Last Sunday (Pentecost 20, Year A, October 26, 2014)
November 2 – 10:00am, Godly Play, Bible miniseries (Parish House)
November 2 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist, Rite II, All Saints
November 2 – 12:00pm – Coffee Hour
This Sunday at St. Peter’s – Servers, Readings
Season of Giving begins Nov 2. This includes giving to the Village Harvest, the Men’s ECM, UTO and Samaritan’s Purse. Last week we spotlighted the ECM Christmas donations. This week it is the UTO boxes and Samaritan Purse shoe boxes which get under way.
Deadlines
Men’s Group- Nov. 9
Village Harvest – Nov. 16
Samaritan’s Purse – Nov. 23
UTO – Dec. 7
Samaritan’s Purse success story from Oct., 2014
United Thank Offering Grant Stories
Thought for your UTO Blue Box: Give thanks this day for your own health. Drop a coin in your Blue Box as you give thanks and pray for the continued health and improved
health of those you love.
The United Thank Offering motto is “Our Change Changes Lives.” On October 27, the 2014 special anniversary grants were announced . Part of the celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the United Thank Offering, these one-time special anniversary grants will be used for a project in each province that will reflect the fourth Anglican Mark of Mission: To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind to pursue peace and reconciliation. The Gospel of Love – of Joy, Hope and Grace – proclaimed by Jesus Christ is the focus for the United Thank Offering Grants during the 2014 -2015 period.
Some examples of winninggrants announced:
- To call a missionary and launch new programs which will equip the Church to respond more effectively to the ongoing crisis at the United States’ southern border, which involves child migrants from Central American countries.
- To rehabilitate a bus which will be used as a roving bicycle shop and purchase the needed tools for the shop. The bicycle programs on the reservation will allow youth between 12 and 18 to have an opportunity to earn bikes after participating in 15 hours of programming and youth with broken bikes will be able to help in fixing their bikes “for free.
- To provide a commercially equipped kitchen for Grace House on the Mountain located in the Appalachian region of Southwestern Virginia.
- To hire a bi-lingual priest with cultural facilities and community building skills to be the key leader in the creating of a strong community of faith outside the walls of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Greensboro.
- To purchase a late model, low mileage, 4-wheel drive pickup truck to help in the delivery of goods such as food, clothing and blankets throughout the expanse of the Borderland area of New Mexico, Texas and Mexico
- To support a professional individual who will provide programs for those who have addictions to alcohol and drugs.
A new granting year begins November 1. What about a St. Peter’s proposal ?
Nov. 2, 2014 – 2am – Set your clocks back!
All Saints Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014
“Saints are those who by their life and work make it clear and plain that God lives.”––Nathan Söderblom
In our Baptismal Covenant we, along with traditional Christians around the globe, profess in the ancient Baptismal Creed the words: “I believe in… the communion of saints, … the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” (Book of Common Prayer, page 304)
From its very beginning, the Church understood the Body of Christ to encompass all baptized persons, both the living and the dead. Christ’s kingdom transcends time and space; and not even death can sever the relationship that the faithful have in Christ.
All are united in a mystical communion with Christ by virtue of baptism (1 Corinthians 6:11). The term saint was used by Paul to designate all baptized Christians (Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1), even the unruly ones (1 Corinthians 1:2)!
In the New Testament, all those who believe and were baptized were referred to as saints. The word saint originally meant "holy".
On All Saints Day, we make celebrate this idea in the here and now by recognizing and celebrating our relationship, not only with those around us today, but also with all those who have gone before us in all times and place. They are connected in one communion.
All Saints is also a time for welcoming new members. Traditionally baptisms are held in the Episcopal Church at the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints and when the Bishop visits.
It wasn’t until round about the third century that the church began using the word saint to refer to those who had been martyred for the faith. The early Church especially honored martyrs, those who had died for their faith. Praying for the dead is actually borrowed from Judaism, as recorded in 2 Maccabees 12:41-45 of the Apocrypha.
Local churches kept a record of their own martyrs and each year celebrated their “birthdays,” the dates of death when they were “born” into eternal life.
By the fourth century many parts of the Church had set a day of observance for their martyrs, their confessors (those who had been punished for their faith but did not die), and their virgins, all of those known by name and unknown.
The celebration of All Saints’ Day on November 1 began as a feast day commemorating all martyrs, confessors and virgin, including those whose names were not known. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV officially established All Saints’ Day in order to honor all the saints at one time.
From "All Saints Sunday" – David Lose
“The Rev. David Lose is president of Luther Seminary in Philadelphia
“The Sermon on the Mount,” Cosimo Rosselli, Sistine Chapel, 1481-82
"(All Saints) gives us a moment to grieve those we have lost but also to move to thanksgiving for their life and, even more, for their place now among the saints gathered in the nearer presence of God.
"But then, if you will, expand your vision of who might be touched by this day and these texts. Because here’s the thing: loss that deserves notice and demands comfort comes from many places, not only death. It comes in leave-takings, as we depart for a new job and home and leave beloved friends and colleagues behind. It comes as you slowly lose a loved one to Alzheimer’s. It comes in the loss of employment or dignity. It comes from struggles with illness both of body and mind. It comes from the exhaustion of caring for a special needs child and the occasional recognition of all the things given up in order to offer that care. It comes from disappointment at home or work or school, of dreams deferred or hopes dashed. Such loss comes at us from so many sources, and I think there may be value to wondering together how this day could address them as well.
"Imagine how the passages appointed for this day might speak… Take Revelation, for instance, that letter written as a word of encouragement, hope, and comfort to Christians who were struggling with enormous loss of identity and the threat of losing their independence and even their lives. In preaching this passage, might we imagine that the “saints” are not only those who are robed in white or gathered into the church triumphant but also each of us, as we too have come, or perhaps are still coming, through ordeals great and small? To those who are struggling to find hope or healing, Christ’s promise to “wipe away every tear” is a word they may appreciate hearing on this day.
"But as you, Dear Partner, speak Christ’s words of promise, they may create hope that enables your hearers to take their first steps toward a future not defined by their past.
From "The Perseverance of The Saints" – Edwina Gately
From "The Perseverance of the Saints" by Edwina Gateley
The Saints, by Fra Angelico, 15th century.
"The early church, having survived over 300 years of persecution, wanted to remember and celebrate those Christians who had remained faithful in spite of the fear, the hostility and the very real danger of their witness to Christ. So they allocated a special day to honor all those who had endured and persevered during those violent times. My hunch is that the vast majority of these believers were ordinary folks who were probably scared out of their wits, but hung in there because of their faith.
"In that sense, being a “saint” has nothing to do with being special or holy or different. It was, and is, about being faithful — no matter what.
"Of course, in those early times, many Christians suffered horrendous deaths and were burnt, crucified, eaten by lions, died in dungeons, etc. Others attained feats of endurance or performed miraculous deeds. But the average Christian “Joe” (saint) probably hunkered down and prayed to get through the traumas of the time without losing faith. This is, in itself, heroic.
"But, over the centuries, this understanding of saints as regular Christians staying faithful under duress was edged out in favor of the miraculous and the dramatic — the martyrs and miracle workers! It is no wonder that Christians today struggle to really believe they can ever be a “light to the world!"
Our generation is desperately in need of a renewed and authentic understanding of “All Saints." Whilst physical persecution of Christians still exists in some parts of the world, there is another kind of challenge that calls for a courageous response from believers. The human race is facing a darkness that is pervasive and frightening. On all levels, our faith in God’s presence and grace is being challenged — endless wars, climate change, rampant diseases, corporate power, increasing poverty, and natural disaster. These, and a host of other scary realities, threaten to overwhelm us and quench the little bit of light, leaven and salt that we have been desperately holding on to from trauma to trauma. We are, it seems to me, in the midst of a global “dark night."
…Read more from Edwina Gately…
All Saints Sunday – A Time of Baptism
Baptism of Alexander Long VI, Nov. 3, 2012. Baptism is one of the sacraments of the Episcopal Church and is one of the times of the year appointed for baptism. . Read about the other sacraments.
"For all the Saints" – Background of an All Saints hymn
Words– William How (1823-1897 )
Music – Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958)
Vaughn Williams in 1900
"For All the Saints" has become one of the most popular hymns of the 20th century and used almost universally for All Saints Sunday.
"The Saints Song"
Here’s a fun romp through history, with a little inspiration from Gilbert & Sullivan.
How many of these saints are you familiar with?
Reformation Day (Oct. 31)
Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31, alongside All Hallows’ Eve, in remembrance of the Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities. It is a civic holiday in some German states.
It celebrates Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg in Germany on Oct. 31, 1517. The event is seen as sparking the Protestant Reformation. There are some questions of fact. The event was not publicized until 1546 by Philipp Melanchthon and no contemporaneous evidence exists for Luther’s posting of the theses.
The liturgical color of the day is red, which represents the Holy Spirit and the Martyrs of the Christian Church. Luther’s hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God" is traditionally sung on this day.
All Saints (Nov 1.) and All Souls (Nov 2)
All Souls began with the emphasis on remembering those who had died, broader than just the martyrs. In addition it was cast wide into Catholic theology. In that tradition , the church commemorated all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial (forgiven) sins and the temporal punishments for the mortal sins that they had confessed and atoning before entering fully into Heaven.
Read more about the connection
Check out the link above for a "Soul Cake" recipe and a song by "Sting" about it.
All Souls (Nov. 2) and Halloween (Oct. 31)
Halloween originated in Celtic cultures and spread to Christian.
The word Halloween is a contracted form for All Hallows’ (holy persons or saints) Evening- the day before All Saints.
Halloween has been on Oct 31 because of the Celtic traditions. Halloween also not only focused on death but on the concept of death blending in the supernatural. The Church scheduled All Saints and All Souls after Halloween. The emphasis on All Soul’s focused on those who had died only and did not dwell on stories surrounding death.
Lectionary, November 2, Pentecost 21, All Satins
I.Theme – Experience of God’s salvation allows to consider life with the perspective of faith and to celebrate all the saints. The way of life should be based on the Gospel reading, the Beatitudes
"Sermon on the Mount"– Henrik Olrik (1860) Denmark
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
First Reading – Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm – Psalm 34:1-10, 22 Page 627, BCP
Epistle –1 John 3:1-3
Gospel – Matthew 5:1-12
The readings this week provide guidelines how saints should live their lives – in the present based on the Beatitudes while mindful that life isn’t easy, persecution abounds but that we live in God’s presence and that the hope of salvation remains.
The Revelation passage presents a vision of God’s eternal presence which is both profoundly Christ-centered and universal in its scope.At the close of the age they were the ones who were persecuted (v. 14), and they now live in the eschatological age (vv. 15-17). The power of this text lies precisely in this discontinuity, for it states that our experience in this world cannot be a reliable indicator of the character of God or even of the quality of our salvation.
All Saints is a celebration of the same mysterious, sovereign power of God, for in commemorating the dead we are in fact celebrating life. This feast is in many ways an affront to our everyday experience, because in celebrating it, we share in John’s end-time vision.
The good news of Revelation 7:9-17 was that God’s salvation is better than anything that we might experience in our everyday lives.
The Psalm is a response to the Revelation reading. The main purpose of the psalm is to celebrate with gratitude the saving power of Yahweh. It expresses great confidence and trust in Yahweh’s special care for the righteous.
Viewed from a wider perspective, the psalm points to the constant mercy and love with which Yahweh watched over and delivered Israel from innumerable disasters. At the same time it draws more attention to the individual believer who trusts in Yahweh than to the nation as a whole. This too has been the attitude of saintly Christians through many generations.
The 1st Epistle of John contains many references to a congregation of Christians being under severe threat by a dissident group. These dissidents may have been either Greeks who rejected Jesus as a truly human person or Hebrews who rejected Jesus as the divine Messiah; or both. The epistle came from a time near the end of the 1st century CE, when those who believed in Jesus Christ and followed the Christian way had to be both clear about their faith and strong in their commitment.
Because of the challenges they encountered every day from both imperial authorities and public hostility, they could never know when their faith would bring them face to face with death.
The dissident members of their own congregation proclaimed a false teaching which sought to undermine the true understanding of the person and redemptive work of Christ. The dissidents broadcast far and wide that Jesus was not the Christ and therefore could not be the Saviour. How was it possible for them to maintain their commitment under such circumstances?
They could be certain of only one thing: that they were loved by God; they were God’s holy children. A life rooted and grounded in love would bring them to the only worthwhile end. Whatever fate might bring upon them, and in particular rejection or even martyrdom for their faithfulness, they were constantly reassured that they would not only be with God, but would be like God.
The Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes set forth how Jesus saw those who are to inherit the reign of God’s gracious, redemptive love. While this description may seem to project beyond current reality into a far distant future, it also set forth a value system on the basis of which we can live from day to day because that reign of God has already begun. This is the way of life lived by the saints now and eternally.
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is a collection of sayings Jesus may have uttered at different times and places, rather than delivered all at once in a single discourse. These have been influential over time. Dr. King often pointed out that it was Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that inspired the "dignified social action" of the civil rights movement. His notion of "creative suffering" – borne by civil rights activists who endured persecution and police brutality – came from his Christian faith in the redemptive suffering of Jesus.
The Beatitudes summarize the revolutionary values intended to guide those seeking to follow Jesus. Each one is a sermon in itself, and the whole passage has generated many a sermon series from pulpits of yesteryear. Those who would have a little variation from the lectionary would do well to select this passage for such a continuum.
Another feature to be noted is the paradoxical quality of the Matthean beatitudes. They contradict the normal expectations of ordinary people and their reactions to human experience. The people Matthew identifies are not supposed to be happy – the poor, the mourners, the persecuted. Many martyred witnesses to the faith went to their death believing that a vastly better life awaited them in the heavenly realm.
Yet the message of the Matthean beatitudes is not exclusively for a distant future. Rather, it is for the present. The words were spoken to generate trust in God in difficult circumstances, not simply to enable us to endure hard times.
The beatitudes define the way that Jesus himself lived to the point of death as a rejected religious revolutionary and unjustly condemned criminal. Such spiritual power comes not through our most noble human efforts, but through the gift of grace the Spirit gives us.
…Read more about the lectionary…