Email, March 8, 2015

See the Sunday Review

Last Sunday (Lent 2, March 1, 2015)

 

March 8-  10:00am, Godly Play (preschool through 2nd grade)

March 8-  10:00am, Adult Education,   "Lectio Divina"

March 8-  11:00am, Holy Eucharist, Rite I, Lent 3

March 8-  12:00pm, Coffee Hour


March 9-  4:00pm, Vestry


March 11 – 10:00am,  Ecumenical Bible Study

March 11 – 12:00pm, Noon Prayer

March 11- 5:00pm, Youth group

March 11 – 7:00pm, Evening Prayer

Calendar

This Sunday at St. Peter’s – Servers, Readings   


A Change of Schedule for Sunday

 

Due to a death in Bishop Goff’s family, she will NOT be with us on Sunday, March 8, 2015. We extend our sympathies to her and family.

We will have our regular Lent schedule – 10am Godly Play, 10am Adult Education, 11am Rite 1. Since we did not have coffee hour last week, we will have it this week at 12pm.


Lenten Prayer Practices, March 8, Lectio Divina

On Sunday mornings during Lent, at 10AM, we will be learning about various prayer practices. We’ll experiment with a different prayer practice each week.

Sunday, March 8 Lectio Divina is a way of praying by reading scripture prayerfully. Learning about this practice provides not only a new way to pray, but also a way to read scripture that can bring you into God’s presence to rest and to listen for what God is trying to say to you.

"Lectio Divina", a Latin term, means "divine reading" and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us. In the 12th century, a Carthusian monk called Guigo, described the stages which he saw as essential to the practice of Lectio Divina. There are various ways of practicing Lectio Divina either individually or in groups but Guigo’s description remains fundamental.

He said that the first stage is lectio (reading) where we read the Word of God, slowly and reflectively so that it sinks into us. Any passage of Scripture can be used for this way of prayer but the passage should not be too long.

The second stage is meditatio (reflection) where we think about the text we have chosen and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us.

The third stage is oratio (response) where we leave our thinking aside and simply let our hearts speak to God. This response is inspired by our reflection on the Word of God.

The final stage of Lectio Divina is contemplatio (rest) where we let go not only of our own ideas, plans and meditations but also of our holy words and thoughts. We simply rest in the Word of God. We listen at the deepest level of our being to God who speaks within us with a still small voice. As we listen, we are gradually transformed from within. Obviously this transformation will have a profound effect on the way we actually live and the way we live is the test of the authenticity of our prayer. We must take what we read in the Word of God into our daily lives.

Come explore this ancient form of prayer on March 8


Ladies Night Out, Saturday, March 14, 6pm – Signup by March 9 

Give Bill Wick a call and let them know whether you are coming and if so what you are bringing. They are requesting you bring a bottle of wine or other drink of your choice as well as any serving utensils you require.

The requested donation is $50 per couple ($35 an individual) and the ECM is requesting it in advance so they don’t need to collect at the door. The Entertainment for this year is quiz game on John Wilkes Booth. 

Here is a link to last year’s gala event.


Stories of the Diocese – Morning Prayer in Nursing Homes 

Evangelism! Here is a story of extending the church into nursing homes  in the Fredericksburg area narrated at the last Council by  Amanda Kotval and Connor Newlun of Region I which we belong.  

Five local churches are involved – Aquia, Trinity, Christ Church, St. Paul’s King George and Messiah.  


It’s time to… Work, March 8–March 14

This is part of the Society of St. John the Evangelist Lenten series on Time. " It’s time to .. Stop Pray , Work, Play and Love." This week, working.

In Western society, the area in which we are most prone to develop a disordered relationship with time is in our work. Many of us are working too hard and too long. In his book, Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam notes, "For many today work has supplanted community life and this has had an adverse effect on happiness." For many of us, the case is even more extreme: our overworking is killing us.

How should we, as Christians, think about our work? First, we can recognize that work is a gift from God, a gift which God shares with us and an essential part of the rhythm of human life. In the story of Creation in Genesis, the crowning achievement of God’s work was the creation of human beings to share in the responsibility of ordering and managing the world. It is natural for human beings to want to work, to enjoy working, and to experience the natural satisfaction of a job well done. Work contributes profoundly to our sense of dignity.

Herbert Marcuse, a 20th century philosopher, claims that our difficulties with work arise because we are dominated by the "Performance Principle." We have an inner compulsion to perform, and what we feel about ourselves – our sense of identity and worth – is directly related to how well we perform. But as he notes, we can never really rest with this mindset, because there is always more to be done, and more to be achieved. When our sense of value as a human being is determined by our performance, it often doesn’t feel good enough.

This was true of Saint Paul. Though he had achieved much living under the Law, he still had the feeling of falling short. But in Christ, Paul encountered grace. In Christ he came to know that he was loved and accepted by God – as a result of grace, not because of his own performance. When he realized this – that nothing could separate him from the love of God in Christ – he experienced a profound sense of freedom. His work became an expression of love and gratitude as he strove to "do everything to the glory of God."

Read more …


Reading the Daily Office: Noon Day and Evening Prayers  (Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 25) – Part 3 – The Opening

From Richard Liantonio On the Road to Emmaus

Transcendence is what comes to mind, when I think of joining in the very prayers the Church has made from its earliest days. One type of prayer expresses what is in our hearts. Another type of prayer lifts us into an expanse far transcending the confines of our limited self. Prayers and hymns whose life extend to the second and third century, and earlier, are foundational constituents of the Daily Office.

After discussing the Christian Year as the backdrop upon which the BCP Prayer services are built, and then introducing the BCP itself, I am now going to lead you page by page in how exactly to use the Prayerbook to pray. Much of it is self-explanatory, but I have given a running commentary along the side to spell out exactly what is going on, in an attempt to make it perfectly clear. You may not need such explanation to begin. If so, just start using it and refer back here if you have any questions.

Text in Orange is to identify words that are actually on that page of the prayerbook. If anything is confusing, please comment and I will try to clarify.

NB: The intended audience for this series is people who have no experience in using liturgical forms of prayer so I have attempted to explain everything. My apologies in advance if this seems a little pedantic.

As I mentioned last time, it’s helpful for me to see all of the BCP prayer services as having four parts, in this order:

1) Opening

2) Psalms

3) Readings

4) Prayers

There are also four different prayer services that essentially use this same four-part format:

1) Morning Prayer

2) Midday (Noon) Prayer

3) Evening Prayer

4) Compline (bedtime) 

This post will focus on the first section (the “Opening”) as it specifically relates to Evening Prayer. After we discuss the central four-part structure in Evening Prayer, I’ll show you some of the ways it is used in the other three offices.

Read more …


Lectionary, Lent 3, Year B, March 8, 2015  

I.Theme –  Old and new covenants

"Moses with the Ten Commandments" – Rembrandt, 1659

The lectionary readings are here or individually:

Old Testament – Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm – Psalm 19 Page 606, BCP
Epistle –1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Gospel – John 2:13-22

Commentary by Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell:

We continue to recall the covenants of God with the people, remembering the promises of old. We have remembered the covenants of God with Noah and all of creation, between God and Abraham and Sarah and their family, and now God’s new covenant with the people journeying out of Egypt to be their God in Exodus. God’s covenant requires that the people live in community, and these “ten best ways” (a phrase I borrow from the curriculum Godly Play) are part of that covenant, what the people have to do on their end to uphold the covenant. As we know, the covenant is larger than this, and there are over 600 law codes in Exodus and Leviticus on how the people of Moses’ day were required to live in community with each other, but these ten are the ones that have stood the test of time and have become a part of even our secular society. We remember most of all that to be part of God’s family, we have to be in community with each other.

Psalm 19 is a song of praise about creation and God’s covenant. The writer delights in the law of the Lord–in following God’s law, the psalmist knows he is part of the faithful community, part of God’s family–this is beautiful to the psalmist. The writer desires to be in the company of the faithful to God, and sings the beauty of the laws and ordinances.

John 2:13-22 extends the idea of the faithful community to within and beyond the walls of the Temple. When Jesus enters the temple and sees all sorts of animals being sold for the sacrifices, the temple priests making money off of those coming to exchange for the temple currency, his anger is kindled. In the other three Gospels Jesus turns over the tables, but in John’s Gospel (in which this event happens much earlier, on a first trip to Jerusalem, not the week Jesus is killed as it is in the other Gospels), Jesus makes a whip of cords and drives out the moneychangers and sellers. Jesus desires to end all boundaries to relationship with God. No longer will the poor, who do not have the money for the temple currency or to afford the clean animals for the sacrifice, be turned away, and no longer will those in the temple appear to have special access to God. The temple of God will no longer be in stone, but in Christ, and in our very selves, the body of Christ. No longer will there be arbitrary separation based on human standards, but all who believe will be in relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 is the famous discourse of Paul, that we proclaim Christ crucified. The new covenant in Christ is not written on tablets of stone or seen in a bow in the clouds, but is written in our hearts, as the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed. But more importantly, the new covenant is one in which death is no more. The cross is a stumbling block to those for whom the Messiah was supposed to avoid death. The cross is foolish to those who have had gods defy death. Instead, the cross calls us to put to death the sin within us, and to work to end sin in the world. But death itself is not something to be feared, because death has no power over us. The new covenant is new life–here and to come.

The new covenant, which is emerging in the Lenten passages this season, ends all separation from God. The covenant with Noah and all creation ensures that days and seasons, the passing of years, will never cease. The covenant with Abraham and Sarah promises a family of God that will endure for generations. The covenant with Moses and the people at Sinai ensures a community of faith, the family of God, participation with each other and relationship with God. But Christ calls forth a greater covenant, one in which there are no boundaries that can be drawn on earth or by any power to separate us from God’s love, and that by being the body of Christ, we are the temple for God, that cannot be destroyed because we have the promise of eternal life in Christ.

Read more about the Lectionary…


John 2:13-22 -Exploring the Temple Incident

 We explore this verse in John’s Gospel:

"Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. " 


1. The Setting

The story takes place within the 3rd temple (1st Solomon’s, 2nd one returning from Babylonia). Herod’s temple did take a generation to build. He ruled 36 years and the temple took 46 years to construct – and it was huge! The Temple area had been enlarged to a size of about thirty-five acres. Today the Western Wall, the so-called Wailing Wall, is all that remains of the ancient walls of Herod’s Temple 

More specifically, the events took place outside in the Court of Gentiles. There was a market there selling sacrificial animals and birds outside the place where the priests worked. There was also a money exchange, since the Temple dues had to be paid in Tyrian coinage, and most people had Jerusalem coinage only. This meant that the atmosphere in the Court of the Gentiles was like an oriental bazaar where merchants haggled with Jewish pilgrims – like souvenir shops clustered round modern-day cathedrals

The market did provide a valuable service. Those selling animals were providing a service to those who needing an animal to sacrifice during Feast time. Obviously this had been approved by the Jewish leaders in the temple. This was a great convenience to Jews traveling great distances, since they did not have to have livestock in tow. They could buy the necessary sacrificial animals right at the temple.

The money changers were providing a valuable service. A tax was collected from every Israelite who was twenty years old. This was due during the month preceding the Passover and was either sent in by those who lived at a distance or paid in person by those who attended the festival. They had to pay in Jewish money and not by a foreign coin and nbsp;work, to enjoy working, and to experience thenbsp;work, to enjoy working, and to experience thethus the need to have their money exchanged

2. The  issues

A. Jesus saw trade in the Temple as a desecration of its true purpose so, maybe with the help of others, he tried to shut down the trade in sacrificial animals and the money-changing that was going on. It was not a case of type of activity but where it was done. 

B. He saw the Court of the Gentiles as a sacred place, part of God’s Temple.   The tradespeople used the Court of the Gentiles as a short-cut between the city and the Mount of Olives – the Temple precincts could be entered from all four sides.   The Court of the Gentiles was something less than a place of prayer.

Jesus was not the only one to object: there was widespread criticism of the 1st-century Temple scene among Jewish writers.  The general hullabaloo of the area made this impossible, and it angered him. There is a strong contrast between "my Father’s house" and "a house of merchandise." This Father and any house of his have to do with prayer, worship, true religion.  

Jesus is claiming to have the authority to correct evils performed in the temple. John is interested in showing his audience early on that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah, and as such, he is divinely empowered from on High to purge the Temple of its impurities. 

C. He made an assessment that the trade and money changing exploited people, especially the poor, by making excessive charges, so he intervened. This is based on the other Gospels not John who never uses the phrase "den of robbers."  Their endeavor to buy God’s favor is what fueled Jesus to cleanse the temple precincts. 

D. Jesus thought the priests and Temple personnel were abusing their sacred roles by being involved in business in a sacred area.  It was not the animal vendors and money-changers he criticised as much as the Temple establishment who allowed it.   The ruling priests, especially the high priest himself, gave permission for these commercial activities to take place. They were ultimately responsible for this desecration of a holy place.   

In the end, the temple story is important in John because he wants to convey the idea that what contributed to Jesus’ arrest and death was his so-called profanation against the Temple, and that it would be through his death and resurrection that he would fulfill the role as Messiah. 

 3. Contemporary voices 

David Lose – God is no longer just accessible through the temple. In today’s world, church is not the destination but where we receive and then sent to partner to God in ordinary life. 


Lawrence – The temple represents economic exploitation


Becky Zink-Sawyer  – It is a message against all injustices that seek positive transformation


Daniel Clendenim –The cleansing of the temple is a stark warning against every false sense of security — against every nice-n-neat box I try to stick Jesus into for my own comfort. Jesus comes to challenge rather than to reinforce my prejudices and illusions. He comes to defamiliarize what religion makes safe and cozy. He never once says, "understand me." He says something far more radical. "Follow me.


Bill Loader – We don’t need the Temple to find God, we have Jesus for that


Scott Hoezee  – The money changers et. al. were eclipsing the real role of the temple.  The Jews no longer saw the temple as God’s house and lacked their faith of the past.

Read the details from these writers…


The Temple Incident – the Artists’ perspective

Giotto – "Explusion of the Moneychangers from the Temple" (1304-1306)

 

El Greco– "Purification of the Temple" (1570’s)

 

Valentine de Boulogne – "Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple " (1620-1625)

 

Rembrandt-"Christ Driving the Moneychangers from
the Temple " (1626)

More artists and an article…


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