Grace
Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace
Notes
13 December 2018
Advent
and Human Flourishing
Let’s not expend more energy in pointing out
to people that “it’s not Christmas, yet” than we do in pointing them toward
Christmas. We may quite properly draw a
contrast between songs of a “Holly, jolly Christmas” and the holiness of the
incarnation of God, but in Advent we are to focus not only on the holiness to
which we are called but on the holiness that
we are called—that God counts us worthy to do His work.
Every person and every society lives by some
conception of what it means to flourish as a human being. Very often this meaning is inchoate. Flourishing is described in terms of
happiness, and happiness in terms of self-actualization, and self-actualization
in terms that range from the accumulation of stuff to the accumulation of
power. The question people seek to
answer is: what constitutes a fulfilled
life?
Ask yourself this question. In formulating your answer what you will find
is that the difference between faith and its absence relates to our
frame-of-reference for a fulfilled life.
Is fulfillment to be realized/measured/experienced in this world only or
do we look for fulfillment in a kingdom greater than this world? Is human flourishing immanent (something that
happens only here-and-now) or transcendent (something which extends into a
realm beyond the here-and-now)? The
answer to this question is the answer of faith which we reaffirm in Advent: that we await the coming of our Lord.
Let’s not poke fun (well, maybe not too
much!) at those around us who in chasing after a “Holly, jolly ... ‘holiday
season’” chase a mirage of happiness in consumption. Let us, rather, take to them the answer to the
question they ask in chasing happiness—the answer of faith, the experience of
our Lord. Now is the time to redouble
our efforts to reach out to those who do not know God. Now is the best opportunity to try to reach
those who want something “special” in their lives, and can’t figure out why
they can’t buy it. Now is also the time
to remind ourselves that Advent and life are both seasons of “not
yetness”. It is not yet Christmas. The kingdom of heaven has not yet come. But we await both, and we look forward to
both in Christian hope, for we have the faith in which we know that whatever
conception of human flourishing we may imagine, God will exceed our
expectations. Whatever conception of
happiness we may seek, the joy which our Lord wills will exceed this.
Our Lord exceeds our expectations. One reason for this is that our expectations
are too small. The buying of Black
Friday or Cyber Monday involved not only those seeking bargains but those
seeking “latest thing,” ignoring the fact that
(to paraphrase C. S. Lewis) whatever is not eternal is eternally
out-of-date. People of faith live not
for a season, or for tomorrow, or for today, but for always, for what is
eternal.
Watch.
Wait. But watch and wait in hope,
and let your hope and expectation be contagious. Let those around you know that what they seek
to consume they can only find when they “taste and see that the Lord is good”.
Grace abounds: Please thank:
§ Bill and Deb Gagin, Jessica Ambelang, and the Sunday School
parents for the Sunday coffee hours.
§ Pat Ford Smith for providing costuming assistance for the
recent visit of St. Nicholas.
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
Third Sunday of Advent
Dr.
R. Benjamin Dobey, Music Director
Prelude Chorale
Prelude on ‘Savior of the Nations, Come’ J.S.Bach
Entrance Hymn 59 “Hark!
a thrilling voice is sounding” Merton
Offertory Hymn 75 “There’s
a voice in the wilderness crying” Acension
Communion Motet Rejoice, O Jerusalem Healey Willan
Communion Hymn 613 “Thy
Kingdon Come, O God” St. Cecelia
Closing Hymn 65 “Prepare the way, O Zion”
Bereden väg för Herran
Postlude Prepare
the way, O Zion
Dale Wood
Parish Notices:
§ Donations for Paradise, CA: Being accepted TODAY for two families of St Nicholas
Episcopal Church, Paradise CA. Please
put 'fire relief' on the check memo or on an envelope with cash. We are also
sending unbreakable Christmas ornaments, with notes of prayer and encouragement. There will be a designated ornament donation
and information table in the Narthex; please leave ornaments there.
§ 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 Monday,
December 17.
§ Christmas Joy: On Thursday, December
20 at 11:00 a.m., interested members can meet in the church kitchen to assemble
winter greens and flowers, bag cookies and then make deliveries. 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 (920.912.4505) if you have questions. The
sign-up sheet can be found on the Narthex table.
§ Father Karl Schaffenburg will be
travelling: from
December 26 through January 1. He will be back in the office on January 2.
During this time, the Church and office will be closed. In case of an emergency,
please contact Mthr. Michele Whitford (920-918-1230) or Deacon Paul Aparicio
(920-912-6009).
§ 2018 Pledge Information: Those that intend to
receive a tax credit for their 2018 pledge must have their final payment to the
office by Thursday, December 27 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.
§ Sung Compline and Potluck: On the Feast of the
Epiphany, Sunday, January 6, there
will be a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. followed by Sung Compline at 8:00 p.m.
Compline, or night prayer, is a Christian service of worship dating back to
monastic life in the Middle Ages. The choir sings The Office of Compline by
candlelight; this is a beautiful and restful way to nurture one’s soul. The
sign-up sheet for the potluck can be found on the Narthex table.
§ Ushers Needed: Ushers are often the
first people seen by newcomers, visitors, and even regular parishioners when
coming to Grace Church. People enjoy being greeted by a smile. Contact the office at office@gracesheboygan.com to become part of this ministry today
§ 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 are 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment