Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
14 December 2017
Stir up thy power,
O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered
by our sins, let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honor
and glory, world without end. Amen.
This coming Sunday
is often referred to as “Stir up Sunday”, and the collect from which it takes
its name is given here in the older version, because the use of the old,
familiar, “thou” form of address for God is just a little bit more dramatic to
our ears in 2017. And drama is what we
encounter! As we gather and worship in
prayerful expectation of Christmas, we remind ourselves in Advent that it is God’s
initiative of which we pray.
The fact of the
matter is that God does come among us in mighty power, and the use of
this collect on the Third Sunday of Advent in The Episcopal Church—rather than
on the second Sunday, as in The Church of England—reflects better, I believe
how the might of God is revealed and experienced. Why? Because
the third Sunday is also Gaudete Sunday (named for the first word of the
introit for the day, Gaudete, which is Latin for “rejoice”). The introit is taken from Phil. 4.4, but
reflected, as well, in the epistle for this Sunday, 1 Thes. 5.16-24. We are to rejoice in the reality that God
comes among us, and this rejoicing is reflected in how we experience God’s word
on the Third Sunday of Advent, for in place of the psalm we sing Magnificat,
The Song of Mary (Lk. 1.46-55), in which Mary prays for all of us, that God has
looked with favor upon us.
Gaudete Sunday is marked, as well, by a different liturgical color, “liturgical
rose”, which is a very pale violet. This
year we will use vestments donated by The Guild of the Little Flower, the
parish ministry that decorates the church with flowers. In other words, we will experience blessing
through the witness and service of those who serve. But we will be blessed doubly, for this
Sunday will also include the first service of two new deacons raised up by this
parish: Paul Aparicio, ordained to the
permanent diaconate (who will serve as deacon of the table, at the altar), and
Bobbi Kraft, ordained to the transitional diaconate (who will serve as
preacher).
What better
examples can we cite of how God’s power does come among us than the offerings
of those who serve, of those who respond to God’s call. God’s power is stirred in how He stirs His
people up! God’s bountiful grace does
come among us to help and deliver us. In
the words of Magnificat which we will pray, “[God] he has remembered his
promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, *to Abraham and his
children for ever.” Amen!
Deacons’
Discretionary Funds: Please give
generously to the newly-ordained deacons, Paul Aparicio and Roberta (Bobbi)
Kraft, to be ordained on Saturday, 12/16.
You can give in the collection at the ordination at the cathedral, or
you can give at the parish. If you wish
to give at the parish, either make a donation separately, or in the Sunday
collection in a marked envelope. If you
wish to give to the discretionary fund for one or both deacons, mark this on
the envelope or check. (You need to
include your name and address with any cash donation, if you want credit for
tax purposes.) If you want to give
directly to the benefit of the deacon (as a purse), this is encouraged, but not
tax-deductible.
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:
§ Wayne
and Pat Sather, Elizabeth Schaffenburg, Mary Snyder, Ellen Aparicio and Leslie
Kohler for the Sunday coffee hours.
§ The
Sunday School children for organizing and administering the Ugly Sweater
Contest.
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
Third Sunday of Advent
Music
Director: R. Benjamin Dobey
Prelude Chorale
Prelude on Savior of the Nations, come
Dietrich Buxtehude, after Johann
Pachelbel
Entrance 59 “Wakened by the solemn warning” Merton
Offertory 444 “Blessed be the God of Israel”
Tomter
Communion Motet Rejoice
O Jerusalem Healey Willan
Communion 615 “Thy
Kingdom come on bended knee” St. Flavin
Closing 65
“Prepare the way, O Zion” Bereden vög för Herran
Postlude Chorale Prelude on Prepare the way, O Zion
Dale Wood
Parish Notices:
§ Adult
Christian Formation: Today, Sunday, December 17th, Jerry Molitor will
host the final class of the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
§ Youth
and Children’s Choir:
Youth and Children’s final choir rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service is at
5:30-6:00pm on Wednesday December 20th, downstairs in the choir room.
§ Christmas
Pageant Rehearsals: We will hold our final rehearsal during Sunday School class
today. Participation is open to youth of all ages. The Pageant will take place
during the 4:00pm Christmas Eve Mass.
§ 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 tomorrow
December 18th.
§ 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.
§ Father Karl Schaffenburg will be
travelling: between
the dates of December 26 and January 3rd. During this time, the
office will be closed. In case of an emergency, please contact Mthr. Michele
Whitford (920-918-1230) or Paul Aparicio (920-912-6009).
§ Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family: Thank you to everyone
that so generously donated to our families this year. A special thank you to Jessica Ambelang and
Bev Evans for their support and assistance. Blessings! Nancy Yurk
§ HSHS St. Nicholas Hospice: Needs volunteers to
join their team! In as little as 4 hours per month, you can be a part of
a team that brings quality to the lives of patients at the end of their
life. Volunteers fill a variety of roles, such as being a companion,
assisting with tasks around the house, praying the rosary, and relieving
caregivers for a short time. The hours and assignments vary and can be
flexible to your schedule. Please contact Stephanie at SHSH St. Nicholas
Hospice at 920-457-5770 for more details on how you could be part of making a
difference in the lives of others.”
§ Book Study on Redemptive Compassion: In January we will
begin a group study of the book Redemptive
Compassion: The Defining Difference by Lois Tupyi, director of Love INC of
Treasure Valley in Idaho. The book and class will help educate us on how we are
biblically called to help people in need. The eight-week class will meet on
Sunday mornings at 9:00. Beginning
January 8, the classes will run consecutive Sundays through March 4 with the
exception of January 28. (There will be no class that day because of the annual
meeting.) If you find the following questions unsettling, Redemptive Compassion is for you:
§ Why
do so many of the commonly used methods seem so ineffective in reducing or
alleviating ongoing need?
§ Why
have good intentions to help others produced such devastating results?
§ Is
the crippling lifestyle in which thousands of individuals find themselves
trapped all that God desires for them?
§ The
class will be facilitated by Pat Sather. Cost of the book is $15. Please make payment to the church
office. Limited book scholarships are
available. Books will be distributed at
the first meeting. If you are interested
in joining this study, please sign up on the sheet in the narthex so we’ll know
how many books to order.
§ 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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