Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
11February 2016
Cuius regio, eius religio is a Latin phrase which means “Whose realm, his religion.” This settlement adopted at the Peace of
Augsburg in 1555, to broker an end to the warfare between Catholic and
Protestant forces within the Holy Roman Empire (the empire being essentially a
collection of German principalities).
Once this rule was adopted a person was defined to be a member of the
Catholic Church or a Protestant church on the basis of the faith of the ruler
of the place where he or she lived! The
reason the term has passing relevance today is that this date marks the
anniversary of the 1534 adoption of the Act of Supremacy, under which Henry
VIII was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England. It is against this historical background (and
the existence of colonial era state churches that the Establishment Clause of
the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1791.
The Establishment
Clause reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...” This federal constitutional principle
applies, as well, to the states under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Notice that the language says nothing about a
wall of separation between Church and State.
It says nothing about removing the influence of religion from the public
square. It just says that the United
States (Congress) or a state (e.g.,
Wisconsin) cannot establish a church in the way a church existed in Virginia
(for example), supported by tax revenues.
Leaving aside the
many ways in which the Establishment Clause has been understood and interpreted
to in fact require that faith be excluded from much of the public square, and
recognizing that the model of a state church (including in the case of our own
mother Church of England) led to many abuses, the real beneficiary of the
Establishment Clause is, in fact, the Church.
If ever the exercise of religion is subject to the dictates of the
government the faith and Church become corrupted. Faith is a reality best practiced together,
but it is founded on individual response and conscience absent any
coercion. We may mark this day in
thanksgiving, therefore, that the phrase that we can apply is “Whose life, his religion.”
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Bob and Anne Hanlon, and Dale and Mary Massey for the Sunday
coffee hours.
§ All who contributed food and helped in cleanup at the Shrove
Tuesday supper.
§ Bobbie May for work in organizing the parish library.
Education Alert! Diocesan Deacons’ School will meet again this Saturday, at Grace in Sheboygan. We
will begin at 8:45 with Holy Eucharist, followed by classes beginning at
9:15. At this session we will cover:
§ Old Testament: Genesis (continued)—Leviticus.
§ Church History: The Church and the Roman Empire; the
Ecumenical Councils.
You
can attend without having read the textbooks.
Class sessions will also be posted on Grace Abounds.
Have
you ever wanted to know more about the dynamics behind the persecution of the
early Church?
Have
you ever wanted to better understand the narrative arc of the Five Books of
Moses?
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 First Sunday in Lent
Prelude Psalm Prelude: De profundis
clamavit (Ps.130, v.1) Herbert Howells
‘Out
of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.’
The
Great Litany
(S-67)
Tract (choir) Psalm 91:1-4, 11-12 Plainsong
Offertory Hymn 143 “The glory of these forty days”
Erhalt uns, Herr
Sanctus Missa ‘Alme Pater’ Plainsong,
adapt. Wayne Wildman
Agnus
Dei Plainsong
Communion Motet Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake John Hilton
Closing Hymn 150 “Forty days and forty nights”
Postlude Out
of the depths I call to thee J. S. Bach
Parish
Notices
§ Work needed: A parishioner is
looking for work—all work. He has
experience and skills in home repairs, general maintenance, outside work,
etc. If you have work/projects, please
contact the parish office.
§ Lenten Meditation Booklets are available on the
table in the Narthex.
§ Deacon School:
Saturday, February 13th we will celebrate mass at 8:45am. Church
History will be from 9:15-12noon. Lunch from 12:00-12:45. Old Testament from
12:45-3:30pm. Please let the office know if you will be eating lunch so we know
how much food to prepare. Thank you.
§ Adult Education: Discipleship – as Ethics and Evangelism. Sunday, February 14th,
we will begin a three-week exploration of what Jesus intends for his followers
in these two specific areas, with an intention toward faithful and imaginative
obedience for us today. This series will
be presented by our Seminarian, Ryan Pollock.
§Compline: Next Sunday, February 21st, we will meet at 6:30 p.m. in St. Nicholas Hall for a simple chili supper and salad hosted by our Organist and Choir Master, Ben Dobey. Please sign up on the sheets in the Narthex so Ben will know how much food needs to be prepared and if you would like to supply bread, butter or a dessert, or help with clean-up. At 8:00pm the Schola Cantorum will sing Compline, a beautiful restful service full of candles and music.
§Compline: Next Sunday, February 21st, we will meet at 6:30 p.m. in St. Nicholas Hall for a simple chili supper and salad hosted by our Organist and Choir Master, Ben Dobey. Please sign up on the sheets in the Narthex so Ben will know how much food needs to be prepared and if you would like to supply bread, butter or a dessert, or help with clean-up. At 8:00pm the Schola Cantorum will sing Compline, a beautiful restful service full of candles and music.
§ Stations of the Cross
and Simple Suppers: Beginning
on Friday, February 19th we will meet at 5:15 p.m. for a prelude of
Lenten organ music followed at 5:30 p.m. by Stations of the Cross. Afterwards a
simple supper will be hosted in the parish hall with a presentation and
pictures of Jordan, Israel and Palestine by the pilgrims who went to the Holy
Land. Please sign up on the sheets in the Narthex so we will know how much food
needs to be prepared.
§ Cooking
on Friday Evenings in Lent: If you are interested in cooking and hosting
a dinner on the Fridays during Lent, March 4th is still open. Thank
you for your willingness to serve in this manner.
§ Sunday School
Snacks: Ms. Nicci and Ms. Andrea's Sunday
school classes are in need of donated non-perishable snacks. Each class
consists of a prayer around our classroom altar followed by snack and craft
time. Having snacks to offer during this time is a wonderful opportunity
for the classmates to serve each other and come together in fellowship. It would be
wonderful if anyone who is willing could place non-perishable snack options
such as applesauce, goldfish cracker bags, fruit cups, as well as juice boxes,
in our craft room to replenish our supply. Thank you!
§ Bible Challenge: Grace Abounds launched The Bible Challenge on Monday, January 4, 2016. If you take this
challenge, you will find that in one year you will read all of the Bible! This
will require less than an hour of your time, six days a week. A schedule of
readings will be provided on the parish website, along with weekly study
summaries and a weekly video summery of the readings. If you need a good study
bible for the challenge, contact the parish office. When we immerse ourselves
in Scripture, the mantle of the Lord does fall upon us. We are equipped to discern
God’s will and to lead others to know and love and serve the Lord.
§ Coffee Hour Schedule:
There is a sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in
2016. If you would like to host, please sign up for either 8:00 a.m. or 10:15
a.m. If you have any questions, please see Mary Massey. Thank you so much.
§ Flower Schedule for 2016: Giving the gift of flowers is a wonderful
way to remember a loved one or to offer thanksgiving for your blessings. If you
wish to sign up for a specific Sunday, the Flower Schedule is available on the
table in the narthex. More than one person can sign up for each Sunday.
§ Something Extra for Grace: Envelopes are
available in the pews if you are moved to give an extra gift, beyond your
pledge or regular plate donation, toward the life of the church. Gifts are tax deductible if you write your
name on the envelope.
§ SCIO Program Top 3 In-Kind Needs: SCIO is in need of
(1) Spaghetti sauce, chicken/vegetable broth, (2) Tampons, Conditioner, and (3)
Pledge, Windex, bathroom cleaner. SCIO
is a spiritually based organization of faith communities in Sheboygan County.
If you would like to learn more about SCIO, please see the brochure on the
noticed board in the Narthex.
§ Like
Grace Church on Facebook
§ Follow
Grace Church on Twitter: @GEC_Sheboygan
§ We Are on Itunes! Check out the new
podcast!!!
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