Women’s Wednesday is tonight!
7:00 p.m.
Our last get-together before the tea on Sunday!
Men’s Breakfast is Saturday!
February 7th, 8:00 a.m. at Kim & Patty’s
Thoughts from Lori +
Believe it or not, Ash Wednesday is just two weeks from today! So it’s not too soon to begin to consider/ponder/think about/pray over what you might do as a Lenten discipline. Okay, it is a bit too soon, but nonetheless… The reason I bring it up is that I want to share with you something I am trying to do, not so much for Lent, but for life. (Besides, most Lenten disciplines shouldn’t be talked about. Like an old Episcopal nun said to me once long ago: A fast told is a fast lost. More on that another time.)
Anyway, this thing that I’m trying to do is this: whenever I find myself feeling really impatient or irritated with someone or something – like a stupid driver or clueless clerk – I am trying to convert that impatience into a prayer for that person. After all, I have no idea what is going on in that person’s day – or life, for that matter. This prayer isn’t anything grand or eloquent; just “Lord, bless this idiot person.” The result is amazing! I have no idea, of course, if it’s amazing for the other person, but it’s certainly amazing for me. I experience an immediate release of tension and irritability… almost peacefulness. While I hope the other person is truly blessed, I know I am. Which means that this practice isn’t particularly saintly; more like good self care. Either way, it’s working for me and I thought I’d share it with you.
On another note: I had a wonderful trip to Atlanta to be with my Anna sisters for our annual convocation of the Society of St. Anna the Prophet, as well as getting to see four of our grandchildren. Seems I missed a little snow event, didn’t I? All things considered, I am glad to be home!
Faithfully,
Lori +
The Women’s Tea
It’s almost here! The Women’s Tea is this coming Sunday. See the invitation below. Tickets will be on sale this Sunday and in the church office (9am to 1pm).
The St. Paul’s Women’s Tea at “The Rectory” On Sunday afternoon from 3:00 – 5:00 February 8, 2015Tickets are $20 for parishioners and $10 for their guests. Proceeds will be used through Episcopal Relief and Development to benefit women in developing countries as they work to establish small businesses.
Coffee and Conversation resumes this Sunday.
All are welcome!
Coming up in February
Endowment Committee – Wed., Feb. 11th, 6:30 p.m. Shrove Tuesday Tacos – Feb. 17th, 7:00 p.m. ** Ash Wednesday services – Feb. 18th, noon, 7:00 p.m. Vestry – Thursday, Feb. 26th** Prep cooks are needed for Taco Tuesday at 5:30 **
Please let Pam Dietmeyer know if you can help!
Lessons and Hymns for Sunday, February 8th
(Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – Year B) by the Rev. William McLemoreTHE SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
The First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31. The prophet reminds the people that “the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.”
The Psalm: Psalm 147:1-12, 21c. The psalmist recounts all the creative blessings that God bestows upon the world and gives praise for them.
The Epistle: I Corinthians 9:16-23. St. Paul reminds his readers that he was first a Jew, under the law, but “now I am under Christ’s law.”
The Gospel: Mark 1:29-39. Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law as well as others who are brought to Him. Then he leaves Capernaum to continue his ministry in neighboring towns.
THE HYMNS:
Processional Hymn: No. 401, “The God of Abraham Praise.” This hymn was written by Thomas Olivers and is based on an ancient Jewish creed called the “Yigdal.” It has thirteen articles that praise God in every way imaginable. Translated into English, it begins with these words, “Extolled and praised be the living God, who exists unbounded by time.” The tune was written by a Jewish cantor, Meyer Lyon, thus the name, “Leoni.”
Sequence Hymn: No. 632. “O Christ the Word Incarnate.” This hymn was written by William Walsham How and is based on Psalm 119:105. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This hymn has been in the Hymnal of the Episcopal Church since 1874 but in our current volume, the first line has been changed from “O Word of God Incarnate” to “O Christ the Word Incarnate.” The tune “Munich” is taken from a quartet piece in Felix Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” (1847).
Presentation Hymn:No. 423, “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” The writer of this hymn, William Chalmers Smith, may have been inspired by I Timothy 1:17, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.” The tune, “St. Denio” is based upon a number of Welsh ballads later adapted by John Roberts (1822-1877).
Communion Hymn: No. 314. “Humbly I Adore Thee.” The words are attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century) and come to us as a monastic hymn of personal prayer or meditation. The tune, “Adoro Devote,” is a French church melody in a plainsong form.
Recessional Hymn:No. 411, “O Bless the Lord My Soul.” This hymn was written by James Montgomery and is based upon Psalm 103. The text has been in our hymnals since 1826 without any alterations over the years. The tune “St. Thomas” was composed by Aaron Williams and is used in its abbreviated form for this hymn. The words call forth our faith in the deepest sense, “O bless the Lord my soul.”
February 8th Servants
Usher: Bill Lang Lector: Jill Harrison Intercessor: Terry Jaworski Eucharistic Ministers: Deb Lang, Charlie Boak Vestry Person of the Day: Beth Lukas101 Reasons to be an Episcopalian
Reason 93
“However you like to worship, there are Episcopalians who like doing it that way too.”
Andrew Wetmore, Diocese of Rhode Island
From the cartoons created by the Rev. William P. McLemore
1965 – 2014
