Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
April 22, 7pm. Reception on the lawn, 6pm
Other events coming up:
• Ladies Night Out, Sat. April 29
• Shred-it, Wed., May 3, 4:30pm-5:30pm
• ECW trip to the National Cathedral, Sat., May 20
Link to the reports from Jan 15 Annual Meeting
Daily meditations in words and music.
Your daily prayer online, since 1999
"We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance."
Saints of the Week, March 26 – April 2
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26
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[Richard Allen, First Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1831] |
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27
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Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of the Philippines, and of Western New York, 1929 |
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28
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[James Solomon Russell, Priest, 1935] |
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29
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John Keble, Priest, 1866 |
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30
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[Innocent of Alaska, Bishop, 1879] |
| 31 | John Donne, Priest, 1631 |
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1
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Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, 1872 |
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2
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James Lloyd Breck, Priest, 1876 |
From the Sermon – "And God has given each one us special ways to be light in the world, unique to each one of us. .. So God, give us the longing and the courage and the joy to be your light in the world"
From Last week…
The Week Ahead…
March 29 – 10:00am, Ecumenical Bible Study
April 2 – 10:00am, Christian Ed – Godly Play (preschool through 2nd grade)
April 2 – 10:00am, Christian Ed – Five Marks of Love (children 3rd grade and up, adults
April 2 – 11:00am, Baptism and Holy Eucharist, Rite II
April 2 – 12:00pm, First Sunday Social
April 2 –Readings and Servers
Inside the Church on a spring afternoon
Gallery of 9 pictures taken by Catherine.
A Dual Baptism on April 2
Baptisms are always special but this one coming up is a doubly special!
We will be baptizing Dorian Huffman, son of Andrew and Felicia Huffman. Felicia grew up at St. Peter’s and we welcome her and her husband Andrew and Dorian.
Kathryn Elizabeth Davis was a year old on Feb. 5. She is the daughter of Johnathan and Odessa Davis.
So How’s Your Lent Going ?
We are almost 5 weeks into Lent. How we are doing ?
Lent is a journey – part of it is looking inside, removing things and taking on new things – building up. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby suggested the following in 2015 – "At the individual level it draws us to see what we have been saved from, and what we are being saved for." Here are 4 items he mentions:
- Listening – “We cannot listen while we fill our ears with our own self-confidence and our own self-worth. "So, how do we listen? Read Matthew’s gospel, taking a small chunk each day, and ask yourself as you read it three simple questions: What does it say? What does it mean? What am I going to do about it? Very simple.
"And what do I do about it? Ask yourself: “How do I make my life more open to Christ because of what this is saying to me?”
- Writing "Sometimes it is very practical writing to someone or speaking to someone who I may have offended. It may be very simple, merely saying a prayer of sorry, or thank you, or petition for something of which I need reminding.
- Being Generous with Others. "A good Lent must overflow in generosity. How do we live a good Lent with those whom we live with? The bumps in the road we need to smooth out for the Lord to come? Relationships that have been neglected and therefore are full of clutter that needs removing? "They can be very difficult: broken relationships may be easily mendable, little irritations – or it may be that we need, in a good Lent, to take the first step to clearing away a major landslide. "How do you do it in practice? Openness, transparency, and also go back and use the same approach to scripture as I suggested a few moments ago. One has to treat each person and situation different
- Silence "Let me suggest one other. As individuals, even short periods of complete silence during Lent, fasting from noise and conversation and distraction, will be of great value. How little we do of it.
Lenten Links
Lent is:
• A time for looking at the things we do that are wrong or that tempt us, asking God’s and other people’s forgiveness;
• A time for giving up things that keep us from being loving people;
• A time for doing extra things that will help us grow closer to God;
• A time to be more aware of what it means to love as God loves us;
• A time to ask God to help us to be more loving, remembering
that God is always ready to strengthen us.
We have a dedicated Lenten part of the website – Lent at St. Peter’s 2017 which has the events listed.
Save the Date! April 22, 2017 – 7pm. Our Second Spring Concert, Magical Strings!
We are pleased to welcome Magical Strings on tour from California to bring us a Celtic inspired concert. They are following last year’s concert from the Portland Guitar Duo.
MAGICAL STRINGS centers around the Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer of Philip and Pam Boulding, at times augmented by violin, cello, pennywhistle, percussion and various instruments from around the world. Philip also designs and builds the harps and dulcimers, and has handcrafted more than 2,500 instruments since 1971
Together, Magical Strings has toured nationwide and abroad since 1978. They have recorded eighteen albums on four labels.
You can find selections of their music on Youtube. Their web site is here.
Enjoy an outdoor reception and then hear this lovely music offered up in the acoustically wonderful space and light of St Peter’s. An evening not to be missed.
The concert is free. We are accepting donations to help continue this concert series.
Help us advertise the show! Grab a poster and share it
Lectionary, April 2, Lent 5
I.Theme – Death and Resurrection
"Raising of Lazarus" – Giotto (1304-1306)
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm – Psalm 130 Page 784, BCP
Epistle –Romans 8:6-11
Gospel – John 11:1-45
Death and resurrection are the themes that permeate the lessons today. The image is that of forgiveness and redemption certified by resurrection and new life. The Psalmist awaits Yahweh’s redemption both for himself and for Israel. Ezekiel witnesses and even participates in the reanimation of dead Israel in preparation for her return to her land. The promise to new life for those filled with the Spirit of the Lord is the resurrection of Jesus. And Lazarus points ahead from his resurrection to the greater, more complete and dynamic resurrection of Jesus.
Contrast is used in this readings. Ezekiel’s story is that of the "dry bones" where we see lifeless, nake bones being reconstituted. Paul contrasts the life of the flesh, which draws from sin and leads to death, with the life of the Spirit, which draws from the Spirit of Christ and leads to righteousness.
In today’s gospel, we hear the story of the death and raising of Lazarus, a foretaste of Jesus’ own death and resurrection and of what all of us buried and raised with Christ in the sacrament of baptism both acknowledge (their own spiritual “stinking deadness”) and freely receive (the gift of new and eternal life).
1. Perseverance -Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead is the Bible story summary that teaches us a lesson about persevering through difficult trials
2. Through the raising of Lazarus, Jesus showed the disciples, and the world, that he had power over death. Many people put their faith in him after seeing this miracle.
3. Jesus revealed his compassion for people through a genuine display of emotion. Even though he knew that Lazarus would live, he was still moved to weep with the ones he loved. Jesus cared about their sorrow. He was not timid to show emotion and we should not be ashamed to express our true feelings to God. Like Martha and Mary, we can be transparent with God because he cares for us
4. Don’t prejudge Jesus!. Jesus waited to travel to Bethany because he knew already that Lazarus would be dead and that he would perform an amazing miracle there, for the glory of God. Many times we wait for the Lord in the midst of a terrible situation and wonder why he doesn’t respond more quickly. Often God allows our situation to go from bad to worse because he’s planning to do something powerful and wonderful; he has a purpose that will bring even greater glory to God.
5. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus explains the crowds seeking Jesus on Palm Sunday, and leads directly to the decision of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin to plan to kill Jesus. Theologians Moloney and Harrington view the raising of Lazarus as a "pivotal miracle" which starts the chain of events that leads to the Crucifixion of Jesus. They consider it as a "resurrection that will lead to death", in that the raising of Lazarus will lead to the death of Jesus, the Son of God, in Jerusalem which will reveal the Glory of God.
6. Which Lazarus are we ? Sung-Chul Choi reflects "As the resurrection and the life, Jesus calls people forth from their tombs, gives them life, and set them free. Jesus is the resurrection and the life – not at the last day, but already now and here. The spirit of Jesus raises us from our spiritual ‘death’ to newness of life…Are we ‘dead Lazarus’ still in the dark tomb or ‘awakening Lazarus’ walking out of the tomb without death clothing – creeds, dogmas, formulas? Do we see the world with new eyes? Can we see much better now and change what our brain behind, or accepted values, assumptions and ideologies, tells us?…Lazarus’ story is not about a so-called physical resurrection. This is a story about an awakening as well as a new vision or new world view on life. It is an extremely limited and limiting world view that one gets in a dark tomb."
Journey into Lazarus tomb
See the video tour where they go down into the tomb. There are some interesting photos of the trip along the highway to the tomb.
A Lazarus statue – Jesus call to us for a new life
From "Love Life: Life- Brother, Give Us A Word"
The Society of Saint John the Evangelist
"There is a wonderful sculpture of the raising of Lazarus. I believe it’s in the Chapel of New College in Oxford by Jacob Epstein. What I love about it is that there is Lazarus coming out of the tomb but only half of him is coming out and the other half is still in the tomb and you get this sense that he’s not sure that he wants to come out because there’s something comfortable about the familiar even if you’re half dead. "
"And I think that Jesus is calling us to new life and we have to say yes even though new life often can be rather fearful because it’s unknown. But I don’t believe that Jesus will ever leave us in a place where we are not fully alive. I think he’s constantly calling us everyday to become more alive because the more we become, the more I become the Geoffrey that God created me to be, the more I glorify God. "
"And I would say the gospel of John another wonderful theme is the theme of glory that where Jesus is there the glory of God shines forth. And that we are meant to shine forth with that same glory as well by becoming fully alive in Christ.
Like Lazarus
Suzanne Guthrie writes a weekly commentary on the lectionary at edgeofenclosure.org/. Here is a selection of her meditation this week
"I used to think Lazarus might have been disappointed to be recalled from death. And perhaps Martha and Mary needed him for their survival – why else selfishly beg for Jesus’ presence, especially at the cost of Jesus’ own safety? I think now, though, that Lazarus, conformed to the will of God, may have been content with the inconvenience, accepting the new threat of violence to himself and his family as a result of Jesus’ action. (John 12:10-11) Lazarus may have been willing to be a SIGN, if not a walking target, to further the Good News, despite any and all consequences.
"Having died already, what would Lazarus have to lose? I’ve talked with people who have clinically died and been resuscitated who are no longer afraid of death. But it isn’t just the extraordinary coming back from the dead that invigorates our own connection to the story. It’s Lazarus living for something much larger than himself, not contingent upon his life or death.
"I overheard on older friend once describe my early twenties conversion experience this way: “She’s Lazarus come out of the tomb.” In a way it was true, the first of a series of conversions and awakenings, like a hermit crab molting, leaving behind an exoskeleton time after time and, in successive increments living for something unseen and beyond myself. Life in Christ demands successive deaths and re-births. Maturing, growing in consciousness requires painful re-engagements with life-cycles of re-birth, self-sacrifice, transformation, dying, and being born again.
"Am I due for another molting?"
The Lazarus Effect on HIV
Researchers call it the Lazarus effect – the dramatic beneficial changes that antiretroviral drugs – ARVs – can bring to HIV/AIDS patients and their families. The drugs are changing lives just as Jesus changed Lazarus. This prevents the immune system from collapsing and reducing infections. The effects usually occur within 6 months of administering the drugs.
Not only the patient benefits but so families in regaining a productive individual. These individuals are able to make longer term investments which improves their economic potential.
Ted Talks featured such an individual Winnie Ssanyu-Sseruma in a talk entitled "Why it Means So Much for Me to be Alive"
She learned she was positive in applying for an internship during graduate school. At that point everything stopped and all she could think about was getting back to Uganda so she could die.
The turning point was in the support group for people living with HIV "60 women, 5 men being dead taking treatments and having this Lazarus effect. " She decided she wanted to be like them and get on with her life. "That was the turning point for me." She laments those who are so fearful of disclosing their HIV status that they would rather die. The disease has struck Africans. 90% of the children who have aids are African. Many parents have not told their children they are HIV positive. They affect others unknowingly. Women who get the treatment can have children that are HIV free.
Many also wait too late to be tested and then treated. Winnie has been in recovery for 23 years.
Winnie currently works as African services manager for Positive East and was one of the first people from the African community in the UK to have the courage go public with her HIV status. After discovering she was HIV positive, Winnie now spends her time volunteering; writing, researching and speaking about issues affecting HIV positive Africans.
The Lazarus Effect Film – Life from Death
This film was released in 2010, a documentary by Lance Bangs and executive producer Spike Jonze . The 30 minute documentary illustrates the transformative effect of life-saving antiretroviral medicine. Antiretroviral (ARV) pills that cost around forty cents a day can help transform someone in as few as forty days.
The Lazarus Effect film tells the stories of 4 HIV+ people in Zambia, including Concillia Muhua who when we first meet her is close to death’s door. The film shows her incredible transformation after 90 days of taking ARV treatment – this transformation is called “The Lazarus Effect.” As Concillia puts it: “There was nothing I could do for myself. I could not feed myself properly. I could not look after my daughter. After I started medication it was like I was resurrected.”
And Now…The Skitguys take on Lazarus
A slightly humorous skit on Lazarus. We have them next week also on Palm Sunday.