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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Thermodynamics


Grace Episcopal Church

Sheboygan, Wisconsin



Grace Notes

14 January 2016



It’s been a cold week.  And what is cold, other than absence of heat, the absence of a higher energy state?  If cold were itself to have real substance, then in addition to worrying about the number of calories (food energy measured in heat units) we consume, we could also look to see how many “frigories” (my term—from the Latin for cold, frigor—as a measure of the subtraction of food energy measured in “cold units”) were to be found in particular foods.  Talk about a diet bonanza!  There’s a fortune to be made in patenting “frigory rich” savories!

As with cold so with all the ways in which we are separated from God’s will.  As famously argued by St. Augustine, evil itself has no substance; it is merely the absence of good.  But this does not mean that evil is not real.  A shadow is a real thing, but lacks any substance, being only the absence of light.  What separates us from God’s will is when we place our will before His, like putting our hand between the light source and the wall, and casting a shadow.  The problem becomes, of course, that the shadow is not cast on a wall but on us.  The sin becomes real enough—perhaps deadly—even while lacking in substance.

What to do?  With cold we can add heat; we can foster spiritual growth through the practice of the faith, and in practicing our faith add “energy” (the Holy Spirit) by not blocking the addition (not placing anything between ourselves and God’s grace).  Or we can conserve “heat” by adding layers of insulation, like the practice of the faith (e.g., daily prayer, Bible study, attendance on worship). 

As long as we are speaking of heat and cold, let’s observe that the first law of thermodynamics basically is “Heat is work, and work is heat.”  When we focus on spiritual practice we insulate ourselves, but “heat” is added to the equation (our lives) by the Holy Spirit.  God does the work!  And there’s the second law:  “Heat cannot, of itself, pass from one body to a hotter body.”  Any one of us can point another to a closer relationship with God; we can work to point out to another how he or she is placing something between himself/herself and God, but we can’t ourselves add spiritual energy to the equation.  God can, and God will.

Keep warm!  Add insulation, and God will add the energy.

§  Caleb Klinzing in Concert: Caleb Klinzing is having a presentation and performance at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center on January 14th at 7:20 pm in the matrix. This will be the world premiere of his original sonata.

Grace abounds:  Please thank:

§  Bob and Anne Hanlon, and Tom Wright and Mary Snyder for the Sunday coffee hours.



Education Alert!  Diocesan Deacons’ School began this past Saturday, 9 January 2016 (at Grace, Sheboygan!), and will meet again next on 13 February.  We will begin at 8:45 with Holy Eucharist, followed by classes beginning at 9:15.  We will meet every second Saturday:

§  Old Testament:  3 contact hours.  An in-depth survey of the origins, composition, canonization, contents and theology of the Old Testament.

§  Church History:  3 contact hours.  The history of the Church from the apostolic age to today, with specific focus on theological development.

If you wish to do all of the reading, contact the office regarding acquisition of the necessary texts.  However, you are free to attend without reading the text books.  You can just come to listen and learn.



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.



Music this Week: The Second Sunday after the Epiphany



Prelude                  Duo & Adagio on All glory be to God on high              J. S. Bach

Entrance H. 135    “Songs of thankfulness and praise”

Offertory Anthem   Behold a star from Jacob shining                   Felix Mendelssohn

Communion Motet Eternal light, shine in my heart                         Samuel Scheidt

Comm. Hymn 126 “The people who in darkness walked”

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

Postlude                In thee is gladness                                                   J. S. Bach



Parish Notices



§  Adult Education: Today we will continue with Sunday morning Adult Education with the second class in a four-part series on Christian Community. How do we build Christian community within and outside the Church? What are the elements of community in Christ? What are the challenges? The focus will include examining the scriptural models for community, those of the early Church, those within our own heritage, and how all of these relate to our sense of community within the wider culture.

§  The Annual Meeting: This year’s Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 31, 2016. We will have one Mass at 9:00 a.m. followed by the Annual Meeting at 10:15 a.m. 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, 2015 financial review and 2016 budget, review Vestry actions, and an overall review of the 2016 calendar. Please make every effort to attend and participate.

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

§  Call for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will be held on Sunday, January 31st, at the parish annual meeting. We need at least three nominees, with names provided to the parish office by January 20th. 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) You are at least sixteen years of age. (5) Provide a brief biographical sketch which allows your fellow parishioners to better understand your relationship with God and His Church. Vestry members are called to committed leadership, and are expected to attend twelve meetings throughout the year (once per month); and participate in parish activities as you are able.

§  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 Wednesday, January 20th. Thank you so much.

§  Call for Diocesan Convention Delegates and Alternates: Diocesan Convention is scheduled for October 22nd from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Liberty Hall, Kimberly (eastside of Appleton). We are in need of 4 delegates and 4 alternates to attend and vote at Diocesan Convention. This will include a pre-convention information meeting, there are several scheduled. If you are willing to serve please call the office. Delegates and alternates are determined by volunteer order. In the event that we have more than eight responses we will vote on January 31st at the Annual Meeting.

§  Girl Scout Cookies! Today, after both masses Girl Scout Cookies can be preordered for $4.00/. Money will be due when the cookies are 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.

§  Bible Challenge: Grace Abounds launched The Bible Challenge on Monday, January 4, 2016. If you take this challenge, you will find that in one year you will read all of the Bible! This will require less than an hour of your time, six days a week. A schedule of readings will be provided on the parish website, along with weekly study summaries and a weekly video summery of the readings. If you need a good study bible for the challenge, contact the parish office. When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the mantle of the Lord does fall upon us. We are equipped to discern God’s will and to lead others to know and love and serve the Lord.

§  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 1st 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 eaparicio@gracesheboygan.com.

§  Directory Update: We will be printing a new directory to be finished in time for the Annual Meeting on January 31st. 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.

§  Coffee Hour Schedule: There is a new sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in 2016. If you would like to host, please sign up for either 8:00 a.m. or 10:15 a.m. If you have any questions, please see Mary Massey. Thank you so much.

§  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 if you write your name on the envelope.

§  Flower Schedule for 2016: 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.

§  A community event in support of recovery:  A free showing of The Anonymous People will be held Friday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. – a documentary about the faces and voices of recovery – followed by discussion with John Shinholser, McShin Foundation co-founder, featured in the film.  On Saturday, January 23rd 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. there will be a community planning workshop lead by John Shinholser.  Both events will take place at 2908 N. 21st Street, Sheboygan.

§  Semi Annual Homeless Count: A coalition of local agencies and volunteers will be conducting a homeless count around Sheboygan County on Wednesday, January 27th 11:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.  The focus is to identify people who might be homeless on that night.  This helps to identify services needed in our community to help those without housing.  Information gathered is also used at the state/federal level to allocate resources for homelessness assistance. Training will be provided one hour prior to the count.  If you wish to volunteer (you must be at least 18 years old) please see information located on the notice board in the narthex.

§  Like Grace Church on Facebook

§  Follow Grace Church on Twitter: @GEC_Sheboygan

§  We Are on Itunes! Check out the new podcast!!!





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