Christian Unity

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

7 March 2013

The abdication Benedict XVI as pope takes effect today.  It is now more than four and a half centuries from the time when the Church of England separated from Rome, so in a month in which the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church gather in conclave to elect a new pope, why would an Anglican have an interest in this?  It’s because the separation that exists between churches is ungodly, and all who serve Jesus Christ serve in common cause and calling with us.  In this light, it is well to remember that Benedict XVI, in calling for a “New Evangelization,” has called for strong focus on Christian unity, a renewed commitment to religious freedom, and the unshackled proclamation of God’s good news—news that the world is literally dying to hear afresh.  Together with Rome and all other Christians, we must proclaim that the almighty Creator of all that is has acted in space and time to reveal Himself in nature and history, and to redeem the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is for his advocacy of bold truth that all Christians must acknowledge the faithful witness of Benedict XVI.  In reflecting on the papacy that is now ending, let us examine the strengths.  The witness of Benedict XVI has been:

• Truth must be taken seriously.  Truth is objective and revealed (by God).  Benedict XVI condemned the “dictatorship of relativism”.  We must join him in this condemnation.
• Theology must be Bible-focused, and all Christian life must be biblically guided.  Our best guide for objective truth is found in holy Scripture.
• The message of the Church must always be Christocentric.  We must be Christ-centered despite any agenda or issue.
• The Church must celebrate life amidst a culture of death, a culture in which individual lives are weighed in the balance of a zero-sum game, and in which utilitarian arguments are allowed to trump revealed truths.  Regardless of what a good Episcopalian might think about the social issues of the day, we have to listen when God looks upon his creation and pronounces it “very good” (Gen. 1.31).

As a good Episcopalian any one of us is free to disagree with Benedict XVI (or any pope) on a wide range of matters, but let us give thanks that the witness of the greatest theologian to occupy the see of Peter since Leo XIII (who reigned at the turn of the last century) is what it has been.  Let us pray that our Roman brothers and sisters will be given a fit successor, and that in common Christian witness we may proclaim yet again to all the world who God is, and what His will is for His creation.

Lenten Discipline:  If you have fallen out of the habit of Church-going, this is a great time of the year to refocus on worship and devotion.  It is all to easy to slide into complacency, and there are certainly other things that compete for time and energy, but we should always offer to God our first and our best efforts.  The last Sunday of the Epiphany Season, standing with Jesus on Mount Tabor in His full glory showed us clearly that we cannot stand still.  We cannot rest.  We might wish to stay on the mountain, but we are bidden to make the walk to Calvary with our Lord.

Boy Scouts and Grace Church: There has been some confusion over the word resigned it should have read re-signed. We have indeed renewed our charter with the Boy Scouts and the Cub Scouts. This is something that has been done every year and will continue in years to come. Absolutely nothing has changed with our relationship with the Scouts. If you have any questions please speak with Paul Aparicio our liaison to the Scouts or with Fr. Schaffenburg. Thank you for your concern.

Grace Abounds:  Please thank Jessica Ambelang for hosting the Lenten supper last Friday. 

Thanks to Jim Gardner.  When Paul Aparicio was going to put down salt on the walks before Sunday 8 AM service, Jim offered to lend a hand so that Paul could resume his duties with the Boy Scouts.  A clear example of the Body coming together to assist one another.

Please take the opportunity to notify the office of any member or friend of the parish to whom we owe thanks, in order that we can publicize this in the weekly newsletter.

Go Green: Wisconsin Power and Light Company has sent us five pamphlets filled with ideas about how to save on heating and cooling costs. If you are interested in saving money ask at the office for these. Please return when finished with them.

Adult Christian Education:  Adult Education meets on Sundays at 9 a.m., in St. Nicholas Hall.  On 17 February we will begin a Lenten series of sharing our faith, on Christian Testimony.  The theology of this intersection between witness, evangelism and fellowship will introduced by Fr. John Ambelang, followed by a example of testimony by Fr. Schaffenburg, and the opportunity for small group discussions.  Throughout Lent we will hear the witness to faith from the leadership of the parish.

Lenten Friday program:  On Fridays we will gather for Stations of the Cross at 5:30 p.m., followed by a simple supper and a program in Christian testimony, in St. Nicholas Hall.  Featured speakers will be:

§  8 March           Pastor Bill TeWinkel, Hope Reformed Church, Sheboygan

§  15 March         Pastor Ric Olson, St. Luke United Methodist Church, Sheboygan

§  22 March         Pastor Todd Smith, First United Luther C. (E.L.C.A.), Sheboygan

We have guests.  Please come to listen to them, and to share in fellowship.  We need, as well, hosts/cooks for meals.

Music this week: Lent 4 C 2013        Laetare Sunday

Prelude            Three Elevations (from Heures Mystiques)    Léon Boëllman

Introit              Laetare, Jerusalem      Plainsong

            Antiphon:  Rejoice, Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that delight in her.

                                    Exult and be replenished with her motherly consolation.

            Psalm:       I was glad when they said unto me:

                                    we will go into the house of the Lord.

                             Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

                                    as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,

                                    world without end.  Amen.

            Antiphon:  Rejoice, Jerusalem…

Tract                Psalm 122

Offertory         Hymn 690  “Guide me,  O thou great Jehovah”            Cwm Rhondda

Communion Motet      Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all          Joseph Barnby

Communion    Hymn 470  “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy”        Beecher

Closing            Hymn 411  “O bless the Lord, my soul”             St. Thomas (Williams)

Postlude          Prelude & Fugue in G minor               J. S. Bach

Parish Notices

We welcome Mr. Hal Foss: The Rector and Vestry of Grace have invited Faith Alive to come celebrate a weekend with us in September. Faith Alive is not a teaching weekend, it is a gentle Christ-Centered program enabling each of us to reexamine the implications of our baptismal promises. It will involve a team of Episcopalians, adults and youth, coming from far and near at their own expense as visitors. Some of them will be asked to share what it has meant to them to make Jesus Lord of their lives, but they come mainly to lead small groups. Hal Foss who will be our outside Faith Alive Weekend Coordinator hailing from Vienna, West Virginia, will be speaking at both services on Sunday.

Adult Christian Education in Lent: In Lent our Sunday morning Adult Education program will focus on Christian Testimony. We have heard from Deacon Mike Burg, Deacon Michele Whitford and the Senior Warden Bobbi Kraft. Come and join in the fun and listen to more faith stories. We will hear each week from members of the parish leadership team (ordained and lay) about how a person came to be a Christian, and Episcopalian, a member of Grace. We will then have opportunity in small groups to reflect on our own faith journeys and testimonies. We will share by doing it, as we grow in our appreciation of how we are formed by each other.

Stations of the Cross, Simple Suppers and Teaching:  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 focus on testimony in faith. How do we share our faith with each other? We are blessed that we will be joined each Friday by the pastor of another church in Sheboygan. Each pastor will testify to his own or her own experience of the Christian faith, and what it is about his or her identity in a particular faith tradition that informs their faith and the practice of their faith. We will then have the opportunity to share with each other our own reactions to such testimonies, and to learn how to testify to faith by experiencing the testimony of others.

Easter Vigil Dinner: The first Mass of the Resurrection is on Saturday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. The Easter celebration then continues at Trattoria Stefano, 522 South 8^th 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 coffers of 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 unable to donate.

A Passover Seder Meal: You are Invited to a Passover Seder Meal Wednesday, March 27, 6:30 pm. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Plymouth. “The Passover is the oldest and most important of the Jewish festivals, commemorating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.  The Passover meal is known as the Seder, which means ‘order’, because the meal and the service are done in a prescribed sequence.  This sequence is presented in the Haggadah (telling) which outlines the steps of the meal as well the readings and the songs for the participants.”  --Dennis Bratcher. Please RSVP by Sunday, March 24 by calling the Grace Church office at 452-9659.

Organ Concert at Trinity Lutheran Church: You are invited to an organ concert to dedicate their new John-Paul Buzzard pipe organ. The concert will be held at Trinity Church, 824 Wisconsin Avenue, Sheboygan on March 10, 2013 at 4:00pm. Admission is free, though a free will offering will be accepted. Organ works of King, Back, Schumann, Vierne, Alain, and Eben will be performed. The featured organist is Dr. Jeanette Fishell, a recitalist and teacher of international standing. Dr. Fishell is Professor of Organ and Chair of the Organ Department at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Trinity’s organ is now the largest pipe organ in Sheboygan County.

Bishop Search: For all information concerning the search for the eighth Bishop of Fond du Lac please go to bishopsearch.info.