Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
5 January 2017
Epiphany means “manifestation” or
“showing”. We recall and celebrate that
God become flesh and dwelling among us was revealed/manifested to all the
world—to all the Gentiles—not as Messiah exclusive to God’s chosen people, but
as Immanuel (“God with us”) for all of us.
I have written previously about the many ways in which God reveals
Himself and His will to us. For this
week I want to focus on how we go about experiencing this revelation in an
ongoing process of translation—“translation” in the original sense of the
word: to be carried across.
There is no ideal translation of the
Bible. Even if each one of us were to
become expert in ancient Hebrew and Greek, our experience of God’s
manifestation of Himself and His will in scripture would remain most imperfect
if our purpose in reading involved no more than understanding. Certainly there is much that we can
understand better by studying and understanding how the Bible came to be written,
in what contexts, by whom, focused on what pressing needs. But all such understanding pales compared to
the reality that the Bible was and is decidedly strange. Scripture is in many senses otherworldly, and
that’s the point—that we are drawn into another reality, a reality which we can
only experience by and through the humility in which we will be gradually
transformed by the words God has chosen to use (using human authors) to reveal
Himself and His will.
The Bible is not a collection of human words
about God, but words inspired by God about Himself. There are plenty of words about God, from
such notable believers as Aquinas, Dante, Bonhoeffer (to name just a very
few). There are plenty of words about
systems of belief. (That’s why there are
whole courses in theology.) But of
Aquinas or Dante or Bonhoeffer we never say “The word of the Lord” after
reading them. We do say this about the Bible, because we say that in some sense
these words are words used by God, given to us by God, to communicate with us,
and to communicate with us that we might be changed.
The real issue in biblical translation is not
about how we “understand” words originally written in different languages and
contexts, but about how we are translated—carried across—into the reality of
God’s self-revelation. How is the
manifestation (the epiphany) of God made real in the changes in us?
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Kevan and Traci Revis
for the Sunday coffee hour.
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
First Sunday after the Epiphany
Organist: Ben Dobey
Prelude: Chorale Fantasia on How brightly shines the Morning Star
Dietrich 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 The Sinless One to Jordan Came Andro Hart
Communion
Hymn 121 “Christ,
when for us you were baptized” Solemnes
haec
Closing
Hymn 119 “As
with gladness men of old” Dix
Postlude:
Chorale Prelude on ‘How brightly shines the Morning Star’
J. S. Bach
Parish Notices
§ Adult
Education: Beginning on
Sunday, January 8th, 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
15th, there will be a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by Sung
Compline at 8:00 p.m., 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.
§ Girl
Scout Cookie Time! Calling all
Grace Church Girl Scouts and cookie lovers! Inviting all Grace Church Girl
Scouts to work the cookie order booth AFTER both masses on Sunday, January 15th
and 22nd. Please wear your sash or vest. Cookie order forms will be available
outside of the parish hall and will be evenly distributed between the
participants. Cookies will once again be $4/box and money is not collected
until delivery sometime in February. Thank you for supporting your local Girl
Scouts!
§ The
Annual Meeting: This year’s
Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 29, 2017. We will have one
Mass at 9:00am followed by the Annual Meeting at 10:15am. If you have been in
leadership of any group or committee please submit an annual report to the office@gracesheboygan.com. Please make every effort to attend and participate.
§ A
draft of the 2017 Parish Directory: can be found on the Narthex table. Please 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.
§ 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!!!
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