Grace Episcopal Church
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Grace Notes
16 January 2014
It is our identity in Christ that
allows us to advance the kingdom of God.
This past Sunday we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord, and we were
challenged in a fine sermon from our senior deacon to consider what the Church
and world would look like were we to all live into the identity we assume in
Christ in baptism. Each time there is a
baptism in the Church, we all reaffirm the promises we have each made in our
own Baptismal Covenant (BCP 304-305),
but it is all too easy to “cherry pick” the covenant, and to ignore that it is
an organic whole which is complete only insofar as it relates to the Apostles’
Creed and to the foundational promise made in the first covenant clause, that
we will “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship”.
We cannot separate any of the
promises made in baptism. For example,
if we “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity
of every human being”—and we really do this—it
matters not unless our participation in justice and peace, and in the dignity
of every human being is one in which we live into our identity as defined in
the apostles’ teaching. Justice, peace,
and dignity become words without real meaning if they are ever separated from
who God is, and what His will is for us, as revealed in the teaching of the
apostles, i.e., in holy Scripture and
in the Tradition of the Church.
Otherwise, our frame-of-reference is human only—not revealed—and we can
decide how others participate in our humanity.
The Holocaust which took place
under Nazi rule was perpetrated in a culture which was the most modern of its
day. The Germany of the interwar and
WWII years was by all measures a country of advanced culture and
development. But this same culture was
subverted by the perverse dream that some (the “Aryans”) could decide the “dignity of every human
being”. What the Nazis did was to decide
that some people were not human beings.
They made “scientific” and economic and cultural arguments to this effect,
and so decided that some lives were “not worthy of life” (whether these lives
were defined with reference to ethnic or functional norms).
Long before the Nazis started
systematically killing Jews they started to systematically kill people will low
or disturbed mental functioning, under the so-called “Aktion T4”. The only
organized protest against this practice (and the only half-way effective
protest in the history of the Nazi state) was led by believing Christians such
as Rupert Mayer, S.J. of the Roman Catholic Church and Dietrich Bonhoeffer of
the Confessing Church. And what was the
foundation of these brave martyrs’ protest?
It was the apostles’ teaching, that each human being is created in the
image and likeness of God, that life is precious to God, and that God reveals
His will to us. Our baptismal identity
is in Christ. Let us ever live into this
identity as those who live within the revelation of God’s will as defined in
the teaching of the apostles.
Grace Abounds: Please thank:
§
Bob and Anne Hanlon, and Dale and Mary Massey for
the wonderful coffee hours this past Sunday.
§ Bernie
Markevitch for church decorating.
Cutting Edge: How often do you think about Grace as being
“cutting edge”—new, hip, ahead of the curve?
These descriptions may not spring to mind, considering that the life of
this parish is steeped in Tradition. But
thinking of ourselves as cutting edge is closer to reality than you might
think. In the Nov/Dec 2013 edition of The American Conservative a detailed
article, “Why Millennials Long for Liturgy,” describes how the “hipsters”
around us are actually hungry for what we offer. See
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/why-millennials-long-for-liturgy/ This should not surprise us. What is timeless is, well, timeless and authentic. We need not be surprised, but we do need to
consider how we engage in outreach to those who are hungry. Please read the article (which we will also
link on the parish’s Facebook page). In
the near future we will hold an adult forum discussing implications for action.
What’s up with
flowers/coffee hour? Giving for
flowers for 2014 is very incomplete. We
also do not have enough hosts signed up for coffee hour. Please consult the sign-up sheets in the
narthex a.s.a.p.
Call for
Contributions: If you have a spiritual reflection to share,
or want to point your fellow worshippers toward a resource, submit your
contributions to Fr. Karl (by email) by Wednesday in the week of publication.
Music this week:
Prelude Two
chorale preludes on All glory be to God
on high J. S. Bach
Entrance Hymn 135 “Songs
of thankfulness and praise”
Offertory Hymn 444 “Blessed
be the God of Israel”
Communion Motet Eternal light, shine in my heart Scheidt
Comm. Hymn 126 “The
people who in darkness walked”
Closing Hymn 542 “Christ
is the world’s true light”
Postlude Chorale Prelude on The people who in darkness walked Parry
Parish Notices
§ Annual
Meeting Reports: If you are in
charge of anything, please write a short report to be included in the Annual
Report and send it to the office office@gracesheboygan.com by Sunday, January 19th. Thank you so much.
§ The
Annual Meeting: This year’s annual
meeting will take place on Sunday January 26, 2014. We will have one Mass
at 9:00am followed by the annual meeting held in the Nave 10:30am. We
plan to have an all parish pot-luck lunch in St. Nicholas Hall at the
conclusion of the meeting. The agenda of the meeting will include committee
reports, new Vestry and Warden elections, 2013 financial review and 2014
budget, review Vestry actions, and an overall review of the 2014 calendar.
Please make every effort to attend and participate.
§ All
Parish Potluck Lunch: Following the
Annual Meeting we will have and All Parish Potluck Lunch. Please bring a dish
to pass and share in fellowship. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex.
§ Call
for Vestry Nominations: Vestry
elections will be held on Sunday, 26 January, at the parish annual meeting. We
need at least six nominees, with names provided to the parish office by 20
January. You can nominate another person or yourself. To run for Vestry you
must be a qualified elector of the parish, which means that: (1) You are regular
in your attendance on worship;(2) You have received Holy Eucharist at least
once in the prior year;(3) You are active in your support of the parish through
a pledge or some other form of giving; and (4) Your are at least sixteen years
of age. Vestry members are called to lead. Be prepared in the election process
to provide a brief biographical sketch which allows your fellow parishioners to
better understand your relationship with God and His Church, and your call to
lead. Vestry members are called to commitment, and are expected to attend
twelve meetings throughout the year (once per
month).
§ Flower
Schedule for 2014: 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.
§ Girl
Scout Cookies! Girl Scout Cookies
can be preordered for $3.50/box this Sunday, January 19th after
mass. Money will be due on Sunday, February 23rd when the cookies
will be delivered at church. Any Grace Church youth member who is involved in
Daisy/Girl Scouts should come in their troop uniform to help work the booth and
we will divide the orders up equally between the participants.
§ Directory
(Almost Final Draft) Update: For
various reasons the update was not done last fall. We hope to print it in time
for the Annual meeting on January 26th. If you did not check your
entry last fall, or have a recent change please check and change it in the
draft found on the narthex table.
§ Coffee
Hour Schedule: There is a new
sign-up sheet for hosting coffee hour in 2014. If you would like to host please
sign up for either 8:00am or 10:15am. We are in need of someone to oversee the
schedule and be the point person for questions. If you would be able to spend a
few minutes a week double checking the sign-up sheet and giving reminders or if
you have questions please see Deacon Michele or Bobbi Kraft. Thank you so much.
§ Love
Bowls 2014 is right around the corner! This annual event benefits Meals
on Wheels of Sheboygan County for the purpose of providing meals for our
neighbors who are homebound or unable to prepare meals for themselves. This
year’s event will take place on Sunday, February 9th at South High.
Patrons can purchase a bowl for $20 to take home and enjoy plus eat soup from
over 70 local restaurants. Another way
to support this local event is by volunteering.
o There are volunteer forms in the narthex with
volunteer information. If you are interested or have questions about
volunteering contact Susan Mooney at the MOW office 451-7011 or volunteers@shebmoww.org. There is a special need for volunteers
during set-up on Saturday, February 8th 10:00 am-2:00 pm and then
during clean up on Sunday, February 9th 3:00-4:30 pm. If you’d like
to hear from those who’ve volunteered in previous years, talk to Kaleigh or
Bobbi Kraft.
o Whether you volunteer, buy a bowl or both,
your support of Meals on Wheels is appreciated by many who are served in our
community.
