Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
7 December 2017
Merciful God, who
sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for
our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that
we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In Advent we
prepare for the coming of the Lord. This
coming Sunday, the collect reminds us that a key element in preparation is
repentance. This is not, and has never
been, a popular message. We far prefer
to hear something like “You’re doing great!
Keep it up!”, but the overarching message of all the prophets is that we
are not being faithful to God in the ways that we have promised. The prophets repeatedly tell the Chosen
People two things: (a) You are not doing
what you said you would do (being faithful to the Lord as specified in the covenant); (b) You are not
practicing justice.
Let’s “fast
forward” to 2017 and consider how the prophetic message applies to us now. As we know from the words of Jesus; mouth, He
has come to fulfill the ancient law (Mtt. 5.17). As we know from the words of the apostle
Paul, Jesus is the end (as in fulfillment) of the Law (Rom. 10.4), and there is
no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8.1). But this does not mean that Jesus is just
some kind of holy “Get Out of Jail Free!” card in a game of cosmic Monopoly. Jesus makes clear that we must live into our
identity as sons and daughters of the Father, and that we do this through
Him. As we prepare for His coming we
must, therefore, consider the ways in which we relate to God. Is the relationship healthy?
In examining the
health of our relationship with God we are blessed in at least two things. The first is that any absence of health is
subject to healing by the great physician of souls, Our Lord. The second is that what a healthy
relationship looks like is not hidden and not arbitrary. We know what the indicators of health
are. How are to relate to God is
specified both in the Ten Commandments and in the promises we each make in
baptism. These promises (found on pp.
304—5 in the prayer book) are prayers.
We pray about what we promise to do “with God’s help”. And we begin how? By promising to “persevere in resisting evil
… [and, when we fail, to] repent and return to the Lord”.
The prophetic
message is alive and well in who we say we are.
May this message resonate especially in this season of expectation!
Don’t forget
stewardship! Plan on giving: Pray now about the priorities God sets
before you, and take the next step up in giving.
- Giving—offering
to God—is not optional. It is commanded by God that we offer Him our
first fruits. The biblical standard for giving is the tithe.
If you tithe you will never be poor! The offering to God is pleasing
to Him.
- All
things are God’s, not only because He creates them but because He redeems
them. The only thing that creatures can claim as their own is evil.
- Stewardship
extends to every aspect of life and work in the world. Giving money
to the Church is but one aspect of how we relate to our Creator.
- The
giving of alms means literally “to do acts of mercy” (Mtt. 6.2 in the
original Greek). A merciful heart is pleasing to God.
- God
commands His people to express their faith and love in active works of
mercy (Jas. 2.15-17; 1 Jn. 3.17-18).
- The
alternative to giving always involves the words “me” and “mine”.
Substitute the word “God’s”!
Grace
abounds: Please thank:
§ Bob
and Anne Hanlon and Jessica Ambelang for the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Ben
Dobey and the choir for the festival of Lessons & Carols.
§ Scott
Bailey for visiting as St. Nicholas, and Pat Ford Smith for organizing the
visit.
§ Randie
Barrows for maintenance.
§ The
Altar Guild and The Guild of the Little Flower for the seasonal changes in
church appointments.
§ Mary
Snyder, Nicci and Chase Beeck, and Amy Berge for hospitality for the lessons
and carols reception; all who provided food; cleanup by Jessica Ambelang, Julie
Davidson, Jane Hanson and Elizabeth Schaffenburg.
And
note the following thanksgiving received from The Salvation Army: “Thank you [Nancy Yurk] for coordinating the
bell ringing for the Grace Episcopal. I am thrilled to announce that the
ringers raised $541.39 while ringing at Festival Foods on Saturday, Dec. 2.
That is enough money to provide an individual with 18 days of shelter,
including three meals a day, case work and so much more.”
Furniture
available! The following items
are available, free, from a parish family.
Items are lightly used, and anyone claiming an item will need to arrange
transport.
- king bed
(mattress, box springs (2 twins) and frame
- glass top round
table - one unmatching chair
- dresser
- wingback chair
- wooden
traditional rocking chair
- white 4-shelf
unit for a bathroom
Special “Thank You’ s” : A supply of Thank You note cards can be found
on the table at the back of church nave.
When someone in the parish does something special, take the time to
write them a personal note. Also, from
time to time, think about who you might want to thank for ongoing service, and
let them know you have noticed!
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. Please prayerfully consider a year end
gift.
Music this Week: The
Second Sunday of Advent
Music
Director: R. Benjamin Dobey
Prelude Chorale
Partita on “Comfort, comfort ye my people”
Johann Pachelbel
Entrance 76
“On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s
cry” Winchester New
Offertory 75
“There’s a voice in the
wilderness crying” Ascension
Communion Motet O Lord,
how shall I meet you Johann
Crueger
Communion 67 “Comfort,
comfort ye my people” Psalm
42
Closing 73
“The King shall come when
morning dawns” Richmond
Postlude
Prelude in G Major Enrico Bossi
Parish Notices:
§ Sheboygan
Symphony Orchestra
Presents Christmas Treasures, December 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm at the Weill Center.
Our holiday tradition is sure to delight all ages. The Orchestra is joined by
the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus to present a musical sleigh ride with a perfect
blend of traditional carols, sing-alongs, classical and pop favorites! Kevin
McMahon, SSO Music Director & Conductor, Fabian Qamar, SSC Director.
SheboyganSymphony.org 920-452-1985
§ Adult
Christian Formation: On Sunday, December 10th, Jerry Molitor will
continue a three week course on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of
Matthew and Luke.
§ Youth and Children’s Choir: Youth and Children’s choir rehearsals for the Christmas Eve service
are at 5:30-6:00pm beginning Wednesday December 6th, downstairs in the choir
room. Additional rehearsals will take place on December 13th and 20th. The
choir is open to 2nd graders through high school, and will sing for
the 4pm service on Christmas Eve.
§ Christmas Pageant Rehearsals: We will
continue holding rehearsals during Sunday School classes on Sunday and the
17th. Participation is open to youth of all ages. The Pageant will take place
during the 4:00pm Christmas Eve Mass.
§ Ugly Sweater
Contest: Sunday at 11:45 a.m., the Sunday School children will
host and judge their first annual ugly Christmas sweater contest in St.
Nicholas Hall. The winner will receive a
coveted award and have their picture on display until the 2018 contest!
§ Christmas
Flowers/Music: If
you would like to contribute to the Christmas flowers/music fund for memorial
or thanksgiving, please fill out the form inserted in this bulletin and place
it on the offering plate or return it to the office by December 18th.
§ Thank you from
Carrye Jo Cony, Volunteer Coordinator at The Salvation Army Sheboygan, to those
who participated in bell ringing at Festival Foods on December 2nd.
Grace Church raised $541.39! This is enough money to provide an individual with
18 days of shelter, including three meals a day, case work and so much more.
§ Cookware Fundraiser: Featuring cookware
and kitchen essentials from Vollrath Corp. These are heavy duty items made to
excellent quality standards. Grace Church will receive 20% of listed prices on
all items ordered by Wednesday, December 13th. Catalogues and order sheets can be found in
the Narthex.
§ Christmas Joy: is scheduled to meet on Thursday, December 21 at 11:00 a.m. in the
church kitchen. At that time, we will assemble winter greens and flowers and
bag cookies and then make deliveries. (There is a sign-up sheet in the
Narthex.) We need helping hands. Can you bake, make a delivery and/or help
arrange? Please join us for this fulfilling and fun ministry to our homebound
and elderly. They will appreciate it.
Call Barb
MacEwen (92-912-4505) if you have questions.
§ Important
2017 Pledges Information: Those that intend to
receive a tax credit for their 2017 pledge must have their final payment to the
office by Friday, December 29th for deposit. Please plan accordingly, as the Office will
be closed from the 26th to the 1st of January. Payments
can also be dropped in the Church mailbox at the 7th Street
Entrance.
§ 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.
§ Grace Notes is here: http://gracechurchgracenotes.blogspot.com/. You can sign
up to receive the blog every Thursday
§ Like Grace Church on Facebook:
@gracesheboygan
§ We
Are on Itunes! Check out the
new podcast!!!
§ Love INC Monthly Bulletin is now available
online at:
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