Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
5 March 2015
I have elsewhere referred to those
21 Coptic Christians murdered recently in Libya as The Martyrs of Derna. News reports now indicate that they died
praying, and that one of them was not a Coptic Christian but a man from Chad
who had befriended the Copts and was attracted to their faith. He, too, confessed Christ and was
killed. His death is what is known in
theology as a “baptism of blood”. He is
now in Christ.
What must be remarked upon in the
case of these martyrs, and in the cases of all persecuted for the faith, is the
reality that we live in apostolic times.
It is common to think of the “age of the apostles” as that time period
described in Acts, and also including the centuries of persecution leading up
to the official toleration of Christians announced by the Roman emperor in A.D.
312. Indeed, some have even argued
that the miracles described in Scripture ceased with the end of the time of the
original apostles. But accounts such as
those of the martyrdom in Derna speak loudly to the reality that all times are
apostolic; all times include the call to witness to the faith; all times
include miracles.
Before He ascends to heaven to
inaugurate His reign, at Acts 1.8 Jesus tells His disciples, “[Y]ou shall
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my
witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” This is the programmatic verse for all of
Acts. Luke’s Gospel (volume one of his
writing) tells the story of the coming of the Christ, of His passion, death and
resurrection. Volume two (Acts) tells of
the birth and spread of the Church against all obstacles. The Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples at
Pentecost. They witness first in
Jerusalem and Judea, then in Samaria, then (through Paul) to the end of the
earth (Rome). No matter what opposes the
Gospel—martyrdom, persecution, shipwreck, disease, imprisonment, indifference,
mocking—the Gospel prevails.
The Good News of God in Christ
Jesus prevails. It prevails in Acts and
it prevails now. In Acts it prevails by
the mighty acts of God and by the faith of His followers, In our age it prevails by God’s mighty acts
and by our faith. When we realize
that we live in apostolic times we are more ready to recognize and put upon on
the mantle of power that God gives us by His Holy Spirit.
This Lent go back and reread
Acts. In reading the story of the birth
of the Church, remind yourself that she is born anew in you, in us. Put on the mantle of God’s power.
Grace abounds: Please
thank:
§
Anne and Bob Hanlon, Mary
Snyder and Tom Wright for the coffee hours on Sunday.
§
Elizabeth Schaffenburg for
the Friday simple supper.
§ Ben Dobey and the Schola Cantorum for sung Compline.
Adult Education: We recently completed a course on the
Psalms. Here is a related article about
the place of lament in prayer: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/are-we-missing-something-important-about-prayer?utm_source&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=1%20Title&utm_campaign=RELEVANT%20Newsletter
For the
next two Sundays adult education will focus on the “how to’s” of praying the
Daily Office.
Youth and Family Ministry: Inward focus, outward love. As Lent continues and we focus on our faith
with inward reflection, we can't lose sight of each other. This is at the heart
of the last week and next couple of weeks within the youth ministries of the
Diocese. As part of the plan to have a Diocesan wide youth event every month.
In February we had an event called
"30 Hour Famine" in which youth and adults in attendance deliberately
fast for approximately 30 hours, in order to raise awareness in ourselves about
what it means to be hungry, and to raise money and awareness in the community
about world hunger. There were around 40 people in attendance, and everyone had
a lot of fun together, even if they were hungry.
Simultaneously, the staff for
Happening #69, met for training. Happening is a high school lock-in/retreat
that focuses on faith, Jesus, and refection. On March 13-15 they will be
meeting, and sharing, and there is an outpouring of love that goes into a
Happening. Caritas, is one way for us as a community to share the love with
those participating. If you are a Happener (have participated in Happening) or
if you are part of the Cursillo community you have experienced this kind of
love.
As our Lent continues, perhaps you
would like to take a couple of moments and share the love with each other. If
you would like to learn how to participate with Happening in this way, please
contact Nick or the Office, and they can give you more details.
―Nick
Thank you: I
want to thank the parish for all their prayers over the last week. I am very blessed. The first blessing was that i was at church
when my condition worsened and that Dcn Michele quickly took me to Express
Care, then to the ER, notified Ed and stayed with me. Once i decided i needed medical help, i
really was not frightened, a true expression of God's love. I had surgery on Wednesday and I came home
Saturday evening. I have been improving
everyday. (If you haven't heard the
medical report, i had a sudden onset of severe abdominal pain. Tests showed i had two ovarian cysts, and the
larger one had twisted cutting off its blood supply, which is what caused the
pain.) Thank you again for all the
prayers.
―Mary Clabots
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.
Music this week: The Third Sunday in Lent
Prelude Meditation on ‘Let thy Blood in mercy poured’ Sowerby
Introit My
eyes are ever looking unto the Lord Plainsong
Mass Setting Gregorian
Mass X (Alme Pater) Plainsong, adapt. Wildman
Offertory Hymn 598 “Lord
Christ, when first thou cam’st to earth” Mit Freuden zart
Communion Motet O. for a closer walk with God Stanford
Comm. Hymn 313 “Let
thy Blood in mercy poured” Jesu, meine Zuversicht
Closing Hymn 594 “God
of grace and God of glory” Cwm Rhondda
Postlude Toccata
& Fugue in E Minor Muffat
Parish Notices
§
Adult Education: For
the next two Sundays adult education will focus on the “how to’s” of praying
the Daily Office.
§
Scout Appreciation
"Pancake Breakfast": Sunday March 8th Please mark your
calendars to stay a few minutes, after each service, to savor a down home
Pancake Breakfast. Scouts will supply all the know how for the event. As an
added bonus, Maple Syrup will be supplied by the Drewry Farms of Plymouth. This
award winning Maple Syrup is served at all the major restaurants in the area and
beyond. The Scouts will also have available Maple Syrup gift assortments.
§
Stations of the Cross,
Simple Suppers and Teaching: Beginning on the first Friday in Lent
(February 20th) we will meet each Friday at 5:30 p.m. for Stations
of the Cross, followed by a simple supper and Christian formation. Our
formation program this year will be looking at our Parish Meditations for the
week. Please sign up to attend on the sheets in the Narthex so the people who
are providing the meal will know how much food needs to be prepared.
§ Service of Reconciliation: Please join Grace
Church, Sheboygan, and St. Paul’s, Plymouth on Wednesday, March 15th
at 6:00pm. The evening will include Holy Eucharist and self-examination. There
will also be opportunity for both corporate and private confession. Please come
for an evening of hope and forgiveness. The service will take place at St.
Paul’s, 312 Main St. Plymouth.
§
The Feast of the Annunciation: We celebrate on 24 March at 6:00
p.m. the Eve of the Feast of the Annunciation, which commemorates the
annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to Mary that she will bear the Messiah
(Luke 1.26-38) On this day the liturgical colors change in Lent, i.e., the
feast takes precedence over the season. It was, in the West, New Year’s Day
until 1582. Please come and join the festivities.
§
Soup-d’-Do: Pizza Soup is back and available for purchase!! The
single $4.00 and double $7.00 serving containers are frozen and are ready for
purchase. The soups offered are Sicilian Chicken, Pizza, Bean & Ham and
Vegetarian Vegetable.
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