Building Preservation Appeal

We are blessed to have a beautiful worship space at St. Mary’s, and preserving and maintaining our historic church building is an ongoing priority for your parish leaders. Recently we have had two unexpected expenses. Our furnace fan motor failed (during Holy Week) and we have two broken or failing windows to replace in the Narthex (entry area). These two projects resulted in $2,500 of unbudgeted costs to the parish. We hope you will join our parish leaders in contributing financially to offset these unexpected expenditures. Every gift—large or small—will help us preserve our beautiful church building for another 150 years. Please mark your gift as “Building Fund” so we can properly credit your donation. Thank you for your continuing support of St. Mary’s!

Imagine: A Christmas Message from Fr. Scott

So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.  When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about the child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:16-19

 

Can you imagine?  Can you imagine what Mary must have been thinking as she pondered all that had happened and had been foretold?  Can you imagine?

Imagination is at the heart of our experience of Christmas.  We, with Mary, Joseph, the angels and shepherds, are part of something magnificently wonderful—something that words cannot begin to express.  We are part of the magnificence of God’s greatest gift, the gift of the Incarnation, something so spectacular that we are only able to imagine its implications.

God loved the world so much that God glorified the whole created order by becoming a part of the creation itself through the birth of Jesus—God’s only Son—to Mary.  This act of love transformed the world and continues to transform the world as we know it.

Pondering the transformation of the whole world is daunting, to say the least.  Perhaps we would do better to follow Mary’s example and ponder the implications of God’s gift of love in our own hearts—how does the Incarnation impact my life and my relationship with God?

To put it very simply (perhaps too simply), the Incarnate Christ is a constant reminder of God’s continuing, intimate presence with us; and we are a constant reminder of our continuing presence to God.  The ongoing power of the Incarnation keeps us in a relationship with God that is deeply personal; it is what gives us the audacity to claim our inheritance through Jesus Christ as daughters and sons of God.  As Paul writes, “And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’  So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”  (Gal. 4:6, 7)

What greater gift can we receive than the gift of God’s unconditional love?  But we feel unworthy to accept that gift because we are broken, sinful human beings.  Yet it precisely because we are broken, sinful human beings that God has given us this gift, a gift that transforms us and enables us to love God and one another as God loves us.  Moreover it is a gift that is ours forever for, as Paul writes in Romans, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:38,39)

Through this perfect gift of God we are transformed and we are empowered to continue the transformation of the world in the ways in which we share this gift with others.  The love of God through Jesus Christ is inexhaustible.  The more we share it, the more we receive, grace upon grace.

This Christmas, and always, share the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ.  As a child of God, accept your portion of the work we have been given to do to help embrace a sin-sick and weary world that all may come to know and accept God’s perfect gift of love to us through Christ Jesus.  Imagine the difference this gift will make in the world.  Imagine the power you can begin to unleash.  Imagine.

 

“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”

Like the apostles, we long to learn to pray as Jesus prayed: with faith, fire and fervency. Too often, however, we’re not sure how to begin, what to say, or even if our prayers will be heard and answered. This four-session discussion series will explore the four traditional forms of prayer: Praise, Petition, Intercession and Thanksgiving. We’ll learn that praying is a simple tool everyone has been given to enter into a conversation with God. We will discover the wealth of resources for prayer in the Book of Common Prayer and learn the basics for developing a rewarding prayer life with some down to earth tips from best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado.

Join us at 9:35 a.m. on the second Saturday of October, November, December and January to learn, share, explore and experience how a simple practice of prayer can enhance and enrich our conversation with God. There are no books to buy, no homework to do, and no attendance requirement; just a space to learn, grow and share.

A Litany for Peace

By Linda Friern and Tony Bartlett, in The Fire of Peace © 1992, Pax Christi

Let us pray that we may be set free from the chains of violence and war.

 

Jesus the Christ, by your cross and resurrection…deliver us

by your nonviolence and love…deliver us

by your witness to truth…deliver us

by your passion and death…deliver us

by your victory over the grave…deliver us

 

from the desire for power…deliver us

from the conspiracy of silence…deliver us

from the negation of life…deliver us

from the worship of weapons…deliver us

from the celebration of killing…deliver us

from the slaughter of the innocent…deliver us

from the nightmare of hunger…deliver us

from the politics of terror…deliver us

from a false peace…deliver us

from relying on weapons…deliver us

from the spiral of armaments…deliver us

from plundering the earth’s resources…deliver us

from the despair of this age…deliver us

from global suicide…deliver us

 

By the light of the Gospel…give us your peace.

by the good news for the poor…give us your peace.

by your healing and wounds…give us your peace.

by faith in your word…give us your peace.

by a hunger and thirst for justice…give us your peace.

by the coming of your reign…give us your peace.

by the outpouring of the Spirit…give us your peace.

by reconciliation of enemies…give us your peace.

by gentleness and nonviolence…give us your peace.

by the truth that sets us free…give us your peace.

by prophecy and witness…give us your peace.

by persecution because of your name…give us your peace.

by the power of your love…give us your peace.

 

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world… have mercy on us.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world… have mercy on us.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world… grant us your peace.

 

Almighty God, kindle, we beseech you, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquility your dominion may increase till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Second Saturday Discussions

second-saturday-logoJoin us at 9:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month as we delve deeper into topics important to the faith journey of all Christians. These one-hour discussion groups are informal and everyone is welcome to join us when your schedule permits.

Our current discussion series focuses on C. S. Lewis’ masterwork, Mere Christianity. Discussion topics will include: How do we differentiate right from wrong? Who is God? What is Free Will? How should Christians behave? Why is hope so vital to humans? Why is there a Trinity? What is the cost of being Christian?

About Mere Christianity

mc-cover-artOne of the most popular and beloved introductions to the concept of faith ever written, Mere Christianity is a collection of scintillating brilliance which remains strikingly fresh for the modern reader, and which confirms C. S. Lewis’s reputation as one of the leading Christian writers and thinkers of our age. The book brings together C. S. Lewis’s legendary radio broadcasts during the World War II years, in which he set out simply to “explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.” Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity’s many denominations, Mere Christianity provides an unequalled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to absorb a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith. A forceful and accessible discussion of Christian belief, Mere Christianity is one of the most widely read and discussed introductions to Christianity ever written. Lewis uncovers common ground upon which all Christians can stand together.

About C. S. Lewis

cs-lewisClive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. A close friend and colleague of J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over one hundred million copies and have been adapted into three major motion pictures.

The Royal Banners Forward Go!

Cross BannerPentecost Sunday, May 19, marks the culmination of work by our children born out of faith formation activities led by Sharon Lewandowski and  Linda Wallace.  Supporting help came from Jim Wallace, Susan Horn, Tom Hitchcock, Nancy Rotramel, Dar Cran, Carolyn Campfield and others.  At the 9 am service the children will process in with banners they made over the past eight weeks and show you their artwork inspired by St. Mary’s beautiful windows.

We are grateful to all who have stepped forward to engage with our children this year in a variety of ways.  The results are inspiring.

Children’s Banner Project

Cross BannerThe banners are coming! The children of St. Mary’s have been learning about the meaning of the liturgical colors and symbols. They are transforming what they have learned into beautiful, colorful banners that the children will carry in procession on Pentecost Sunday, May 19.

Between now and then, teaching/banner-making sessions will take place alongside adult formation the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month. This is a fun, engaging project; a great opportunity for our kids to learn and to create something meaningful and tangible they will take home and enjoy. It builds nicely on the church window project led by Sharon and Karon and Godly Play lessons led by Nancy and Dar.

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