any
persons considering their vocation to ministry to attend. More information
at diofdl.org/com or contact Mother Jane Johnson at rector@intercessionsp.org.
§
Salvation Army Bell Ringing: Grace Church is signed up to ring
bells for the Salvation Army on November 8th in two different
locations. At the Piggly Wiggly on the north side from 1:00-7:00pm and at the
Pick & Save on the south side from 1:00-7:00pm. Both of the locations are
inside. The bells and kettle will be there, & a sign in sheet. Please sign
up on the sheet in the Narthex. If you have any questions please call Nancy
Yurk at 453-9948.
§
Christmas Shoe Boxes: We will also be looking for these items to
fill the shoeboxes: toothpaste and individually wrapped toothbrushes, and mild
soap bars and wash cloths pencils, colored pencils, erasers and pencil
sharpeners, paper to write on. These items must be able to fit into a shoe box.
Thank you so much. Please bring items to church for the Christmas shoe boxes.
For more information please speak with Pat Ford Smith.
§
Operation Christmas Child: The Sunday School classes are
spearheading the effort to put together shoe boxes for Operation Christmas
Child, and would like to invite the whole parish to participate by donating
small items for the shoe boxes, or if you desire a monetary donation that will
be spent to get shoe box gift items. The goal is to have this be a parish
outreach lead by the youth and children of the parish. Please participate as
you can, including prayers for this to be a successful project. The drop off
date is November 16th.
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Life Line Screening: Grace Church is pleased to offer a
preventive health event. Life Line
Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings,
will host their affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings on
11/20/2014. Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health
problems related to: blocked arteries which is a leading cause of stroke;
abdominal aortic aneurysms which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the
arteries in the legs which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial
fibrillation or irregular heart beat which is closely tied to stroke risk; and
a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of
osteoporosis. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests
and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All five
screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete.
In order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off
any package priced above $129, please call 1-888-653-6441 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com/community-partners.
§
Tripartite Thanksgiving Eve Worship: Join the Celebration on
Wednesday, November 26th at 7:00pm at St. Dominic’s Parish. Pastor
Kristin Berglund will preach. Join in the Tripartite Combined Choir and enjoy
fellowship and deserts following the worship. The Thanksgiving Offering will
benefit the Salvation Army. We will need two people to serve as ushers and a
reader, if you can help please call the office. Thank you.
§
Christmas Castle Volunteers! On Thursday, December 18th
from 1:00-3:00pm Grace Church will participate in the Salvation Army Christmas
Castle. This gives those in need an opportunity to “shop” for Christmas
presents for their families. We are in need of at least 5 people to help.
Please sign-up on the sheet on the table in the Narthex. If you have any
questions please contact Nancy Yurk at 453-9948.
