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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, May 21 – May 28
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21
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[John Eliot, Missionary among the Algonquin, 1690] |
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22
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23
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[Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543, and Johannes Kepler, 1543, Astronomers] |
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24
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Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the United States,1870 |
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25
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Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Monk of Jarrow, 735 |
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26
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Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605 |
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27
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[Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent, 616] |
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28
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[John Calvin, Theologian, 1564] |
May 21 – Easter 6
The Week Ahead…
May 23 – 6 pm, "Road to Emmaus", Christian education
May 24 – 10:00am, Ecumenical Bible Study
May 28 – 9:00am, Holy Eucharist, Rite I
May 28 – 10:00am, Godly Play (preschool through 2nd grade
May 28 – 10:00am, "Road to Emmaus" (repeat from May 23)
May 28 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Sunday, May 28 Readings and Servers
"Thy Kingdom Come," Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost
Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement, which invites Christians around the world to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus Christ. You can "Pledge to Pray."
What started as an idea from Archbishop Justin Welby gained momentum and in May 2016 more than 100,000 Christians from different denominations and traditions took part from the UK and across the world. They joined in more than 3,000 events and services to pray for others to come to know Jesus Christ and for God’s kingdom to come.
Here is a video from the Archbiship which expresses his thoughts about the movement.
The hope is that:
- people will commit to pray with God’s world-wide family – as a church, individually or as a family;
- churches will hold prayer events, such as 24-7 prayer, prayer stations and prayer walks, across the UK and in other parts of the world;
- people will be empowered through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
Resources
1. Prayer resources for individuals, congregations and/or families can be downloaded here.
2 A prayer journal or young people and adults to record thoughts, prayers and ideas throughout Thy Kingdom Come
Video messages began with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on May 25. Here is the link
Curry writes, "God came among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to change the world. Jesus came to show us the way to change the world from the nightmare it often is into the dream and vision that God intends.
"The Archbishop of Canterbury has invited us to pray – ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.’ Prayer actually does change things. We may always not know how; we may not always know the details; we may not always see the end result or the end product but prayer changes things…"
Travel the Road to Emmaus continuing Tue. May 23, 6pm (Note change in day this week!) . This 6 week class is for everyone and especially those in preparation for reaffirmation, confirmation or reception. Learn about ways the church can help you to increase your faith. Renew your relationship with God. Refresh your knowledge about the church.
These classes will be held on Wednesday, May 10; Wednesday, May 17: Tuesday, May 23; Wednesday, May 31; Tuesday, June 6, and Wednesday, June 14th. We’ll begin with a simple supper at 6PM, followed by learning and discussion which will end by 8PM each evening. Not only will we have fun together, but we’ll learn a lot together. We will be considering #2 Faith this Tuesday:
1. Beginnings: Baptism and Confirmation, The Bible. Knowing our History
2. Faith: What do we believe?
3. Worship: Responding to God’s blessings;
4. Sacraments: Signs of Grace;
5. Spirituality: Created for Prayer;
6. Navigating the Church: From Local to Worldwide Church and The Mission of God: What’s your Ministry?
Please let Catherine know if you plan to attend.
Ascension, May 25, 2017 and May 28, 2017
Biblical scholar Ronald Coleman wanted to be clear on Ascension -"We do not, as a matter of fact, believe that Jesus ended his earthly ministry with the equivalent of a rocket launch, rising a few hundred miles above the earth. Nor do we think Jesus was the first to be “beamed up,” to use the term made so familiar by the television series Star Trek."
The New Testament treats the Ascension as an integral part of the Easter event.
It is the final appearance Jesus’ physical and resurrected presence on earth. It is the final component of the paschal mystery, which consists also of Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, Descent Among the Dead, and Resurrection.
Along with the resurrection, the ascension functioned as a proof of Jesus’ claim that he was the Messiah. The Ascension is also the event whereby humanity was taken into heaven. There is a promise he will come again.
So when is it ? The Ascension in Luke 24 is on Easter Sunday evening or, at the latest, the next day; in John 20, sometime between the appearance to Mary Magdalene (who is told not to touch the risen One because he has not yet ascended) and the appearance to Thomas (who is invited to touch him); in Acts 1, after the forty days (which, however, are symbolic of the time of revelation; there may be no intention to suggest that the ascension actually “occurred” on the fortieth day). We celebrate Ascension on the 40th day, this year Thursday May 25 or the closest Sunday, May 28.
The main scriptural references to the Ascension are Mark:16:19, Luke:24:51, and Acts:1:2 and vvs. 8-10. Luke 24 says "While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven". In Acts " he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." Jesus commissions his followers, rather than simply blessing them; and we have an appearance from two men in white robes.
Mount Olivet, near Bethany, is designated as the place where Christ left the earth. The feast falls on Thursday, May 25 and it is one of the most solemn in the calendar, ranking with the feasts of the Passion, Easter and Pentecost.
In disappearing from their view "He was raised up and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9), and entering into glory He dwells with the Father in the honur and power denoted by the scripture phrase."
In a way, Jesus’ abandonment of the disciples upon the Mount of Olives is more profound than their abandonment on Calvary. After all, the disciples themselves predicted he would die. But no one could have imagined the Resurrection and the extraordinary forty days during which Jesus dwelled again with his friends. Forty days with the resurrected Jesus – appearing in the upper room, along the way to Emmaus, upon the beach at Galilee! Imagine their despair when this, the Jesus present to them in such an astonishing way, enters the Cloud on the Mount of Olives.
Ascension as the beginning of the Church’s mission
The Ascension is the beginning of the church’s mission.
1. It is powered by the Spirit
2. It is a call to be witnesses
3. It is worldwide is scope
The Ascension holds the promise of Christ’s return.
The Purpose of the Ascension:
A. For Man’s Redemption
B. For Jesus to be our Advocate
C. So The Spirit Could Come
D. To Prepare a place for Us
Ascension Art: trying to make it visual.."
The Ascension has always been a challenge to understand through the scriptures. Artists have played a role in giving us a visual depiction of the event. They have been doing this for over a 1000 years. 
Read more about Ascension art with a collection of 17 works …
Our own Ascension art – St. George’s Ascension window
These are earliest windows produced for the church in 1885 and dedicated to Rev. Edward McGuire who served as rector her for 45 years from 1813-1858 and was the rector when the current Church was built in 1849. It was produced in Germany but we do not know the maker. There are three panels increasing the drama and focus. The window is the front of the church directly in front of parishioners.
The Ascension took place 40 days after the Resurrection when Jesus led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. He raised his hands, blessed them and then was lifted up until a cloud took him out of their sight. This is shown in the middle window. He is shown, arms raised, disappearing into a cloud with his feet and the hem of his clothes visible. His feet still show scars of the crucifixion.
Continue with the article and a photo gallery …
Prayers from Ascension to Pentecost
Here is a link to enrich your spiritual life from Ascension to Pentecost – 10 days. The nine days from Ascension Day to the Eve of Pentecost are the original novena–nine days of prayer.
Before he ascended, Jesus ordered the disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. After his Ascension, they returned to the upper room in Jerusalem where they devoted themselves to prayer. These last days of the Great Fifty Days of Easter can be a time for us to prepare for the celebration of Pentecost.
Lectionary, May 28 Easter 7, Ascension Sunday
I.Theme – The Ascension and its implications for the church
"The Ascension" – Catherine Andrews
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Acts 1:6-14
Psalm – Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36
Epistle –1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Gospel – John 17:1-11
The Ascension also effectively connects the story of Jesus with the story of the church .
The early church recognized the significance of the Ascension. It is found in every major creed. For example, the Apostles’ Creed states: “On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
The risen Jesus now sits in a position of authority ("the Father’s right hand"). With Jesus at the Father’s right hand, we can never think of God in the same way again, that is, apart from Jesus.
Ascension is all about direction.
1. Looking upwards
Where is heaven ? When the early church confessed that Jesus had ascended into heaven, the emphasis was not so much on a place – the emphasis was on God’s immediate presence. The church was confessing that Jesus had entered into the divine glory – that the risen Jesus now dwelt in the immediate presence of God. This may explain the meaning of the phrase, "a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Oftentimes in scripture, a cloud represents the glory of God, the sign of God’s presence (cf. Exo. 33:7-11; Mark 9:7).
2. Heading downwards
Apostles are grouped together in Jerusalem awaiting their next step. "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying… constantly devoting themselves to prayer."
3. Setting outwards.
This is an opportunity to reflect on the mission imperative of the church, the dangers of the church looking inward and the strength we gain from a Jesus now in the heavens who equips us for service