Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
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 5 – March 12
|
5
|
|
|
6
|
[William W. Mayo, 1911, and Charles Menninger, 1953, and Their Sons, Pioneers in Medicine] |
|
7
|
Perpetua and Her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 202 |
|
8
|
[Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, Priest, 1929] |
|
9
|
Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, c. 394 |
|
10
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
12
|
Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 604 |
March 5 – Lent 1
From Last week…
The Week Ahead…
March 8 – 10:00, Ecumenical Bible Study
March 12 – 10:00am, Christian Ed – Godly Play (preschool through 2nd grade)
March 12 – 10:00am, Christian Ed – Five Marks of Love ;(children 3rd grade and up, adults
March 12 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Sunday, March 12 – Readings and Servers
Village Harvest, March, 2017
For our March Village Harvest, it is white paper month! Please the essential papers – paper towels, toilet paper and/or tissues by March 13.
Make your reservation for the Shrine Mont retreat in May!
Once again Christ Episcopal has extended an invitiation to St. Peter’s to join them on the mountain at Shrine Mont. It will be in the first week in May 5-7. Signups are due by March 26
Catherine designed last year’s program around the 2007 movie Lars and the Real Girl, the story of a shy young man in search for a real relationship and staring Ryan Gosling. 2016 was the third year we had one this. There were 10 from Christ Episcopal and 9 from St. Petere’s. The retreat which typically has been the last weekend in April or first in May.
Lent Began March 1
Lent is a 40 day Christian festival beginning Ash Wednesday and concluding on Easter (Sundays are not counted). The 40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness was responsible for the number 40 being chosen . It was said by Athanasius in 339 AD to be celebrated the world over.
The word "Lent" comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word lengten, which means "springtime," named so for the time of the year in which it occurs. The five Lenten Sundays are followed by the Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week, when we relive the events of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death.
What we now call Lent was originally a period of fasting and study for catechumens who were to be baptized on the Saturday before Easter. The purpose of this extended fast was to practice self-denial and humility. This was to prepare oneself for receiving God’s grace and forgiveness in baptism, given on Easter Saturday or Easter Sunday.
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. Highlights include:
- Introduction to Lent
- Our own Lenten Calendar
- Ash Wednesday– Wednesday, March 1, 7pm
- Sunday, March 5-April 9, Five Marks of Love", 10am intergenerational Christian Education
- Sunday, March 5, Lent 1 – Great Litany 11am
- Thursday, March 16, Lenten Quiet Day , ECW at Roslyn,
- Holy Week, April 10-16.
If this is not enough, we have other links to various Lenten resources
The Lenten Gospel Readings- the Path Ahead
Lent has five Sunday plus Palm Sunday.
Except for Lent 1, all of the Gospel readings come from the Gospel of John, specifically the second part Book of Signs (Jn 1.19-12.50). Palm Sunday has its own readings.
The second Sunday through the fifth has Jesus confronting various characters – a educated Pharisee, a Samaritan Women, a blind man and a man recently deceased. These texts from John are about revelation–the revelation of who Jesus is, the one sent by God, the begotten God, whose offer of life is in his presence and not necessarily delayed until his death.
The key is in the dialogues that the characters try to understand Jesus from their own backgrounds. Is he who he says he is ? How does he challenge Jewis teachings in the past ?
Along the way, it deals with man’s constant temptations and limits vs. Jesus as the source of light and eternal life. Jesus does make himself known in a significant way. It shows the power and glory of Christ and how humans confront it .
Are they going to find themselves within Christ ? Ultimately, how are we finding our way through Christ ? Will we recognize him? Will we witness for him? Will we see him and worship him? Will we come when we hear him call our names? Will we move as these stories show from darkness to light, from insecurity to testimony, from blindness to sight, from death to life? Here are the Sundays:
First Sunday of Lent: The Temptation of Jesus, following upon the account of Jesus’ own baptism, is a vivid reminder that our baptismal life is similar to Christ’s life: we will be subject to trial and temptation.
Second Sunday of Lent: The Story of Nicodemus , the Pharisee never understood the significance of Christ beyond the miracles despite his education. To stand accepted before God requires a conversion of one’s whole being. It requires being born from above, washed new by the Spirit of God.
Third Sunday of Lent: In the story of The Samaritan Woman the gradual enlightenment of the woman by Jesus is a pattern of baptismal grace that steadily purifies and enlightens us.
Fourth Sunday of Lent: The Man Born Blind shows the power of God offered to cure a helpless blind man. God’s power is no less evident in the sacrament of baptism.
Fifth Sunday of Lent: Raising of Lazarus is a powerful reminder that Christ is the "resurrection and the life" and those who believe in him will have eternal life.
Indeed the continual revelation of Jesus becomes a reason why the authorities conclude he is a dangerous man that needs to be dealt with in Holy Week.
Hymn of the Week, March 12- "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing was written by the 18th century pastor and hymnist Robert Robinson. Robert Robinson penned the words at age 22 in the year 1757. In the USA, the hymn is usually set to an American folk tune known as Nettleton, composed by printer John Wyeth
The lyrics, which dwell on the theme of divine grace, are based on 1 Samuel 7:12, in which the prophet Samuel raises a stone as a monument, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” The English transliteration of the name Samuel gives to the stone is Ebenezer, meaning Stone of Help.
Lectionary, March 12, Lent 2
I.Theme – Signs and promises, signs requested, signs given, and signs difficult to discern.
"Christ Instructing Nicodemus" – Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678)
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm – Psalm 121
Epistle –Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Gospel – John 3:1-17
Today’s readings are all about signs and promises, signs requested, signs given, and signs difficult to discern. Lent is a time to ask God to help us to be more loving, remembering that God is always ready to strengthen us.
Abram is covenanted by God, he is given the promise of a being a leader of a great nation, when he was beyond the years of having children. Abram trusted God to chart a path for him into the unknown
In contrast, Nicodemus, certainly better educated never understood the significance of Christ beyond the miracles. Nicodemus comes to Jesus looking for a sign – and when he is given it, he cannot understand it. He never understood that Jesus’ teachings were for more than the Jews and that he would have to abandon his older understandings. His knowledge was a barrier trying to understand. God ultimately gave us his Son for stengthening us and the community.
Paul discusses Abraham’s ‘wages’ which he says are a gift when the promise comes true;
Who is driving ? you or God ?