Faithful Transformation

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

1 January 2015

We are called to be faithful.  We are called into transformation, in new life which is in the world but not of the world.  In other words, we are called to accept the kingdom which God offers, and this requires us to look for the kingdom in everything and all around us.  That’s part of what the prophets do.  It is not that a prophet foretells the future, but that in speaking for God a prophet describes a reality that we cannot see unless we look outward from a heart which is filled with the Spirit.  Consider that in Biblical Hebrew (unlike modern Hebrew), there is no future tense for verbs.  There isn’t even a word for “future”.  Greatly over-simplified, Biblical Hebrew has two inflected verb tenses, the perfect for past actions and the imperfect for actions continuing into the present or future. What becomes interesting, therefore, is when we think not in future but in present, continuing action terms.  For example, in the Old Testament lesson for Epiphany (Isaiah 60.1-6), we read:  “[T]he Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you” (v. 2).  If we ignore the future tense of the English translation, the verse can be read as “The Lord rises upon you, and his glory appears over you.”

Is this just a grammatical detail?  Yes and no.  How Biblical Hebrew works is of lesser importance.  But, when we live our lives in the Christian hope that God not only will come to us, but does, then we see the world differently, and we live in our disagreements differently.  We receive the kingdom as a child (Mark 10.15), as ones who are not planning how we will “win” at a future time, but as ones who experience joy at the present gift of God.  We experience the joy of God’s kingdom in this world, and disagreements pale in this light.  So, when you encounter someone with whom you disagree in matters of theology, ask yourself whether you believe that that person loves God, and loves his or her neighbor.  If the answers are “yes,” then share the joy of being in Christ together.  If the answer is “no,” then remember that God has chosen you to make His love “present tense,” and to testify to His truth by word and action.

Grace abounds: 

§  . Please thank: Dale & Mary Massey for providing coffee hour on Sunday.

“Leave behind” cards:  Small bookmark shaped cards are available for you to give to friends when you talk about the church.  These cards list the times of all of our prayer and worship services, how to get more information, when Bible study and adult education meet, etc.  The cards are available in the office or in the Ontario Avenue entrance to the nave.  The supply in the office is packaged with small olive wood crosses.  These “leave behind cards” should always be offered to visitors, but also take a supply with you to share in outreach.

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.

Youth and Family Ministry: 

Film School - whittling down the semester

Hello! Grace and peace! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

With so much happening this semester and especially in the couple of weeks surrounding Christmas it is hard to make certain that all of the little things get done. And while that is a problem, it turns out that I happened to do a whole bunch of the little things, but not the bigger thing they pertain to.
I am speaking about Film School (as my title gives away). As this past semester has gone on I have been preparing movies and videos for the next semester, but in point of fact I never actually set the semester schedule! DOH!
So here I am telling you about it.
I will say that part of the problem is whittling down the number of selections. I have in the wings, so to speak, nearly twenty films to choose from, which is very exciting, but my problem has been one of "theme" and "scope" for the Spring semester.
I can tell you now, that our theme throughout the films and videos will be "relationships", and our scope will include friends, enemies, parents, God, romantic, families, pastoral (possibly), and maybe others in a tangential sort of way.
Our first movie will span three weeks (Jan 4, 11, 18), and will be Enchanted starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. Along with this film we will have the opportunity to discuss romantic relationships fairy-tales and expectations vs reality and gender roles in particular. The rest of the semester will be posted soon!
I hope to see you all there 9am Sunday morning!
Nick

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.

Music this week: 

Christmas 2  January 5th, 2015

Entrance Hymn 94  “While shepherds watched their flocks by night”  Winchester Old

Offertory Hymn 110  “The snow lay on the ground”  Venite adoremus

Communion Hymn 112        “In the bleak midwinter”  Cranham

Closing Hymn  87  “Hark! the herald angels sing”   Gutenberg

The Epiphany of Our Lord January 6, 2015

Prelude  Chorale Prelude on How brightly shines the Morning Star  Johann Pachelbel

Entrance Hymn 109  The first Nowell  John Stainer

Offertory Hymn 128  We three kings   John Henry Hopkins Jr.

Communion Motet    Saw you never in the twilight      French carol, harm. Charles Wood
Closing Hymn 117 Brightest and Best    James Proctor Harding

Postlude      Chorale Prelude on How brightly shines the Morning Star Max Reger

Parish Notices

Christian Formation: Today, January 4^th we will gather for Care and Share groups. Please grab a cup of coffee and we will meet in the library, conference room and the Deacon’s office.

The Feast of the Epiphany: We will celebrate the Feast of Epiphany Tuesday, January 6^th. Parishioners and their guests are invited to Solemn Mass beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by an all Parish Dinner and Dessert Buffet. Please sign up in the narthex or by calling the church office at 452-9659.

Flower Schedule for 2015: 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.

Simple Potluck Supper and Compline: Sunday, January 11^th we will have our first Sunday of the month Simple Potluck Supper at 6:30pm. We will be joined by Fr. Ralph Osborne from St. Thomas, Menasha who will be presenting pictures and talking about the upcoming pilgrimage to Israel November 2015. Come and enjoy the fellowship then stay for Compline at 8:00pm. The Schola Cantorum will be singing Compline which is the night time prayers said or sung just before retiring. It is a wonderful and peaceful way to end the day.

Holy Land and Jordan Pilgrimage: October 30– November 14, 2015.

Aims of this Pilgrimage

●      To study the Life and Ministry of Jesus in context

●      To rediscover the roots and traditions of Christian faith

●      To explore the Bible lands as students and pilgrims

●      To integrate academic biblical study with personal Christian faith

●      To relate to the local Church in the Holy Land

●      To begin to relate our experience to our lives and ministries back home

Staff

The Rev. Dr. Kamal Farah , Director of Studies and Senior Lecturer

The Rev. Ralph Osborne

Mr. Bishara Khoury, Group Leader / Logistics Coordinator

Directory Update: We will be printing a new directory to be finished in time for the Annual Meeting on January 25^th. Please check your entry to make sure your address, phone and email are all correct. The draft can be found on the narthex table. Thank you.

The Annual Meeting: This year’s annual meeting will take place on Sunday January 25, 2015.  We will have one Mass followed by the annual meeting held in the Church.  We plan to have an all parish pot-luck lunch in St. Nicholas Hall at the conclusion of the meeting.  The agenda of the meeting will include committee reports, new Vestry and Warden elections, 2014 financial review and 2015 budget, review Vestry actions, and an overall review of the 2015 calendar. Please make every effort to attend and participate.