Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
27 November 2014
Life together can be messy. In the old Simon & Garfunkel song I am
a Rock the protagonist points out that “a rock never cries, and an island
feels no pain,” but each of us has some experience of the truth that when we
just try to go-it-alone we do in fact feel pain, and—what is worse—it is pain
that cannot be shared. But gathered
together in Christ we can share pain, knowing that He will take our burdens from
us.
Life together can be messy because
people are messy. No one of us is
simple. We are each unique, with unique
experiences, aspirations, fears and joys.
In preaching I recently stated that the opposite of joy is fear, and
that if we are to “enter into the joy of [our] master” we must move beyond
fear. But any one of us can only move
beyond fear when we give voice to what it is that we fear, when we give voice
to what it is that makes us angry or hurts us.
This process involves sharing; it involves us making ourselves
vulnerable. To do this we must
experience God in each other. We must
experience that when fear or anger or hurt the response we meet in those who
incarnate Christ with us is a response of love.
This does not mean that we will always agree—far from it—but it means
that in Christ we can be bound in love despite the fact that we disagree.
In our adult education forum last
week we began by speaking about heresies, and about how heresies are
simple. As guided by the Holy Spirit the
conversation took a very different direction, because one person was brave
enough to give voice to what was bothering him, then others found their voice,
and throughout the discussions voices were met not with argument but with
something that somebody else had to share.
The world around us wants to keep things simple, as in “You are either
with me or against me.” The world around
us is divided into party factions and economic interests, but in Christ we are
made one in holiness, and this holiness is filled with tension.
Heresies are attractive because
they are simple. Dividing into factions
is attractive because it is simple, and it allows us to step back from exposing
our own vulnerabilities. But just as the
faith as taught for millennia by the Church is not simple—it is complex,
mysterious, held in tension, requiring active engagement and the denial of self—so
life together in faith is not simple.
Life together in the tensions is powerful witness to what faith looks
like, that when we disagree we can still come together in Christ to partake of
the Blessed Sacrament of His Body and His Blood.
May God be praised that He has
given us His Spirit to live together in love, even when it is messy!
Grace abounds: Please thank:
§
Bob and Anne Hanlon, and
Leslie Kohler, for the Sunday coffee hours.
Julie Davidson for clean-up.
§
Bryan Stenz and Thomas
Sanders for putting up the columbarium stone in the rain!
§
Bev Evans and Nancy Yurk
for organizing the parish effort in the Salvation Army giving tree for the
annual Christmas Castle.
§
Colleen Darling, Julie
Davidson and Pat Sather for the grace with which they have each shared, within
the past week, the gift of spiritual encouragement.
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.
Puzzle Pieces While reading the book, "Crash Course,
The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me", by Kim Bearden, I came
across the following passage and thought this is something we can all read and
reflect on about who we are and where we fit in this life. Good symbolism that
we can all understand and easily remember.
I quote:
This all came to light for me one night when my daughter Madison and I
put together a jigsaw puzzle. As we laid each piece out on the table, I
thought about how every piece was jagged, misshaped, and even ugly when studied
in isolation. However, as the picture began to take shape, I thought
about how every piece had its own purpose and place. When each piece was
placed where it belonged, it became a beautiful, integral part of a big
picture, and its flaws were much less visible.
We are like those puzzle pieces; each of us
is uniquely created to be part of a bigger picture where we can bring beauty to
the world around us. None of us is perfect, but when we find where we
fit, our sense of purpose begins to take shape. Often the biggest problem
is that we are trying to fit into the wrong place or to connect to another
piece that isn't meant for us. Some of us don't even get started making
the puzzle-we are still rattling around in our boxes, afraid to see the wonder
that we can help create. We must seek to nurture our gifts and use them
to their fullest. There is no one on the planet exactly like you.
Each of us is a one-of-a-kind limited edition. (Ed Clabots)
Holiday Parade:
This Sunday will the be annual Holiday Parade in Sheboygan, and it goes
down 7th St. right past Grace. The last few years we have sold warm foods and
hot drinks to parade-goers and have become rather popular. If you would like to
see the parade, complete with marching bands and lots of lights (and even
Santa). We will be there selling food and drinks to raise money to be used as
outreach by the youth of Grace. The parade starts at 5:00 pm. If you are able
to help setup, tear down, or sell food please join us. We will start setting up
at 4:00 pm, and should be done tearing down and cleaning up by 7:00 pm. Thank
you for supporting the youth of Grace Church.
Grief and Love. Loss and Life.
In my years of youth ministry, I
have been fortunate enough to only need to attend two funerals of students, and
through those two experiences I have found that there is so much life at a
funeral. I'll explain what I mean.
First of all, there is almost
always an overwhelming number of people. When there is standing room only, the
energy of the church starts to be more frenetic than contemplative. The sea of
youth who come out to honor one of their own, and their march of grief as they
pay homage is held up and supported by each other. They as a community will
grieve together, and as the community they will heal. The rest of us, non-student-types,
also pour out en masse. We come to support a family who is having to do a thing
we fear, and pray never happens again: bury the younger generation. We don't
know what it is like, but our hearts ache with groans that reach deeper than we
knew possible. And something in us prays that the chasm can be healed even
before we know it's there. To quote Romans, "... the Spirit helps us in
our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit
intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart,
knows what is the mind of the Spirit..." (8:25-26)
The second kind of life I mean, is
found in the witness of the life lost. Everything seems to have been all
forward motion and promise. The wonderful things that students do, to make
themselves stronger, to build up their friends with wisdom deeper than their
years, to hold families together by being a glue on which to attach our
memories, and hopes, and prayers. When parents speak of who this young person
is, and was, and was to be. From their vantage you see an arch pointing to the
future; like an arrow shot far, but stopped by an unexpected target. Peers
speak of the present, who they are, and who they say they will be. And we glean
a picture of this person through the eyes of love.
At this funeral one of the
scriptures used was the famous passage regarding faith, hope, and love (1Cor
13: 13), it says that the greatest of these is love. Love breeds hope, hope
builds faith, faith opens for more love, and the cycle continues. Love is
expanding, not limiting. We do not run out of love because we gave it all away.
Love grows with us, and will fill us in every nook-and-cranny. With hope and
faith, we love.
My prayers continue for all who
grieve. May the Christ who wept for the loss of His friend, find you in your
grief and comfort you. And may the God who broke the bonds of death to open the
gate to eternal life, hold you in His embrace and lift you when you can't lift
yourself. And may the Holy Spirit fill you with comfort, grace, and peace. And
the love of the Triune God expand in you always.
Ministry
Opportunities: At a recent parish forum questions were
raised about how people are asked to serve in specific ministries. The long and short answer is that people are
not asked; rather, they ask to serve. A
complete list of parish ministries is found on the parish website, www.gracesheboygan.com.
Ministry opportunities are listed under the following headings (found in
the pull-down menu in the top banner):
- Worship: Ministry
Opportunities Descriptions include those of lector,
acolyte, altar guild, greeter, lay eucharistic minister, usher, verger.
- Outreach: Separate headings are found for Our
Community, Our Nation, and Our World. Under each heading ministries are
described, such as work with The Salvation Army. Contact information is provided, or, if
it is left undefined you can always contact the parish office.
- Grace Ministries and Spiritual Gifts:
A lengthy menu allows you to explore an inventory and description
of spiritual gifts and how these gifts relate to ministries of the parish.
Don’t forget the choir! Singers are needed. You can contact Dr. Benjamin Dobey for more
details about the music ministries of the parish.
What’s not
on the list? What is not on the list
is what Our Lord is calling you to offer as a ministry. If you believe you are called to a ministry
not listed, please come forward so that we can recruit others to serve with
you.
Rector’s Forum: As
a follow-up to discussions held on 23 November, our next Sunday’s adult
education hour will be dedicated to an open forum facilitated by Fr. Karl. This is an opportunity to talk about what’s
on your mind about the parish and/or the Church, and to ask questions. Questions can relate to issues or can be just
the sort of question that focuses on “Why do we ...?” or “What is the origin of
...?”
Faith and
Paradox: There is a new book out about faith, in which
the author attempts to characterize the debates between believers as the
so-called New Atheists as often focusing on the wrong questions and the wrong
outcomes. David Skeel argues for how God
reveals Himself in the paradoxes of human experience. An informative review is found in The Wall Street Journal here:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/book-review-true-paradox-by-david-skeel-1416607499?KEYWORDS=Skeel
Music this week: The First Sunday of Advent
Prelude Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul Vintner
Trisagion S-102
Archangelsky
Entrance Hymn 58 “Lo,
he comes with clouds descending”
Offertory Hymn 61 “Sleepers,
wake! A voice astounds us”
Sanctus S-114
Willan
Agnus Dei S-158
Willan
Communion Motet Come, thou Redeemer of the earth arr. Willcocks
Communion Hymn 615 “Thy
kingdom come! on bended knee” St. Flavian
Closing Hymn “Come,
thou long-expected Jesus” Stuttgart
Postlude Sleepers, Wake! Bach
Parish Notices
§
Holiday Parade: The
Parade begins at 5:00pm, Grace Church will be selling cocoa and coffee,
brownies, apple crisp and hotdogs, before and during the Holiday Parade Sunday,
November 30th. The money raised goes to outreach projects both near
and far. Please come by the front of the church and enjoy a warm treat as you
enjoy the parade, be sure to bring your friends!
§
Emmaus Meal: December 6th from 10:30am-1:00pm at the
Salvation Army, the Tripartite Covenant Parishes are providing the Emmaus Meal
at Salvation Army. We are still in need of 2 pans of bars to be served that
day. Please sign up on the sheet in the narthex. Thank you for your service.
§
Advent Lessons and
Carols: On Sunday, 7 December, a festival of Advent Lessons and Carols will
be offered at Grace Episcopal Church, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The festival
prepares us for the coming of the Messiah by following the scriptural record
through nine lessons, each followed by a seasonal carol offered by choir and
congregation. The choir will also offer seasonal anthems, and music will
include Dr. R. Benjamin Dobey on organ. The service is followed immediately by
a High Tea reception.
§
Youth and Children’s
Choir: Youth and Children’s choir rehearsals for the Christmas Eve service
are at 5:30-6:00pm beginning Wednesday December 3rd, downstairs in
the choir room. Additional rehearsals will be on December 10th and
17th these will be just before the Pageant rehearsals. The
final rehearsal will be Sunday, December 21st at 9:00am. The choir
is open to 2nd graders through high school, and will sing for the
4pm service on Christmas Eve.
§
Christmas Pageant
Rehearsals: will be on Wednesday December 3rd, December 10th
and 17th starting at 6:00p.m. The rehearsals will begin in the
church and then go downstairs for costumes. Participation is open to youth of
all ages. The Pageant will take place during the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass.
Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. If your child would like to
participate but cannot make rehearsals please note that on the sheet or call
the office.
§ Meals On Wheels Christmas Cookies: “Every Christmas season Meals On Wheels delivers a box of homemade
cookies to those receiving meals. (For some this is the only gift they
will receive.) We have the boxes and the tissue paper, now all we need are the
cookies! If you would like to donate some of your home baked goodies the
Sheboygan donation drop off site is at Meals on Wheels, 1004 S. Taylor Dr.
(across from Aldi’s), December 15th from 9:00am-3:00pm and December
16th 9:00am-Noon. If you have questions please call or email Maureen
at Meals On Wheels at 451-7011 (ext. 102) or client1@shebmow.org. Your response in the past has been
overwhelming and we cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
§
Christmas Joy: is
scheduled to meet on Monday, December 22 at 11:00am in the church kitchen. At
that time we will assemble winter greens and flowers and bag cookies, and then
make deliveries (there is a sign-up sheet in the narthex.) We need helping
hands and money (to buy for packaging supplies and flowers.) Can you bake, make
a delivery or help arrange? Please join us for this fulfilling and fun ministry
to our shut-ins. They will appreciate it. If you have questions please call
Barb MacEwen at 467-6909.
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