Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
8 February 2018
Ash Wednesday falls
this year on 14 February. At the clergy
retreat we just completed, our speaker noted the happy correspondence between
the date and the biblical verse discussed at one point, Hosea 2.14, in which
the Lord speaks to His people by
the prophet, saying, “Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the
wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.”
Let this soak into you as you prepare for Lent, for Lent is a time in
which we go into the wilderness, and it is in the wilderness that God comes to
His people. Throughout scripture, whether
to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Elijah, etc., it is in the wilderness that God
is made manifest.
When we think of
Lenten disciplines—whether these be disciplines involving renunciations or the
doing of extra devotions—we tend to think of what we do or do not do. But any discipline must be intended to allow
us to focus better on God’s presence. If
I deny myself something this must be not just a work for which I can maybe congratulate
myself, and “earn points”, but the denial must be one that allows me to better experience
my hunger for God. If I take on an extra
work of service or devotion this must be to allow better focus on where Jesus
leads. Lenten disciplines can never be
about me; they must be about God.
I want to suggest
one possible discipline: Pray about this
model. For every day in Lent think of
one thing in your life (not a necessity) that you can give away. It should be something that is not trivial;
something that you actually will in some way miss. For example, I could decide on a given day to
give away a book, or I could give away a non-trivial amount of money. To do this, I have to decide what to part
with, and to whom, but not with reference to whether the recipient is in any
way “worthy” of the gift, for the point of the gift is that it is not merited
(just as are all of God’s gifts to all of us).
So, if I give away a book, it should be a book that I’ll miss, and I
should not worry about whether the one receiving the book will appreciate it in
the ways I have. If I give away
money—say a $20 bill (not a trivial amount to me!)—I can’t worry about whether
or not the recipient will put the money to a “good use”. I need to leave that up to God. The gift is an offering.
If I do this, one
additional effect in how I enter the wilderness (i.e., places outside of
my comfort zone) to be allured by God will be in how God chooses to manifest
Himself in the people I give things to.
Suppose I give a $20 bill to a stranger?
What glimpse of the Christ we pledge “to seek and serve … in all
persons” will I see? If I give a book,
what question will the recipient raise that may be what God wants to ask me?
Whatever you do in
Lent, be intentional. Don’t approach
Lenten devotions as a duty, but as an offering.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Bob
and Anne Hanlon, and Steve and Katy Larson, and Elizabeth Schaffenburg, for the
Sunday coffee hours.
Special “Thank You’ s” : A supply of Thank You note cards can be found
on the table at the back of church nave.
When someone in the parish does something special, take the time to
write them a personal note. Also, from
time to time, think about who you might want to thank for ongoing service, and
let them know you have noticed!
Call
for Contributions: If 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.
Lenten
Series: In addition to the Lenten Meditations
which will allow you to make your own pilgrimage through Lent with the insights
of Scripture, prayer, and the devotional meditations offered by your fellow
parishioners, please plan to gather on Friday evenings, 23 February—23 March. We’ll begin with Stations of the Cross at
5:30, followed by a simple supper at 6 p.m.
(Please sign up if you can help with a supper.) We’ll continue 6:30—7:30 with a program in
which we’ll explore the ministries the parish shares in in the wider community,
and how you can help. Presentations will
be made by:
§ LoveINC: opportunities to serve; service which is
ongoing; the vision for 2018—19; questions and answers.
§ Sheboygan
County Interfaith Organization:
opportunities to serve; service which is ongoing; the vision for 2018—19;
questions and answers.
§ Freedom
Cry: the sexual trafficking problem in
Sheboygan; how to help.
§ Samaritan’s
Hand: the opioid abuse epidemic in
Sheboygan; how to help.
§ Good
News Jail and Prison Ministry:
opportunities to serve.
Come
to pray! Come enjoy fellowship! Come to learn!
Music this Week: The
Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Music
Director: R. Benjamin Dobey
Prelude Prelude on the plainsong Hymn Coelestis
Gloriae Geoffery Vintner
Entrance Hymn 7 "Christ whose glory fills the
skies" Ratisbon
Offertory Anthem Christ whose glory fills the
skies T. Frederick H. Candlyn
Communion Motet O Everlasting Light
John
E. West
Communion Hymn 137 "O
wondrous type! O vision fair” Wareham
Closing Hymn "Alleluia, song of
gladness" alt.
tune: Dulce Carmen
Postlude Paean on Divinum
Mysterium John Cook
Parish Notices:
§ Shrove
Tuesday Feast before the Fast: February 13 is Shrove Tuesday. We
will be having a Parish Potluck Supper following the 5:30pm Mass. The Potluck
Sign-up is on the table in the Narthex.
§ Ash
Wednesday:
February 14, is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, 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.
§ Lenten Booklet: Copies are now
available on the table in the Narthex and on our parish website www.gracesheboygan.com.
For each of the forty
days of the Lenten season, this booklet contains a Gospel lesson taken from the
Eucharistic lectionary for the weekdays in Lent, plus the Sunday Eucharistic
lectionary. Following each Gospel lesson is the Collect prayer for the
celebration of Eucharist on each day and a meditation written by a parishioner.
After each meditation, space is allowed for you to note your own reflections.
§ Book Study on Redemptive Compassion: The group study of
the book Redemptive Compassion: The
Defining Difference has begun. The eight-week class will meet on Sunday
mornings at 9:00 a.m. consecutively, through March 4; however, there will be no
class today because of the Parish Annual Meeting.
§ Stations
of the Cross, Simple Suppers and Presentations: Beginning on
the second Friday in Lent (February 23) we will meet each Friday at 5:30 p.m.
for Stations of the Cross, followed by a simple supper and Christian
formation. Our program this year will feature the following presenters
from community organizations that Grace Church supports:
·
February 23, Good News Jail Ministry
·
March 2, Samaritan’s Hand
·
March 9, Freedom Cry
·
March 16, Sheboygan County Interfaith
Organization (SCIO)
·
March 23, Love INC.
Please sign up on the sheets in the
Narthex so we can share with the presenters and know 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. Thank you for
your willingness to serve in this ministry!
§ 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.
§ Deacon
School:
The diocesan Deacon School courses in Old Testament (taught by Fr. Glen
Kanestrom of St. Paul’s, Marinette) and Church History (taught by Fr. Karl
Schaffenburg of Grace, Sheboygan) have begun. Classes meet 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
the second Saturday of each month, January – May, and September – December.
Auditors are welcome. If you wish to
audit deacon school, contact Fr. Karl to receive details.
Note: Those in
formation for the diaconate pay tuition. Auditors are requested to
contribute to the cost of the school, but if the offering of a donation would
restrict your attendance be assured that a donation is voluntary.
§ A Note from Meals On Wheels:
Thank you to everyone
who donated their homemade baked goods for our annual Meals On Wheels cookie
distribution to our clients. Those who receive this special delivery are
truly thrilled. Many notes of gratitude have been received.
Special thanks also to
the youth groups who decorated the box tops, they were beautiful.
A
quote from one client note: “I want to thank you for all the Christmas
treats. The box was so pretty and what I found inside were delicious”.
We would not be able
to do this without the help from all of you. From the bottom of our
hearts, Thank You from the Staff at Meals On Wheels.”
§ 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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