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Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
Help us advertise the concert!
Go to the Thirteen page for links including the poster.
3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.
Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.
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, Jan 1- Jan. 7
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1
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The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
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2
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[Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, First Indian Anglican Bishop, Dornakal, 1945] |
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3
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[William Passavant, Prophetic Witness, 1894] |
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4
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[Elizabeth Seton, Founder of the American Sisters of Charity, 1821] |
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5
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6
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The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
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7
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December 31, 2017 – Lessons and Carols
15 Events – 2017 had many wonderful smaller events unlike 2016 when there were large events that changed the face of the church, such as the renovation of the kitchen and the altar.
There is no one theme that connects all of these events in 2017. However, the environment is possibly one connecting link. We celebrated God as the creator of the environment in September and early October in the Season of Creation. We added "bee culture" which played itself out in St. Francis day. The Prayer Walk reached out into the environment on the nature preserve and the river. We enjoyed playing in nature with stations of the cross on Good Friday and with the scavenger hunt in the fall.
Nature can be a destructive force as seen in hurricane season this past fall. We rose to the occasion by contributing to the Episcopal Relief fund. Life and death are all part of nature, the latter we felt as we lost a one of the large sycamore trees near the graveyard. And now to the events…
Sunday, Dec., 31, 2017 – Story and slideshow
The Week Ahead…
Dec. 31 – 6:00pm – New Year’s Eve Gala in the Parish House
Jan 3 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study
Jan 6 – 7:00pm – Epiphany Service and Lovefeast
Jan 7 – 10am – Christian Education for childrren
Jan 7 – 11am – First Sunday after the Epiphany
Jan 7 – 12pm – Coffee Hour – a potluck. Bring a dish to share.
The Thirteen returns!
In 2013, they helped to begin our series of annual concerts. We’re having them back in February to celebrate our 6th year of concerts 
Help us advertise the concert!
Go to the Thirteen page for links including the poster.
Epiphany – Jan 6 until Lent begins Feb. 14, 2018
Adoration of the Magi – Bartholomäus Zeitblom (c. 1450 – c. 1519)
The English word "Epiphany" comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means "appearing" or "revealing." Epiphany focuses on God’s self-revelation in Christ.
Epiphany celebrates the twelfth day of Christmas, the coming of the Magi to give homage to God’s Beloved Child.
The Epiphany celebration remembers the three miracles that manifest the divinity of Christ. The celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361, beginning as a commemoration of the birth of Christ. Later, additional meanings were added – the visit of the three Magi, Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River with the voice from heaven that identifies Jesus as God’s son, and his first miracle at the wedding in Cana. These three events are central to the definition of Epiphany, and its meaning is drawn from these occurrences.
The Epiphany readings for Jan 6
The Epiphany readings are about travel, journey and ultimately sharing Christ’s light. But it is not easy as the opponents of Christ are present. Link to the readings:
Epiphany means “appearance of the Lord.” In the East, where it started, this feast was instituted not to recall the Magi, but the birth of Jesus, the Christmas, the appearance of the light. In the West—where Christmas was celebrated on December 25—it was received in the fourth century and became the feast of the “manifestation of the light of the Lord” to the Gentiles and the universal call to all people to salvation in Christ. Magi reveal the truth of John 1:9 – the true of God, coming into the world, enlightens all creation and every person. Every child is an incarnation of our beloved Savior.
The Setting for Sunday, Jan 7
We have just celebrated the birth of Christ and will experience his death and resurrection on April 1. However, one key event we should put in the same category is Jesus’ baptism. This Sunday is one of the weeks set aside for baptisms since we remember the baptism of Jesus early in Epiphany. We usually include the section in the prayer book for the renewal of the Baptismal Covenant in the service. In the past we have also "sprinkled" people.
We have many of our baptism articles one page, the Baptism Page.
Baptism in the Episcopal Church
From the Episcopal Library "This is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body, the church. God establishes an indissoluble bond with each person in baptism. God adopts us, making us members of the church and inheritors of the Kingdom of God (BCP, pp. 298, 858). In baptism we are made sharers in the new life of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is the foundation for all future church participation and ministry."
From the Diocese of New York
We owe much to the Apostle Paul who, through his writings, left a record of how the early Christian community understood Baptism.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by Baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).
Baptism was, for the early Christian community, a sacramental action to convey that one was experiencing spiritual conversion and renewal–the end of one life and the beginning of another in Christ. By using the metaphorical language and imagery of death, burial, and resurrection, the early community ceremonially expressed, that in Baptism, we die to our destructive and distorted ways of being, relating, and acting, and that by the goodness and faithfulness of God, we are raised from death to a new life, guided by and filled with the Spirit of God. It was an outward and visible sign of the spiritual transformation God was doing in one’s life. It was a symbolic action performed to depict what was happening within the life of one on a spiritual journey towards communion with God, the people of God, and all God’s creation.
Although the metaphor of being raised from death to new life is the dominant image of Christian Baptism in the New Testament, no single image or metaphor can exhaust the rich meaning of one’s conversion and experience of spiritual renewal. Consequently, there developed other images and metaphors in Scripture that express how the early Chrisitan community spoke of their conversion of life and experience of renewal in the Holy Spirit. Among them are:
Spiritual Rebirth (John 3:3-10)
Spiritual Awakening (Romans 8:37-39)
Initiation into the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-13)
Transformation of the whole person (Romans 12:1-2)
Made a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17)
To turn from darkness to light (Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:11-14)
To be saved (Titus 3:3-7)
One 0f the questions in baptism is whether infants or children should be baptized automatically or there is a specific age ?
Lectionary, Epiphany 1, Year B, Jan 8 – The Baptism of our Lord
I.Theme – Meaning of Baptism for Jesus and us
"Baptism of Christ"- Fra Angelico (1450)
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Genesis 1:1-5
Psalm – Psalm 29 Page 620, BCP
Epistle –Acts 19:1-7
Gospel – Mark 1:4-11
Genesis – God parts the waters, transforming darkness and turmoil into light and hope.
Acts – Baptism is linked with descent of the Holy Spirit in the developing Christian community. It is the story of Paul baptizing some of John the Baptist’s disciples. They understand the need for repentance, but they do not understand that God through the Holy Spirit is now at work in their life. They had not heard about the Holy Spirit, and they did not understand how they could participate in the reign of God now.
Mark – This is beginning of the ministry of Jesus, which actually begins with the ministry of John the Baptist, the voice coming out of the wilderness, as God’s voice hovers over the face of the deep. God calls forth light, and therefore life; John the Baptist calls forth repentance and forgiveness, and through baptism, a new life is born. Jesus comes to John to be baptized in the River Jordan. Jesus baptizes Jesus, the heavens split apart and the spirit descents affirming Jesus as both messianic King and Spirit filled servant.
As Jesus’ head rises above the waters, breaking through into our world, God breaks through from heaven as well. Baptism is the re-entry of God into our lives, and the re-entry of ourselves into God’s intended goal for creation: goodness and life. Repentance and forgiveness is our way of turning back, of re-breaking into the reign of God on earth.
Psalm – Psalm 29 is hymn to God as God of storm to overcome pagan worship of Baal as thunder god. God alone is source of strength and blessing for the people. It is a song of wonder and amazement towards God our Creator, where the voice of God thunders over the waters .
Baptism is a time of transition. Jesus moves from the obscurity of Nazareth to larger stage. His gifts become public. God is not making demands but delights in his son. For Jesus as with us the mission begins in gift. Hearing that affirmation must have strengthened him for his trials – 40 days in the desert.
Read more about the Lectionary…