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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Things that are Above

Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
9 February 2017

Along with about 111,000,000 others this past Sunday I watched Superbowl LI.  I didn’t watch all of the game.  I did see the incredible comeback.  I didn’t see the half time show.  What sticks in my memory, however, is a T-Mobile advertisement in which the tag line is “Wireless pain is fine … if you’re into that sort of thing …”  The tag line follows a scene in which a woman engages in very thinly-veiled sexual talk in which excitement is premised on pain, and in which the pain is the extra charges and fees that T-Mobile’s competitors are supposed to inflict on their customers.
My first reaction to the commercial was to laugh.  It’s well done.  But then I caught myself.  How is that we have come to a point in our culture that we can joke about sadomasochism in a prime time TV ad, and in which “that sort of thing” can be held up as “normative” in a society in which there are, apparently, no “norms” apart from the rule that there are no norms?  The subject matter of the commercial’s humor is not new to comedy.  In 1979 Saturday Night Live  included the “Miles Cowperthwaite” skit in which Michael Palin and John Belushi made fun of “punishment”.  The 1979 skit was not, however, a send-up of how one might be “into that sort of thing”.  It was not broadcast in prime time.  It was not broadcast as part of a capstone event in a year in which the NFL has repeatedly pushed a branding message of “Football is Family”.  In twenty-eight years our culture has mainstreamed all subject matter for all ages, and has in the process moved far away from even acknowledging that the state we are called to in faith is one in which we are to:  “… seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth” (Col. 3.1—2).
Before you just dismiss me as a prude or killjoy, consider that I laughed at the commercial.  This is because I, like most, must strive to focus on who God calls me to be, and who God calls us to be together.  I laughed at the cleverness, but then I paused to consider how this laughter is symptomatic of the need for further formation in following Jesus.  And why did I pause this way?  I did so because in years of life in the Church I have been formed to be someone who—even if he does not always set his mind on things that are above—at least recognizes that there is an “above,” and that our minds and hearts are directed there by God when we pay attention in prayer, in worship, in the study of Scripture, in real fellowship, in service. 

Grace aboundsPlease thank: 
§  Jessica Ambelang, Ed & Mary Clabots, Mary Massey, Kevan and Traci Revis, and Pat Ford Smith for the Sunday coffee hours.
§  Jessica Ambelang, Jennifer Pawlus, and Elizabeth Schaffenburg for pastoral care visits.

Call for ContributionsIf you have a spiritual reflection to share, or want to point your fellow worshipers toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday in the week of publication.

Don’t forget “Something Extra for Grace”:  Supplemental giving envelopes can be found in pews.  If you want to give something extra, please use an envelope to ensure that you are credited.

Music this Week:          The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
                                      Organist:  Ben Dobey

Prelude:                        Chorale Preludes on Blessed Jesus, at thy word  J.S. Bach
Entrance Hymn: 440     “Blessed Jesus, at thy word”                         Liebster Jesu
Offertory Hymn: 665    “All my hope on God is founded”                          Michael
Comm. Hymn: 312        Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands”             Malabar
Closing Hymn: 371       Thou, whose almighty word                              Moscow
Postlude:                       Sortie                                                       Percy Whitlock

Parish Notices

§  Adult Education: On Sunday, February 12, 2017, at 9:00 a.m., we will continue with the second class of a four-week course on Sacramental Identity.  This course will follow the scheme set forth in the 2008 book of David A. deSilva, Sacramental Life: Spiritual Formation Through The Book of Common Prayer, to explore how liturgies of The Book of Common Prayer give us a language and a context for encountering God. We will begin with a consideration of Baptism and how we live into our baptismal identity through prayer.
§  Lenten Booklet: Grace Church will prepare our own parish book of Lenten meditations, written by parishioners. For each of the forty days of Lent season, a Gospel lesson taken from the Eucharistic lectionary for the weekdays in Lent, plus the Sunday Eucharistic lectionary, are provided on a clip board on the Narthex table. Following each Gospel lesson will be the Collect prayer for the celebration of Eucharist on each day. The Collect “collects” our prayers as founded in the Scripture appointed for each day. The method envisaged for use of this booklet is that parishioners will read the Gospel lesson– perhaps more than once, perhaps underlining the words or phrases that resonate with them on that day–then reflect on the Collect, and then write down their own reflections on the page appointed for the day. The Lenten Booklet will be published to the whole parish, in print and on our website. Please submit your meditations to the office at eaparicio@gracesheboygan.com by Monday, February 20, 2017.
§  Cookware Fundraiser: Once again, we are offering cookware and kitchen essentials from Vollrath. These are high quality items that enhance any cooking experience and also make wonderful gifts. Grace Church receives 20% of all funds received. Catalogs and order sheets are available on the table in the Narthex. Deadline for orders is February 19, 2017.
§  The Guild of Martha & Mary Cooking Ministry is Planning its Next Session!The initial planning meeting will take place here at Grace Church this Wednesday, February 15th, 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. This meeting will discuss how we can positively impact the lives of our Neighbors In Need by teaching them the valuable skills of cooking, meal-planning, grocery shopping on a budget, and more! If this is a ministry you would be interested in, please contact our Senior Warden, Paul Aparicio.
§  Coffee Hour Ministry: Mary Massey is stepping down and we thank her for her time and efforts dedicated to this ministry. We are now looking for a new volunteer to take charge of this ministry. If this is something you would be interested in, please call the office. Also, as yet, we do not have a volunteer to host next week Sunday’s coffee hour (January 19th) following the 10:15 a.m. mass. If you would like to host, please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. If you have any questions, please call the office. Thank you so much.
§  Shrove Tuesday Feast before the Fast: Shrove Tuesday is February 28th. We will be having a picnic on a plate (brats & burger, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw following a 5:30pm Mass. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this festive occasion. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the Narthex.
§  Ash Wednesday: March 1st, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is a day of fasting and penitence. We will observe this day with Mass and Imposition of Ashes at 12:10 p.m., and Solemn Mass with Imposition of Ashes at 6:00 p.m. This is a holy day and a wonderful way to begin your Lenten observance.
§  Stations of the Cross, Simple Suppers and Teaching:  Beginning on the second Friday in Lent (March 10th) 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 Bishop Matt’s Lenten series for parishes focusing on the Diocesan Vision for us to be communities of God’s mercy and light. This is not a study but rather a time of listening to God and one another; a time for storytelling and reflecting on our stories; a time of beginning or continuing discernment, both for ourselves and for our community of faith. 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, please sign-up on sheets in the Narthex. All of the Fridays are open. Thank you for your willingness to serve in this manner.
§  Icon Class: The iconography class scheduled to begin February 26th has been cancelled. Not enough people can commit to seven Sundays in a row. We are investigating how to make this class happen in a one week time frame (six nights). If you want to explore this, let us know the best timeframe that will work for you:  late Spring or early Fall?
§  Bible Challenge: Videos for all 52 weeks of the year are now available on Grace Abounds. 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 is provided on the parish website, along with weekly study summaries and a weekly video summary 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.
§  Flower Schedule for 2017: 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.
§  Like Grace Church on Facebook
§  Follow Grace Church on Twitter: @GEC_Sheboygan
§  Follow Grace Church on Instagram: @GEC_Sheboygan
§  We Are on Itunes! Check out the new podcast!!!



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