Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
12 January 2017
Today is the feast of St. Aelred of Rievaulx,
a twelfth century English monk remembered as the patron saint of friendship, on
the basis of his work On Spiritual
Friendship. This work is available
in modern English, but rather than write about what Aelred teaches, let us
consider what friendship has to teach us about faith.
Friendship is founded, of course, in
relationship. For someone to be my
friend, I have to have a relationship with him.
This relationship, this friendship, can be a very powerful motivator for
action. Thus, for example, if I decide
to do something (even something not in my interest), and state my reason for
acting, “I am doing this because Aelred is my friend,” no one would question
that friendship can form a valid basis for action. This highlights the difference between
categories of thought as thinking relates to reason. It is popular in modern culture to contrast
faith and reason, with the implication being that faith is unreasonable or
irrational. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
If I believe that I am the Tsar of Russia,
all would recognize that this would be a form of irrational thinking, of
unreason. If, however, I say “I am doing
this because Aelred is my friend,” this is represents a reasoned decision based
on a nonrational construct. Friendship (or love, or beauty, or a desire
to pursue truth or goodness) is nonrational, not irrational. My decision to act on a nonrational construct
is itself reasonable.
Like friendship, faith is nonrational. This does not mean that it is opposed to
reason (any more than friendship is). It
just means that I cannot use the methods of reason (e.g., formal logic) to determine whether or not a friendship (or love,
or beauty, or a desire to pursue truth or goodness) is or is not real. The reality of the friendship is
experienced. The reality of faith is
experienced. Friendship changes me,
changes lives, as does faith.
At John 15.15, Jesus calls His disciples
friends. He tells us that we are in a
personal relationship with Him. Quite
apart from our duties to offer worship, we gather with Jesus because He is our
friend, and bids us to treat each other as friend, brothers, sisters, those who
matter to us because of how they matter to Him.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Wayne and Pat Sather,
and Bobbie May for the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Bernie Markevitch for
hospitality for the meeting of deanery clergy.
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.
Don’t forget
“Something Extra for Grace”: Supplemental
giving envelopes can be found in pews.
If you want to give something extra, please use an envelope to ensure
that you are credited.
Music
this Week: The
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Organist: Ben Dobey
Prelude Two
Chorale Preludes (Duo and Adagio) on All glory be to
God on
high J. S. Bach
Entrance
Hymn 135 “Songs of thankfulness and praise”
Salzburg
Offertory
Hymn 444 “Blessed be the God of Israel,” Thornbury
Communion
Hymn 126 “The
people who in darkness walked” Dundee
Closing
Hymn 542 “Christ
is the world’s true Light” St.
Joan
Postlude Chorale
Prelude on The people who in darkness
walked
C.H.H.
Parry
Parish Notices
§ Adult Education: Continuing on Sunday, January
15, 2017, we will explore The State of the Church in 2017. We’ll use data
and trend lines related to what it means to be a Christian in America and the
world, to better define the broader context in which we live our faith. We will
focus on how the changes around us and in us can best be identified, that we
can best decide how to proactively serve in ministry.
§ Sung Compline: On Sunday, January 15, 2017 there
will be a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by Sung Compline at 8:00 p.m.
Please join us for a beautiful restful service full of candles and music. A
sign-up sheet for the potluck supper can be found on the table in the Narthex.
§ Signing of the Tripartite Covenant: We need four lay
members of the parish to attend mass next Sunday, January 22, 2017 at St.
Dominic and St. Peter Lutheran Church (two people at each church) as
representatives of Grace Church to sign the Tripartite Covenant. Mass at both
churches commences at 10:30 a.m. Please call Grace Church office if you would
like to serve in this capacity.
§ Icon Workshop: During Lent (February 26 through
April 9, 2017) we will offer a seven-part workshop on Sunday afternoons (1:00 –
6:00 p.m.) in which participants can write (paint) their own icon of the
archangel Michael. This workshop will be held at the parish and presented by
Katherine de Shazer who has been painting icons for over 16 years. The fee is
$350.00 including materials and limited funds are available for scholarships. A
$100 deposit is required to register and the deadline is Wednesday, January 18,
2017. A sign-up sheet and more information, including where to send your
registration and deposit, can be found on the table in the Narthex.
§ Girl Scout Cookies! On Sunday January 15 and 22,
2017, 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.
§ The Annual Meeting: This year’s Annual Meeting will
take place on Sunday, January 29, 2016. We will have one Mass at 9:00 a.m.
followed by the Annual Meeting at 10:15 a.m. At the conclusion of the meeting
we plan to have brunch in St. Nicholas Hall. The agenda of the meeting will
include committee reports, new Vestry elections, 2016 financial review and 2017
budget, review Vestry actions, and an overall review of the 2017 calendar.
Please make every effort to attend and participate.
§ 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 Friday, January 20th. Thank you so
much.
§ Call for Vestry Nominations: Vestry elections will
be held on Sunday, January 29th, at the parish annual meeting. We need at least
three nominees, with names provided to the parish office by Friday, 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.
§ A draft of the 2017 Parish Directory: can be found
on the Narthex table. Please take time to review your entry and initial your
information if it is current, otherwise make changes as necessary.
§ Love Buckets: is a GAP Ministry of Love INC
organized by our neighbors, St. Luke’s Methodist Church. As other churches have
donated to our own GAP Ministry – Martha & Mary Cooking Guild – St. Luke’s
is asking for donations to their Love Buckets Ministry. A list of supplies
needed is posted on the notice board, and a large grey bin for donations can be
found in the Narthex. This drive will run until the end of January.
§ Call for Diocesan Convention Delegates and
Alternates: Diocesan Convention is scheduled for October 21st from 9:00 a.m. –
4:00 p.m. commencing with mass at Holy Apostles, Oneida at 9:00 a.m. followed
by the convention meetings at the Radisson Hotel in Ashwaubenon. We are in need
of four delegates and four 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 29th at the Annual
Meeting.
§ 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.
§ Bible Challenge: Videos for all 52 weeks of the year
are now available on Grace Abounds. 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 is provided on the parish
website, along with weekly study summaries and a weekly video summary 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.
§ Flower Schedule for 2017: 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.
§ Coffee Hour Schedule: There is a new sign-up sheet
for hosting coffee hour in 2017. 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.
§ Like Grace Church on Facebook
§ Follow Grace Church on Twitter: @GEC_Sheboygan
§ Follow Grace Church on Instagram: @GEC_Sheboygan
§ We Are on Itunes! Check out the new podcast!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment