Grace Notes: January 2015

Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Flanking Movement

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

29 January 2015

At our parish annual meeting we spoke of outreach and evangelism. This begs the question: In speaking to the secular culture, do we confront the culture head-on? A more successful strategy may, in fact, lie in how we outflank the culture rather than charge at it. This is the argument of Bishop N. T. Wright, who argues that by being true to the arc of God’s revelation found in all of Scripture, the Church outflanks the world.

Two major characteristics of secularism allow for this approach. First, secularism has revived the ancient philosophy (Epicureanism) in which God is very distant from and indifferent to humans or what happens on Earth. Humans are thus left conveniently to run things on our own. The result is to divide heaven from earth, and Jesus from His Church. Second, the secularism embraces the idea of progress, by which this latest age is seen as the best of all that came before it. Moreover, progress is all the result of human enlightenment and effort, with no need for God.

The Church’s strategy in response to secularism must, therefore: (1) Refuse to separate heaven from earth, or God from humanity. Jesus tells us, repeatedly, that the kingdom of heaven has come near, and in the Holy Eucharist the kingdom of heaven and this world intersect. (2) Refuse to separate past and future time. We proclaim the kingdom of heaven as realized in the resurrection, in our own life in Christ, and in our future rising with Christ. The glory of God is experienced in the union of Jesus Christ with His Church. (3) Refuse to allow the secularists to pick up and exploit the bits and pieces left lying about through the years, such as the concepts of justice and equality for all of God’s creation. The secularists co-opt these concepts into various “movements”, one after the other. By teaching the union of space (heaven and earth) and time (past, present and future now) which itself embodies the full justice of God on earth, Scripture completely outflanks secularism, and thereby leaves a bankrupt philosophy nowhere to call its own.

To do any of this the Church—that’s us—must live in the reality of the kingdom of heaven, of being the Body of Christ, of past-present-future as the single reality of holiness. When people are seeking (whatever it is that they define that they seek, whether this be truth, enlightenment, even happiness), it is then that the ultimate bankruptcy of the secularist worldview becomes more and more apparent to them. It is in seeking that they come to see something different, something holy, but only to the extent that we incarnate it. In other words, if we are comfortable with the culture, why would anybody seek what they seek by and through us? They must experience the Church as different. They must witness a flanking movement.

Grace abounds: Please thank:

§ .

“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 worshippers toward a resource, submit your contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday in the week of publication.

Youth and Family Ministry: Grace and peace to you! I thought I would share some research I thought was interesting especially in light of our annual meeting and all the talk about being the church "out there" beyond our walls.

This research comes from Barna Group, a research firm that is "widely considered to be a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture."

This article showcases the top 10 findings of their research throughout 2014, complete with helpful info-graphics.

Just to highlight a couple that I found interesting: First is about world poverty, and the huge amount that it has decreased in the last 30 year, and yet American's don't believe that is the case. Why is that? Lastly the research that looks at what Millennials want in a church. (you can find more about their generational distinctions here: http://bit.ly/1zXKLvK ).

Barna Group - Year in Review Top 10 Findings from 2014

http://bit.ly/1zbm9Nc

Music this week:

Music for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Prelude Lumen ad revelationem Russell Woollen

Entrance Hymn 616 “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” Es flog ein kleins Waldvoegelein

Gloria S-202 Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena Healey Willan

Offertory Hymn 448 “O love, how deep, how broad, how high” Deus tuorum militum

Sanctus S-114 Willan

Fraction Anthem S-169 My flesh is food indeed Ray Urwin

Communion Motet O everlasting Light John. E. West

Communion Hymn 457 “Thou art the Way” St. James

Closing Hymn 438 “Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord” Woodlands

Postlude Voluntary in D William Croft

Music for Candlemas, Monday, Feb. 2^nd

Solemn Mass at 6 p.mm

At the Blessing of the Candles: Nunc dimittis Plainsong

Processional Hymn “O Zion, open wide thy gates” Richmond

Psalm 84 (choir) Anglican chant: C. H. H. Parry

Offertory Anthem Behold, a Star from Jacob shining Mendelssohn

Communion Motet Nunc dimittis in B Flat Stanford

Communion Hymn 324 “Let all mortal flesh keep silence” Picardy

Closing Hymn 657 “Love divine, all loves excelling” Hyfrydol

Postlude O Thou of God the Father Walther

Parish Notices

Care and Share Small Groups: Sunday, February 1^st Small groups will meet between services at 9:00am. Questions will be provided to reflect on the lessons for the Day. Please meet in St. Nicholas Hall and the groups will be divided up and rooms will be assigned.

Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple: This holy day is also known as Candlemas in which all the candles used for the year are blessed. You are welcome to bring in your own candles to be blessed during this service. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this Solemn Mass on February 2 at 6:00pm. We will conclude the celebration with a Potluck Dinner. Please sign up on the sheet on the Narthex table.

Lenten Booklet: Grace Church will prepare our own parish book of Lenten meditations, written by parishioners. For each of the forty days of Lent season, a Gospel lesson taken from the Eucharistic lectionary for the weekdays in Lent, plus the Sunday Eucharistic lectionary, are provided on a clip board on the Narthex table. Following each Gospel lesson will be the Collect prayer for the celebration of Eucharist on each day. The Collect “collects” our prayers as founded in the Scripture appointed for each day. The method envisaged for use of this booklet is that parishioners will read the Gospel lesson– perhaps more than once, perhaps underlining the words or phrases that resonate with them on that day–then reflect on the Collect, and then write down their own reflections on the page appointed for the day. These reflections will be gathered no later than February 12^th to allow for production lead-time. The publication of a parish devotional will be published to the whole parish, in print and on our website. Please submit your meditations to the office at mwhitford@gracesheboygan.com.

Shrove Tuesday Feast before the Fast: Shrove Tuesday is February 17^th we will be having a Potluck dinner following a 5:30pm mass. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this festive occasion. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the Narthex.

Ash Wednesday: February 18^th is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, it is 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.

Office Closed –Clergy Retreat: Diocesan clergy meet in Retreat Monday, February 9 through Thursday, February 12. Please note: There will be no celebrations of Holy Eucharist or Daily Office Monday—Thursday. The office will be closed from noon on Monday. In the event of a pastoral emergency Mon—Thu, please contact Fr. Karl or Dcn. Michele at the Norbertine Center for Spirituality, St. Norbert’s College, DePere, 920-337-4315. The normal Friday, Saturday and Sunday schedules will be in place.

Lakeshore Coral Presents “Where is Love?”: This Valentine's Day, we invite you to Lakeshore Chorale's annual Valentine concert and gala, "Where is Love?". Enjoy this popular evening of beautiful choral music, solos, ensembles, plus an outstanding gala prepared by Bernie Markevitch, featuring sweets by the The Cookie Jar Girls. You won't want to miss this exceptional Valentine evening! The evening will be directed by Neil Bubke and accompanied by Johanna Schilling. Saturday, February 14, 7:00 pm, Grace Episcopal Church, 630 Ontario Avenue, Sheboygan. Tickets: $20.00. Tickets need to be reserved before Sunday, February 8. Seating is very limited. While they last, tickets are available from any Lakeshore Chorale member, or from our website: http://www.lakeshorechorale.org/Tickets.html.

Soup-d’-Do: On January 18^th Grace Church introduced a new fundraiser. Bernie and Barb are offering 3 gluten-free soups for sale. The single $4.00 and double $7.00 serving containers are frozen and are ready for purchase. The soups offered are Sicilian Chicken, Pizza Soup, Bean & Ham and Vegetarian Vegetable.

Coffee Hour Schedule: There is a new sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in 2015. If you would like to host please sign up for either 8:00am or 10:15am. We are in need of someone to oversee the schedule and be the point person for questions. If you would be able to spend a few minutes a week double checking the sign-up sheet and giving reminders or if you have questions please see Deacon Michele or Bobbi Kraft. Thank you so much.

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.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Building Spiritual Muscles

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

22 January 2015

This coming Sunday we will hold our parish annual meeting, during which we will discuss the ways in which we will increase evangelism and outreach in and to the community around us. We will distinguish between outreach in service (good works) and evangelism (proclaiming and sharing the Good News of God in Jesus Christ), although our prayer is that outreach and evangelism may always be found together.

We know that we are not saved by good works; we are saved by Jesus Christ, by God’s free gift. We cannot earn salvation. But how do good works relate to our faith and our identity as followers of Jesus Christ? The reality is that good works, as part of the practice of religion, reinforce our faith, and for those who do not have faith may help to lead them to faith. How is this so? It is so because when we reach out to others, when we give our ourselves without hope of receiving anything in return, we develop habits of the heart. We reinforce a spiritual posture of self-giving, and this spiritual posture allows us to better perceive God’s presence.

The 17^th century philosopher and Christian apologist (and mathematician, and scientist ... you get the idea) Blaise Pascal is best remembered for stating that “The heart has its reasons which Reason knows not of” (Pensées IV.277). This statement is often misunderstood, because in our day we tend to think of “heart” as something involving emotion. But Pascal uses heart (as does the Bible and all ancient learning) to refer to our personhood and will. Today we might say “personhood” or “humanness”. To add to the complication, “reason” is not a reference to how we think—to cognition—but to how we perceive reality by observing it and participating in it. In other words, by being human we are drawn to things that are particularly human (such as our relationship with God) in ways that we cannot describe in a cause-and-effect model.

What does all this mean? It means that when we engage in good works we make ourselves closer to the author of all giving of self (God); we live more actively into our own identity as human beings each created in the image and likeness of God. And, not only do we become closer to God, we become closer to His image and likeness in the person to whom we give and with whom we share. Giving completes an essential human equation—what it means to be a created being—and even those who do not know God are touched in ways that reinforce their understanding of this equation. Their spiritual posture, their heart, is changed in ways that allow them to better come to know God, and for those of us who do have faith, our faith is reinforced in ways that we can rarely describe, but which are experienced as real participation in the God who comes to dwell among us and with us.

Religion is the practice of faith. Good works involve the practice of that essential core of humanness that is the image and likeness of God. Practice develops our spiritual muscles.

Grace abounds: Please thank:

§ Dale and Mary Massey for the Sunday coffee hours.

§ Bernie Markevitch and Barb MacEwen for preparing the Soup de Do fundraising reception, with clean-up by Jack Britton and Jennifer Pawlus.

§ Ben Dobey and the choir for the “Evocations” organ concert.

Youth and Family Ministry:

Music this week: The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Prelude Voluntary in D Samuel Wesley

Entrance Hymn 544 “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun”

Offertory Anthem In a Monastery Garden Albert Ketèlby

Communion Motet Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace S. S. Wesley

Communion Hymn 549 “Jesus call us, o’er the tumult”

Closing Hymn 655 “O Jesus, I have promised”

Postlude Carillon Herbert Murrill

Parish Notices

§ The Annual Meeting: This year’s annual meeting will take place on Sunday January 25, 2015. We will have one Mass at 9:00am 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.

§ All Parish Potluck Lunch: Following the Annual Meeting we will have and All Parish Potluck Lunch. Please bring a dish to pass and share in fellowship. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.

§ Soup-d’-Do: On January 18^th Grace Church introduced a new fundraiser. Bernie and Barb are offering 3 gluten-free soups for sale. The single $4.00 and double $7.00 serving containers are frozen and are ready for purchase. The soups offered are Sicilian Chicken, Pizza Soup and Bean & Ham.

§ Call for Diocesan Convention Delegates and Alternates: Diocesan Convention is scheduled for October 23-24, 2015 at St. John’s in Wausau. We are in need of 5 delegates and 3 alternates to attend and vote at Diocesan Convention. This will include a pre-convention information meeting, there are several scheduled including a webinar; Friday evening October 23^rd and all day Saturday, October 24^th. If you are willing to serve please call the office. In the event that we have more than eight responses we will vote on January 25 at the Annual Meeting.

§ Coffee Hour Schedule: There is a new sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in 2015. If you would like to host please sign up for either 8:00am or 10:15am. We are in need of someone to oversee the schedule and be the point person for questions. If you would be able to spend a few minutes a week double checking the sign-up sheet and giving reminders or if you have questions please see Deacon Michele or Bobbi Kraft. Thank you so much.

§ 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.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Holy Friendship

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

15 January 2015

Holy friendship: Earlier this week we observed the feast of St. Aelred of Rievaulx (12 January). Aelred was a twelfth century monk, abbot of the great Cistercian house in north Yorkshire. His best known work, Spiritual Friendship, addresses the issue of how we have “particular friends”. What, you may ask, is the question? The question arises because we are to love all humans—each created in the image and likeness of God—as Christ loves them. We “seek and serve Christ is all persons”. And yet we know that Jesus took particular comfort in the company of John, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Indeed, Jesus, in addressing His disciples at the last supper makes the point of saying “I have called you friends” (Jn. 15.15).

So what do we make of friendship in Christ? Aelred wrote an entire book on this topic ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/39428/Aelred-of-Rievaulx-of-Spiritual-Friendship#scribd), but when we consider the topic even briefly we understand that anyone who is our friend is someone whom God has given to us, and when we are the friend of another we act as a friend because of the spiritual gifts we have received from God. A friend thinks first of the other. A friend reaches out, even if this is in something as subtle as just spending silent time together in commiseration.

Friendship itself also illustrates the importance of remembering that any supposed dichotomy between faith and reason is false. When we speak of reason (in the modern sense) we tend to think of a cognitive, analytical approach to thinking. When we think of unreason we rightly think of madness. But what about non-reason. For example, if I decide to buy a product because it fulfills a need, this is a rational decision. If I decide that I am the Tsar of Russia, this is an example of irrational thinking. But, if I decide to help me friend because he is my friend, this is a decision that involves taking a non-rational motive (friendship) as the basis of a rational decision (to help my friend).

It’s the same with faith. Faith does, in fact, involve a lot of reason (particularly in the pre-modern understanding of reason as involving participatory knowledge), but faith itself is also non-rational. It is not irrational; it is not in any sense opposed to reason. Faith is, in Blaise Pascal’s famous phrase, involved when “the heart has its own reasons”.

Pascal’s use of “heart” is in the same pre-modern sense as he uses “reason”. He is speaking of participatory knowledge, of how we know something because of intimate contact, because of being a part of something. Friends are a part of each other, they participate in each other, they care about each other.

God participates in each of us, knows us, cares for us, gives to us. Call Him your friend, and know Him as Friend.

And see: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/what-keeps-us-having-deeper-friendships?utm_source&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=1%20Title&utm_campaign=RELEVANT%20Newsletter

Grace abounds: Please thank:

§ Anne and Bob Hanlon, Bobbi Kraft and Susan McIntosh for the Sunday coffee hours.

§ Bobbi Kraft and Michele Whitford for Bernie Markevitch and Barb MacEwen for set-up and cleanup for the Compline supper.

§ Ben Dobey and the Schola Cantorum members for sung Compline.

Change in Monday schedule: Because of a diocesan meeting, on Monday, 19 January, the time Mass will be moved from 12:10 to 5:30 p.m. The Society of Mary will meet for coproate rosary at 5 p.m.

“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 mor einformation, 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 yoiu to share in outreach.

Youth and Family Ministry:

Music this week: The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Prelude All glory be to God on high Bach

Entrance Hymn 7 “Christ, whose glory fills the skies” Ratisbon

Offertory Hymn 477 “All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine” Engelberg

Communion Motet Eternal light, shine in my heart Scheidt

Communion Hymn 126 “The people who in darkness walked” Dundee

Closing Hymn 542 “Christ is the world’s true light” St. Joan

Postlude The people who in darkness walked Parry

Concert at 4pm: “Evocations”

Thou art the Rock Mulet

The Battle between David & Goliath Kuhnau

Woodland Sketches MacDowell

In a Monastery Garden Ketelby

In a Persian Market Ketelby

Fire in a Chinese Laundry Feibel & Harrington

Commemoration March ‘Victoria our Queen’ West

Parish Notices

§ Adult Formation: Sunday, 18 January we will continue our adult education hour (9 to 10 a.m.) focusing on the Holy Spirit. We speak of and invoke the Spirit in prayer and in our understanding of faith. We give thanks for the gifts of the Spirit, but what do we really know about this Person of the godhead? What does the Church teach? How is the Spirit experienced in the life of faith, by individuals and by the Church? How do we make ourselves more available to the Spirit? We will discuss these topics during the January classes, as facilitated by Fr. Karl.

§ Organ Concert: Sunday, January 18^th at 4pm. Prior to the Official Launch of the Soup-d’-Do Fundraising Event, R. Benjamin Dobey will present “Evocations,” a diverting organ concert which will include “Thou art the Rock,” “The Battle between David and Goliath,” “Fire in a Chinese Laundry,” and “Victoria our Queen,” along with other colorful and evocative pieces not normally associated with the pipe organ. Dr. Dobey will be ably assisted by Bernie Markevitch, narrator, and members of the Parish Choir providing occasional special effects, including, at times, singing. The concert is free, however a free-will offering will be accepted.

§ Soup-d’-Do: On January 18^th a post organ concert supper will introduce a new fundraiser for Grace Church. Bernie and Barb are offering 3 gluten-free soups to be sampled and orders can be taken. The single and double serving containers will be frozen and orders picked up. The soups offered on the 18^th will be Sicilian Chicken, Pizza Soup and Bean & Ham.

§ Girl Scout Cookies! Girl Scout Cookies can be preordered for $3.50/box Sunday, January 11^th and 18^th after both masses. Money will be due late in February when the cookies will be delivered at church. Any Grace Church youth member who is involved in Daisy/Girl Scouts should come in their troop uniform to help work the booth and we will divide the orders up equally between the participants.

§ Annual Meeting Reports: If you are in charge of anything, please write a short report to be included in the Annual Report and send it to the office office@gracesheboygan.com by Sunday, January 18th. Thank you so much.

§ Call for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will be held on Sunday, 25 January, at the parish annual meeting. We need at least six nominees, with names provided to the parish office by 20 January. You can nominate another person or yourself. To run for Vestry you must be a qualified elector of the parish, which means that: (1) You are regular in your attendance on worship;(2) You have received Holy Eucharist at least once in the prior year;(3) You are active in your support of the parish through a pledge or some other form of giving; and (4) Your are at least sixteen years of age. Vestry members are called to lead. Be prepared in the election process to provide a brief biographical sketch which allows your fellow parishioners to better understand your relationship with God and His Church, and your call to lead. Vestry members are called to commitment, and are expected to attend twelve meetings throughout the year (once per month).

§ Last Call 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.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Manifestation

Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Grace Notes

8 January 2015

Today falls within the octave of the Feast of the Epiphany, the feast on which we commemorate that God has shown Himself to us. It is, of course, a common sentiment—and one which even expresses a healthy humility—to say “Who has ever seen God?” Indeed, Scripture teaches that no one has ever seen God in the totality of His Being (Jn. 1.18), and yet in Jesus we have seen God. God has shown forth Himself. When Philip complains to Jesus, “... show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied” (Jn. 14.8), the Lord replies “He who has seen me has seen the Father ...” (Jn. 14.9). This should make us pause and focus. What Jesus is telling us is that to the extent we experience His presence, His love, we experience God.

In responding to Philip Jesus uses a word for sight which refers not to how we look upon something with our eyes, but to how we perceive and experience something. In other words, when we look for “evidence” before us of God, we are missing the point. We are missing the point that God manifests Himself (the word epiphany comes from the Greek word for “to manifest”) not so much in things that can be measured but in what is experienced by a heart, a mind, a being open to His presence. There are many things about God we can sense with our eyes and ears. We can see that the Lord of all is raised upon a cross, to die the death of a slave. We can see hear His words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23.34). But is only with a heart and mind and being open to God that we can experience that this death and this forgiveness are combined; they are one and the same. It is by His sacrifice that Jesus forgives the sins of the world, that He takes our sins upon Himself to redeem them.

Which means what? Many things, indeed, but in this season let’s focus on one. Let’s focus on the truth that as our sins have been atoned for through God’s self-giving sacrifice we are changed. We are God’s children and heirs, and as members of His household it is up to us to manifest His love in the world. Let the epiphany of His love be manifested in our lives.

Grace abounds: Please thank:

§ Anne and Bob Hanlon, Elizabeth Schaffenburg, Bryan Stenz, and Jennifer Whitford for the Sunday coffee hours.

§ Bernie Markevitch and Barb MacEwen for preparing the Epiphany supper.

§ Nicci and Chase Beeck, Jack Britton, Ed Clabots, John Davis, Mary Kohler, Bob MacEwen, Mary Ann Neuses,Jennifer Pawlus, Elizabeth Schaffenburg and Grace Zangara for Ephiphany supper for clean-up.

§ Terry and Mary Kohler for donating wine for the Epiphany supper.

“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 mor einformation, 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 yoiu to share in outreach.

The Christmas Pageant redux: The Christmas season has flown by and the memories linger on. One of the loveliest memories I hold dear is the 4:00 PM children's pageant of the Nativity presented during mass on Christmas Eve. There is something special about watching a wondrous variety of angels flitting about the altar, and having shepherds, inn keepers, a drummer boy and a star waiting in the wings as the Annunciation and birth of Jesus our Lord is narrated and portrayed, by the youngest of our church family. Weeks in advance Dr. Dobey, teachers, parents, grandparents, and others take time out of this very hectic season to attend rehearsals, choir practice, and costume fittings. There is so much excitement that goes on downstairs as each one is cast in their various roles for this remarkable depiction of the True Reason for the season. Some of the kids have been in this pageant for a number of years, and for others it is their first time, and still others join our little troupe minutes before we begin. The joy and excitement of these young ones is enough to warm the hearts of everyone present. It must have been just like this on the night of our Dear Saviour's birth.

I was struck by the vision of those who are now parents bringing their children to Grace Church to participate in the very event they participated in when they were kids. (I am getting older!) From generation to generation the traditions live on. God bless those who have faithfully made sure this happens every single year from the extra bulletin's and mass to the many who have passed the baton to all who share in this ministry. I thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart.

In Christ,

Pat Ford Smith

WORSHIP: “I’m coming back to the heart of worship” were words to a song I heard after leaving Grace Church Sunday morning. Listening to more of the words of that song I was again reminded of these words: Is worship something I have made it. Who or what I worship are questions I have to continually ask myself. I attended a number of different worship services over Christmas holidays, starting with attending one where my daughter plays the saxophone and guitar. I have struggled with these services as being too “performance-orientated” for the musicians are on stage & that day they didn’t share in Eucharist. Is it because I don’t feel included in the worship that I am not crazy about this type of service? Are the people in the chairs worshipping God or the musicians or the words on the screen? Next was a children’s service with a skit, many Christmas songs & ending with Eucharist & of course, “Silent Night” by candlelight. Was this service reverent enough, or was there too much merriment going on? A couple days later, I participated in a house service, for my parents’ anniversary. Homemade bread & reading I Corinthians 13, Paul’s description of love, was, in my mind, perfect for this service. Did having really good tasting bread really help me to reflect on Jesus & what He wants me to chew on from time to time? Sunday at Grace Church I felt blessed to just sit in the beauty of the building decked out in its Christmas finery. I loved listening to Bobbi preach a very special sermon, but Bobbi is a lay person & aren’t clergy the only people who can preach from the pulpit? Was Morning Prayer reverent enough, especially with no music or Eucharist? I concluded Sunday at St Paul’s with a “regular” service by being lead by a supply priest who speaks without notes and proclaims a good message & we shared the Eucharist. Did the sameness of this service make me too comfortable about it all? My point in sharing all of this with you is that I recognized again, the different ways we can worship Our Lord & Savior. It should not be about the “smells & bells”, beautiful music, good preaching, decorations, or any of the other things that we sometimes make to be more important than what they are, or as we say in our EfM class—our golden calves. And speaking of EfM, our discussion Tuesday centered on Ps. 150—the Praise Psalm. “Let everything that have breath praise The Lord”. Do we praise God enough, even in the everyday things of our lives? Worship needs to be about Jesus. It is not what I like or think is important, but am I worshipping His Holy Name. Is this where my heart is when I worship? Do I need to be in a sacred building or can I worship in the woods, along a river or my own home? Am I more focused on who is in attendance, who is wearing what or are those Packers going to win later today? My New Year’s resolution is to try and make my worship about Jesus and NOT about what I like or want. We all like different things and new & old worship experiences can be good, but only if we worship Our Lord & Savior. What is important to you when you worship & does this distract you from worshipping Jesus & His Holy Name? (Barb Drewry-Zimmerman)

Creation and Science: The “debate” between faith and science is a false one that conflates different ways of understanding reality. But take a look at this piece in The Wall Street Journal, http://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-metaxas-science-increasingly-makes-the-case-for-god-1419544568?mod=trending_now_4 It turns out many scientists are “doing the sums” in favor of the reality of a Creator.

An interesting corollary: About 8 in 10 cosmologists are theists (they believe in a Creator, even if they may not be Christians). Less than 2 in 10 psychologists are theists. Does this reflect a contrast in where we focus?

Youth and Family Ministry: This semester in film school we are digging into relationships. All types of relationships, romantic, friendly, unfriendly, the relationships we have with our parents, God, ourselves. The list can go on.

Our first film is Enchanted (2007) starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. This is a story of Giselle a fairytale princess who is waiting for true-love's kiss. Robert, on the other hand, is a divorce lawyer and much more rational; he is planning proposing to his girlfriend after careful scrutiny of each others strengths and weaknesses; he just needs to break the news to his six year old daughter.

As a class we will take a look at these characters and discuss the ideas they propose about romantic love. On the "God side" we will be looking at selections from the Song of Songs and other passages regarding love, as well as looking at the bible in terms of a marriage covenant between God and his church.

In our first installment of Enchanted we discussed what makes a fairytale a fairytale and what is different in the real world (in a word: dating). There was also general hilarity when one of the songs, in the animated portion, suggests that lips (for true-love's kiss) are the only things that touch between a boy and a girl. I am looking forward to the rest of this movie and the discussion that is already coming out of it.

Until next time,

Nick

P.S. - Here is a link to the song I referenced. If you have never seen Enchanted it's a very fun spin on the fairytale genre, and rather joyfully pokes fun at itself. Here's the link: http://youtu.be/1Vr8wU4aUsM

Music this week: The First Sunday after the Epiphany

Prelude How brightly shines the Morning Star Buxtehude

Entrance Hymn 124 “What star is this, with beams so bright” Puer nobis

Offertory Hymn 497 “How bright appears the Morning Star” Wie schoen leuchtet

Communion Motet Christ, when for us you were baptized Hart

Comm. Hymn 120 “The sinless one to Jordan came” Solemnes haec

Closing Hymn How brightly shines the Morning Star Bach

Parish Notices

Adult Formation: resumes on Sunday, 11 January. On 11, and 18 January our adult education hour (9 to 10 a.m.) will focus on the Holy Spirit. We speak of and invoke the Spirit in prayer and in our understanding of faith. We give thanks for the gifts of the Spirit, but what do we really know about this Person of the godhead? What does the Church teach? How is the Spirit experienced in the life of faith, by individuals and by the Church? How do we make ourselves more available to the Spirit? We will discuss these topics during the January classes, as facilitated by Fr. Karl.

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

Girl Scout Cookies! Girl Scout Cookies can be preordered Sunday, January 11^th and 18^th after both masses. Money will be due late in February when the cookies will be delivered at church. Any Grace Church youth member who is involved in Daisy/Girl Scouts should come in their troop uniform to help work the booth and we will divide the orders up equally between the participants.

Organ Concert: Sunday, January 18^th at 4pm. Prior to the Official Launch of the Soup-d’-Do Fundraising Event, R. Benjamin Dobey will present “Evocations,” a diverting organ concert which will include “Thou art the Rock,” “The Battle between David and Goliath,” “Fire in a Chinese Laundry,” and “Victoria our Queen,” along with other colorful and evocative pieces not normally associated with the pipe organ. Dr. Dobey will be ably assisted by Bernie Markevitch, narrator, and members of the Parish Choir providing occasional special effects, including, at times, singing. The concert is free, however a free-will offering will be accepted.

Soup-d’-Do: On January 18^th a post organ concert supper will introduce a new fundraiser for Grace Church. Bernie and Barb are offering 3 gluten-free soups to be sampled and orders can be taken. The single and double serving containers will be frozen and orders picked up. The soups offered on the 18^th will be Sicilian Chicken, Pizza Soup and Bean & Ham.

The Annual Meeting: This year’s annual meeting will take place on Sunday January 25, 2015. We will have one Mass at 9:00am 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.

All Parish Potluck Lunch: Following the Annual Meeting we will have and All Parish Potluck Lunch. Please bring a dish to pass and share in fellowship. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.

Annual Meeting Reports: If you are in charge of anything, please write a short report to be included in the Annual Report and send it to the office office@gracesheboygan.com by Sunday, January 18th. Thank you so much.

Call for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will be held on Sunday, 25 January, at the parish annual meeting. We need at least six nominees, with names provided to the parish office by 20 January. You can nominate another person or yourself. To run for Vestry you must be a qualified elector of the parish, which means that: (1) You are regular in your attendance on worship;(2) You have received Holy Eucharist at least once in the prior year;(3) You are active in your support of the parish through a pledge or some other form of giving; and (4) Your are at least sixteen years of age. Vestry members are called to lead. Be prepared in the election process to provide a brief biographical sketch which allows your fellow parishioners to better understand your relationship with God and His Church, and your call to lead. Vestry members are called to commitment, and are expected to attend twelve meetings throughout the year (once per month).

Call for Diocesan Convention Delegates and Alternates: Diocesan Convention is scheduled for October 23-24, 2015 at St. John’s in Wausau. We are in need of 5 delegates and 3 alternates to attend and vote at Diocesan Convention. This will include a pre-convention information meeting, there are several scheduled including a webinar; Friday evening October 23^rd and all day Saturday, October 24^th. If you are willing to serve please call the office. In the event that we have more than eight responses we will vote on January 25 at the Annual Meeting.

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.

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Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Flanking Movement

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Building Spiritual Muscles

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Holy Friendship

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Manifestation