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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Laetare


Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
28 March 2019

Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.

In the Western liturgical tradition, the Fourth Sunday in Lent is known, traditionally, as Laetare Sunday, from the opening word in the Latin version of the introit founds above.  (An introit is an opening prayer specific to a particular Sunday.)  The Latin is laetare, which is the singular imperative.  In other words, the rejoicing of Jerusalem (the Church) that God comes among us is something that we do together.  We are addressed as one Body, not as a collection of individuals, because our rejoicing in salvation is only complete when it is shared.
In prior times all of Lent was a time of very strict disciplines, including fasting.  On the Fourth Sunday the disciplines were relaxed to reflect the command to rejoice, and this relaxation is reflected in the vestments for Laetare Sunday being “liturgical rose” (a sort of dusky pink) instead of purple (the full color of penitence).  In our own day it has become more recognized that all Sundays, as feasts of Our Lord, are times of celebration and rejoicing, and that Lenten disciplines do not strictly apply, but the tradition of Laetare Sunday remains in a minority of Episcopalian parishes to remind us that it is because of penitence that we may rejoice.
The paradox of faith is that we may rejoice that we are sinners!  As odd as that may appear, it is true, because if I persist in sin, or if I insist that there is no sin, I cannot recognize my own sin.  I can only recognize my own sin when I have gained faith.  For too long in post-Reformation theology, the conventional “wisdom”  has been that if I am convicted of my sin I will turn to God.  But the biblical witness is exactly the opposite!  It is because God has sought me out and I have come to know Him that I become convicted of my sin.  Otherwise, I’ll just wallow in it, as witnessed to by St. Paul at Rom 1.24, where (having observed how those who do not serve God have exchanged what is true for what is false), he writes:  “Therefore God gave them up …”.  He continues that because those who do not know Him have “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator …”, “For this reason God gave them up …” (Rom. 1.25—26).
At. Rom 1.28 Paul writes of those who have denied Him that “God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct”.  He then illustrates this base mind and improper conduct, listing sins at 1.29—31.  But note throughout that the sins listed are not what provoke God to judgment, but what judgment looks like.  Those who do not know God are not convicted of their sin because they have rejected Him, and so they persist in their sin. 
When we turn to God we can recognize all of the ways in which we have alienated ourselves from the bond of love to which we are called.  We know we are sinners, and we can rejoice that we can know this and can trust in the mercy of God.
Rejoice, indeed.  Rejoice that in Lent we can focus more on how we turn to God because we know that we must.

Grace abounds:  Please thank: 

§  Pat Sather, Ed & Mary Clabots, Doug Hamilton, and Stuart Schmidt for the Sunday coffee hours, with cleanup by Julie Davidson.
§  Bill and Bobbie May for janitorial help.

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.

Music this Week:  The Fourth Sunday in Lent
                              Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey, Music Director

Prelude                          Three Elevations (from Heures Mystiques)
                                                                                                      Léon Boëllman
Entrance Hymn 624         “Jerusalem the golden”                                         Ewing
Sequence Hymn 692                 “ I heard the voice of Jesus say”                        Kingsfold
Offertory Anthem 690      Guide me, O thou great Jehovah                Cwm Rhondda                                            
Communion Motet           My spirit longs for thee                            arr. Leopold Dix                    
Communion Hymn 470    “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy”                    Beecher                              
Closing Hymn 411           O bless the Lord, my soul”                             St. Thomas      
Postlude                          Prelude & Fugue in G minor                              J. S. Bach

Parish Notices:
§  Adult Formation: Growing a Rule of Life: Adult Formation participants will spend two more weeks using a tool from monastic spirituality and the Society of Saint John the Evangelist to develop their own personal Rule of Life. All are welcome to join at any time.
§  Sacrament of Reconciliation: Lent is a time of self-examination preparing for the death and resurrection of our Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered by appointment. Please contact Fr. Schaffenburg to set up an appointment to make your confession.
§  Lenten Program: On Friday nights during Lent, we will have Stations of the Cross at 5:30pm, followed by a simple Lenten supper at 6:00pm. At 6:30 the program will be Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week, author, professor, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine explores the biblical texts surrounding the Passion story. The six-session DVD features Dr. Amy-Jill Levine offering a fresh, timely reinterpretation of the Passion of Jesus. The video segments are approximately 10-12 minutes each. The program will be facilitated by Fr. Karl and Mother Michele.
§  Cooking on Friday Evenings in lent: If you are interested in cooking and hosting a dinner on the Fridays during Lent, there are sign-up on sheets on the Narthex.
§  Easter Flowers and Music: Please prayerfully consider donating for Easter Flowers and Music. Please be as generous as you are able and call the office or fill out the slip found in the pews to indicate your wish for memorials and/or thanksgivings.
The deadline for returning to the Parish Office is Monday, April 8 at noon.
§  Easter Vigil Dinner: The first Mass of the Resurrection is on Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. The Easter celebration then continues at Trattoria Stefano, 522 South 8th Street, at 9:30 p.m. The actual cost of the meal is a gift to the parish, so you not only get a delicious meal but you help the church by purchasing a ticket for the dinner. Tickets can be bought in the parish office or in the Narthex after mass for $50 a person. Everyone is invited, but seats are limited. There are scholarships for anyone wishing to attend but are challenged by the cost.
§  Easter Gala Reception: We will continue our Easter celebration with a Gala Reception after the 10:15 a.m. Mass on Sunday, April 21. Look for a sign-up sheet on the Narthex table in the upcoming weeks.
§  Summer Camp registration for camp sessions are now open: The Diocese of Fond du Lac Summer Camp is for kids age 4 through graduating 12th graders.
The registration process is now completely online and includes availability to make payments. www.diofdl.org/camp *Scholarships are available; inquire at the Parish Office.
§  Save the Date-Chrism Mass: On Tuesday, April 16, at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Fond du Lac.
§  Annual Bake and Plant Sale: This annual event takes place, in conjunction with St. Luke United Methodist Church Rummage Sale, on Friday, April 26 (noon–3:00 p.m.) and Saturday, April 27 (9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.) We need volunteers to provide baked items, staff tables, set-up and take down. Look for a more detailed list and sign-up sheet in the upcoming weeks.
§  Good News Jail & Prison Ministry Banquet: The annual banquet in support of ministry in the local jail is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. (Blue Harbor Conference Center) Nicci has 8 tickets available. There is no charge, but the cost of the meal to the ministry is $28.00; donations in support are accepted. There will also be a silent auction.  For more details, contact the Parish Office.
§  Save the Date-Eucharistic Festival, Saturday June 29: The Festival will be followed by the Bishop’s Picnic; there is no cost for the Picnic which include hot dogs, brats and ice cream. For more details, visit www.diofdl.org/ef
§  Ushers Needed: Ushers are often the first people seen by newcomers, visitors, and even regular parishioners when coming to Grace Church. People enjoy being greeted by a smile; become a part of this ministry today!
§  Meeting of Lectors: Following the 10:15 service and some short time after the start of coffee hour on April 7, Bob MacEwen will lead an informational 20-minute meeting in St. Mark’s Room, Lower Level, for current Lectors and those interested in becoming a Lector.
§  Reservations Required: Grace Church has been blessed with many assets used for hospitality. Parishioners are welcome to use rooms and these items. This is a gentle reminder that Grace’s policy is to complete a form listing the items being borrowed and rooms being used. This form can be obtained from the parish office.
§  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; please write your name on the envelope.
§  Holy Week Services
§  Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday (April 14), the Sunday of the Passion of our Lord.


§  Palm Sunday              Holy Eucharist       8:00 and 10:15 a.m.
§  Monday in Holy Week  Morning Prayer                8:45 a.m.
                                  Holy Eucharist                 12.10 p.m.
                                  Evening Prayer                5:10 p.m.
                                  Corporate Rosary             5:30 p.m.
§  Tuesday in Holy Week Morning Prayer                8:45 a.m.
                                  Evening Prayer                5:10 p.m.
                                  Holy Eucharist                 5:30 p.m.
§  Wednesday in Holy Week      Morning Prayer                8:45 a.m.
                                  Evening Prayer                5:10 p.m.
                                  Holy Eucharist                 5.30 p.m.
§  Maundy Thursday                Morning Prayer                8:45 a.m.
                                  Evening Prayer                5:10 p.m.
                                  Mass of Maundy Thursday 6:00 p.m.
                                  [Stripping of the altar.]
§  Good Friday                         Morning Prayer                7:00 a.m.
                                  Good Friday Liturgy         1:00 p.m.
§  Holy Saturday            Liturgy of Holy Saturday  9:00 a.m.
                                  Great Vigil of Easter        7:00 p.m.
§  Easter Day                           Holy Eucharist                 8 and 10:15 a.m.




Thursday, March 21, 2019

Looking for a Sign?


Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
21 March 2019

I will be with you; and this shall be the sign that it is I who sent you:  when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain (Exod. 3.15).

It is easy to pass right by this verse in the middle of the story of God’s call to Moses.  But when we pay attention the sign that God tells Moses he and the people shall receive should strike us as a little odd—that the sign of God’s identity will be given after God accomplishes the mighty work He promises, and that this sign shall be found in how Moses and the people respond, in the offering of worship in the place that God reveals.
In His earthly ministry Jesus often spoke of how those around Him sought signs.  The testimony to this is found in all four gospel accounts.  This reality will be further described by St. Paul at 1 Cor. 1.22 as a desire for signs (by Jews) and wisdom (by non-Jews); a desire met by the testimony of the cross (i.e., a testimony offered after Jesus’ self-identified “hour” of His sacrifice).
How many of us seek signs, or perhaps “wisdom” (what we actually often call knowledge that is no more than human)?  But in seeking signs we expect that proof is to be offered before God reveals His will and His presence to us.  As limned in just the limited examples given above, however, it is generally only after God has already delivered us—after He has carried us through trial—that we come to understand that He has been with us all along, and it is then that the sign to which we can in fact respond is given.  This sign is our own faith, our own experience in trust, in the reality that God always keeps all of the promises He makes.  And as is found in those offering worship on Mt. Horeb after deliverance from slavery in Egypt, it is when we gather in the place God calls us, and offer worship, that we come to experience who God is—the great I AM who reveals to Moses that He has “seen the affliction of [His] people”.
God knows out needs.  God hears our cries, and when we cry out to Him, He responds.  He responds in ways that we can recognize within the reality of blessings received, in ways that are made manifest in how our hearts are opened to be filled; opened to be filled to in turn offer thanks and praise and worship.
Looking for a sign?  Gather in worship and experience it!

Grace abounds:  Please thank: 

§  The Boy Scouts, Troop 801, for the Sunday pancake hours.
§  Bobbie May for janitorial help.

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.

Music this Week:  The Third Sunday in Lent
                              Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey, Music Director

Prelude                          Chorale Preludes on Lord, keep us steadfast by thy Word   
                                                        Johann Pachelbel & Dietrich Buxtehude
Entrance Hymn 1           “Father we praise thee”                         Christe sanctorum
Sequence Hymn 658      “As longs the deer for cooling streams”             Martyrdom                            
Offertory Hymn 598       “Lord Christ when first thoua cam’st to earth 
                                                                                                 Mit Freuden zart
Communion Motet           Like as the hart                                          Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 684    “O for a closer walk with God”                          Caithness                       
Closing Hymn 344           Lord dismiss us with they blessing        Sicilian Mariners                      
Postlude                          Prelude and Fugue in G Minor                   J. K. F. Fischer

Parish Notices:

§  Adult Formation: Growing a Rule of Life: Adult Formation participants will spend three more weeks using a tool from monastic spirituality and the Society of Saint John the Evangelist to develop their own personal Rule of Life. Participants will discover a highly personal, guided way to gently live into who God invites us to be. All are welcome to join at any time.
§  Sacrament of Reconciliation: Lent is a time of self-examination preparing for the death and resurrection of our Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered by appointment. Please contact Fr. Schaffenburg to set up an appointment to make your confession.
§  Lenten Program: On Friday nights during Lent, we will have Stations of the Cross at 5:30pm, followed by a simple Lenten supper at 6:00pm. At 6:30 the program will be Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week, author, professor, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine explores the biblical texts surrounding the Passion story. The six-session DVD features Dr. Amy-Jill Levine offering a fresh, timely reinterpretation of the Passion of Jesus. The video segments are approximately 10-12 minutes each. The program will be facilitated by Fr. Karl and Mother Michele.
§  Cooking on Friday Evenings in lent: If you are interested in cooking and hosting a dinner on the Fridays during Lent, there are sign-up on sheets on the Narthex. Thank you to Deb and Bill Gagin for hosting last Friday’s dinner.
§  Easter Flowers and Music: Please prayerfully consider donating for Easter Flowers and Music. We enjoy the Beauty of Holiness in both the flowers that adorn the church and the special music which includes strings at the Solemn Mass on Easter morning. Please be as generous as you are able and call the office or fill out the slip found in this mass booklet to indicate your wish for memorials and/or thanksgivings.
The deadline for returning to the Parish Office is Monday, April 8 at noon.
§  Easter Vigil Dinner: The first Mass of the Resurrection is on Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. The Easter celebration then continues at Trattoria Stefano, 522 South 8th Street, at 9:30 p.m. The actual cost of the meal is a gift to the parish, so you not only get a delicious meal but you help the church by purchasing a ticket for the dinner. Tickets can be bought in the parish office or in the narthex after mass for $50 a person. Everyone is invited, but seats are limited. There are scholarships for anyone wishing to attend but are challenged by the cost.
§  Easter Gala Reception: We will continue our Easter celebration with a Gala Reception after the 10:15 a.m. Mass on Sunday, April 21. Look for a sign-up sheet on the Narthex table in the upcoming weeks.
§  Summer Camp registration for camp sessions are now open: The Diocese of Fond du Lac Summer Camp is for kids age 4 through graduating 12th graders.
The registration process is now completely online and includes availability to make payments. www.diofdl.org/camp *Scholarships are available; inquire at the parish office.
§  Save the Date-Chrism Mass: On Tuesday, April 16, at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Fond du Lac. In the early church bishops baptized catechumens at the Easter Vigil with blessed oils. Over time this blessing was made earlier so oils could be used at the local level. This tradition includes blessing the oil of catechumens (adults preparing for baptism), oil of the sick (for anointing) and chrism (for baptism, confirmation, ordination of clergy, and consecration of altars).
§  Save the Date-Eucharistic Festival, Saturday June 29: The Eucharistic Festival was the vision of the Fifth Bishop of Fond du Lac, the Rt. Rev. William H. Brady. It is designed to draw people together each year to display unity in Christ and proclaim the Christian faith through recognition of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. A diocesan choir will lead congregational singing. The Festival will be followed by the Bishop’s Picnic; there is no cost for the Picnic which include hot dogs, brats and ice cream. For more details, visit www.diofdl.org/ef
§  Ushers Needed: Ushers are often the first people seen by newcomers, visitors, and even regular parishioners when coming to Grace Church. People enjoy being greeted by a smile; Ushers welcome parishioners and visitors, distribute bulletins, and ensure that the worship service runs smoothly.  They provide directions and answer questions for newcomers as needed, collect the congregation’s offering, and bear the alms to the altar. They also maintain an attendance record for parochial reports. Did you realize that Ushers do so many wonderful things? Become a part of this ministry today!
§  Reservations Required: Grace Church has been blessed with many assets used for hospitality. Parishioners are welcome to use rooms and these items. This is a gentle reminder that Grace’s policy is to complete a form listing the items being borrowed and rooms being used. This form can be obtained from the parish office.
§  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; please write your name on the envelope.




Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Scapegoat


Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes
14 March 2019

In Lent we focus more intensely on that which separates us from God, and seek to turn (repent).  In this respect our focus becomes intensely personal, but in doing so we must not ignore the corporate/collective sin in which each of us partakes.  In ancient Judaism this corporate aspect of sin was addressed on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, on which the high priest was to cast lots for the selection of two goats, one to be offered in sacrifice to the Lord, and one (the scapegoat) to have the sins of the people placed upon himself, to then be released into the wilderness.  (See Lev. 16.8.) 
The history of the scapegoat (and the origin of this word as derived from Hebrew is argued to indicate either the burden of sin or the name of a fallen angel) coincides on this date with the execution of a British admiral (Sir John Byng, d. 1757), who was blamed for the fall of Minorca to the French, but who was widely understood to have been blamed for wider failures in the Admiralty.  If we look to the example of Byng (and if we accept that he was not really to blame), then we see an example of how “scapegoating” involves placing the burden of a failure or sin on one who in not justly culpable.  And it is in this sense that we can draw a straight line from the scapegoat of Leviticus to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
In God’s self-offering the full burden of Sin is assumed by Jesus.  His cry of dereliction is real, “My God, my God!  Why have you forsaken me!” is from the depths.  There is no human experience (save for sinning) that Jesus has not shared in.  This means that in whatever state of loss, despair, or pain we might find ourselves in we can yet trust in the reality that Jesus has triumphed over Sin and Death, and we may participate in this triumph.  In suffering we may offer our suffering to God, to participate in the redemption of the world.  As Christ’s Body, we share in His triumph through how we share our suffering in His.
The burden of sin is real, but the triumph of Jesus allows us to trust in, and live into, the reality revealed at Ps. 103.12:  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us.”
Admiral Byng paid a price in this world, and probably unjustly, for a naval failure.  In the ultimate justice of God, however, we need never fear being “scapegoated”.  That role has been fulfilled once, and for all time, by the One so free from sin as to make any judgment against Him unjust.  The source and summation of all justice bears the weight of injustice, that injustice may be ultimately redeemed.

Grace abounds:  Please thank: 

§  Bill and Deb Gagin, Doug Hamilton, Stuart Schmidt, Mary Snyder and Tom Wright for the Sunday coffee hours, with cleanup help from Julie Davidson.
§  Bobbie May and Bill Gagin for janitorial help.
§  Jack Britton for outdoors cleanup, ice removal.

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. 

Music this Week:  The Second Sunday in Lent
                              Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey, Music Director

Mass Setting                   New English Folk Mass
Entrance Hymn 401         “The God of Abraham praise”                                  Leoni
Sequence Hymn 675       “Take up your cross”                                          Bourbon
Offertory Hymn 448        “O love, how deep”                         Deus tuorum militum
Communion Motet           Dear Lord and Father of Mankind        C. Hubert H. Parry
Closing Hymn 142           “Lord, who throughout these forty days”          St. Flavian

Parish Notices:
§  Lenten Meditation Booklets are available on the table in the Narthex.
§  Adult Formation: Growing a Rule of Life: Adult Formation participants will spend four more weeks using a tool from monastic spirituality and the Society of Saint John the Evangelist to develop their own personal Rule of Life. Participants will discover a highly personal, guided way to gently live into who God invites us to be. All are welcome to join at any time.
§  Sacrament of Reconciliation: Lent is a time of self-examination preparing for the death and resurrection of our Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered by appointment. Please contact Fr. Schaffenburg to set up an appointment to make your confession.
§  Lenten Program: On Friday nights during Lent, we will have Stations of the Cross at 5:30pm, followed by a simple Lenten supper at 6:00pm. At 6:30 the program will be Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week, author, professor, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine explores the biblical texts surrounding the Passion story. The six-session DVD features Dr. Amy-Jill Levine offering a fresh, timely reinterpretation of the Passion of Jesus. The video segments are approximately 10-12 minutes each. The program will be facilitated by Fr. Karl and Mother Michele.
§  Cooking on Friday Evenings in lent: If you are interested in cooking and hosting a dinner on the Fridays during Lent, there are sign-up on sheets on the Narthex. Thank you for your willingness to serve in this ministry!
§  Scout Appreciation Pancake Breakfast, this Sunday: 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.
§  Save the Date-Chrism Mass: On Tuesday, April 16, at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Fond du Lac. In the early church bishops baptized catechumens at the Easter Vigil with blessed oils. Over time this blessing was made earlier so oils could be used at the local level. This tradition includes blessing the oil of catechumens (adults preparing for baptism), oil of the sick (for anointing) and chrism (for baptism, confirmation, ordination of clergy, and consecration of altars).
§  Ushers Needed: Ushers are often the first people seen by newcomers, visitors, and even regular parishioners when coming to Grace Church. People enjoy being greeted by a smile; Ushers welcome parishioners and visitors, distribute bulletins, and ensure that the worship service runs smoothly.  They provide directions and answer questions for newcomers as needed, collect the congregation’s offering, and bear the alms to the altar. They also maintain an attendance record for parochial reports. Did you realize that Ushers do so many wonderful things? Become a part of this ministry today!
§  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; please write your name on the envelope.