Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
9 February 2017
Along with about 111,000,000 others this past
Sunday I watched Superbowl LI. I didn’t
watch all of the game. I did see the
incredible comeback. I didn’t see the
half time show. What sticks in my
memory, however, is a T-Mobile advertisement in which the tag line is “Wireless
pain is fine … if you’re into that sort of thing …” The tag line follows a scene in which a woman
engages in very thinly-veiled sexual talk in which excitement is premised on
pain, and in which the pain is the extra charges and fees that T-Mobile’s
competitors are supposed to inflict on their customers.
My first reaction to the commercial was to
laugh. It’s well done. But then I caught myself. How is that we have come to a point in our
culture that we can joke about sadomasochism in a prime time TV ad, and in
which “that sort of thing” can be held up as “normative” in a society in which
there are, apparently, no “norms” apart from the rule that there are no
norms? The subject matter of the
commercial’s humor is not new to comedy.
In 1979 Saturday Night Live included the “Miles Cowperthwaite” skit in which
Michael Palin and John Belushi made fun of “punishment”. The 1979 skit was not, however, a send-up of
how one might be “into that sort of thing”.
It was not broadcast in prime time.
It was not broadcast as part of a capstone event in a year in which the
NFL has repeatedly pushed a branding message of “Football is Family”. In twenty-eight years our culture has mainstreamed
all subject matter for all ages, and has in the process moved far away from
even acknowledging that the state we are called to in faith is one in which we
are to: “… seek the things that are
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not
on things that are on the earth” (Col. 3.1—2).
Before you just dismiss me as a prude or
killjoy, consider that I laughed at the commercial. This is because I, like most, must strive to
focus on who God calls me to be, and who God calls us to be together. I laughed at the cleverness, but then I
paused to consider how this laughter is symptomatic of the need for further
formation in following Jesus. And why
did I pause this way? I did so because
in years of life in the Church I have been formed to be someone who—even if he
does not always set his mind on things that are above—at least recognizes that
there is an “above,” and that our minds and hearts are directed there by God
when we pay attention in prayer, in worship, in the study of Scripture, in real
fellowship, in service.
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Jessica Ambelang, Ed
& Mary Clabots, Mary Massey, Kevan and Traci Revis, and Pat Ford Smith for
the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Jessica Ambelang,
Jennifer Pawlus, and Elizabeth Schaffenburg for pastoral care visits.
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
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Organist: Ben Dobey
Prelude: Chorale Preludes on Blessed Jesus, at thy word J.S. Bach
Entrance Hymn: 440 “Blessed Jesus, at thy
word” Liebster Jesu
Offertory Hymn: 665 “All my hope on God is founded” Michael
Comm. Hymn: 312 “Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands” Malabar
Closing Hymn: 371 “Thou,
whose almighty word” Moscow
Postlude: Sortie
Percy Whitlock
Parish
Notices
§ Adult
Education: On Sunday,
February 12, 2017, at 9:00 a.m., we will continue with the second class of a
four-week course on Sacramental Identity. This course will follow
the scheme set forth in the 2008 book of David A. deSilva, Sacramental Life:
Spiritual Formation Through The Book of Common Prayer, to explore how
liturgies of The Book of Common Prayer give us a language and a
context for encountering God. We will begin with a consideration of
Baptism and how we live into our baptismal identity through prayer.
§ 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. The Lenten Booklet will be published to the whole
parish, in print and on our website. Please submit your meditations to the
office at eaparicio@gracesheboygan.com
by Monday, February 20, 2017.
§ Cookware
Fundraiser: Once again, we are
offering cookware and kitchen essentials from Vollrath. These are high quality
items that enhance any cooking experience and also make wonderful gifts. Grace
Church receives 20% of all funds received. Catalogs and order sheets are
available on the table in the Narthex. Deadline for orders is February 19,
2017.
§ The
Guild of Martha & Mary Cooking Ministry is Planning its Next Session!The initial planning meeting will take place
here at Grace Church this Wednesday, February 15th, 6:00 p.m.-7:30
p.m. This meeting will discuss how we can positively impact the lives of our
Neighbors In Need by teaching them the valuable skills of cooking,
meal-planning, grocery shopping on a budget, and more! If this is a ministry
you would be interested in, please contact our Senior Warden, Paul Aparicio.
§ Coffee
Hour Ministry: Mary Massey
is stepping down and we thank her for her time and efforts dedicated to this
ministry. We are now looking for a new volunteer to take charge of this
ministry. If this is something you would be interested in, please call the
office. Also, as yet, we do not have a volunteer to host next week Sunday’s
coffee hour (January 19th) following the 10:15 a.m. mass. If you
would like to host, please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex. If you have any
questions, please call the office. Thank you so much.
§ Shrove
Tuesday Feast before the Fast: Shrove Tuesday is February 28th. We will be having a picnic on
a plate (brats & burger, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw 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: March 1st, Ash
Wednesday, the first day of Lent, 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.
§ Stations
of the Cross, Simple Suppers and Teaching: Beginning on the second Friday in Lent (March 10th) we will meet
each Friday at 5:30 p.m. for Stations of the Cross, followed by a simple supper
and Christian formation. Our formation program this year will be Bishop Matt’s
Lenten series for parishes focusing on the Diocesan Vision for us to be
communities of God’s mercy and light. This is not a study but rather a time of
listening to God and one another; a time for storytelling and reflecting on our
stories; a time of beginning or continuing discernment, both for ourselves and
for our community of faith. Please sign up on the sheets in the Narthex so we
will know how much food needs to be prepared.
§ Cooking
on Friday Evenings in lent: If you are
interested in cooking and hosting a dinner on the Fridays during Lent, please
sign-up on sheets in the Narthex. All of the Fridays are open. Thank you for
your willingness to serve in this manner.
§ Icon
Class: The
iconography class scheduled to begin February 26th has been
cancelled. Not enough people can commit to seven Sundays in a row. We are
investigating how to make this class happen in a one week time frame
(six nights). If you want to explore this, let us know the best timeframe that
will work for you: late Spring or early Fall?
§ 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.
§ 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.
§ 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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