Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes
7:00 pm tonight
“Beauty”
Many thanks to Yasmin Brown for donating “Beauty” to our Narthex. She is a welcome addition!
Thoughts from Lori
You are invited, “therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”
Those are the words that set the stage for our Lenten observance; the plumb line by which we gauge our spiritual journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter. There are no limits to the creative ways people choose to keep Lent. You need only go to Facebook to see a sampling of ideas; one being to give up (i.e. fast from) Facebook!
People often ask me for suggestions, and sometimes I share a couple of my own experiences of Lenten disciplines. But ultimately, each of us must come to our own decision, our own choice, of what will bring us closer to God. And that’s the key:
what will bring us closer to God?
“Self-examination and repentance” is the opportunity to make a confession, either to a priest* or spiritual companion, or perhaps by way of a journaling exercise. However one might choose to make a confession, it is – as the saying goes – good for the soul. Forgiveness, after all, is the whole point of the Incarnation, crucifixion, and Resurrection; that we receive it and that we give it.
Prayer, of course, is a pathway to a closer relationship with God. And there are many ways to pray: intercession (praying for ourselves and others), praise and thanksgiving, listening, meditation, just to name a few. Listening may be the most challenging, as it requires us to turn off the chatter in our heads, which is easier said than done, and takes real practice. Nevertheless, it is well worth the effort.
Fasting and self-denial are familiar to those of us who grew up in the Roman Catholic or Orthodox tradition, but perhaps not to those of us who grew up in a Protestant tradition or were not churched at all. Fasting can sometimes seem frivolous and appear to have little or nothing to do with our relationship with God. Originally, this practice was to make us deeply aware of our dependence on God; that is, on the very life-giving nourishment we receive from God’s bounty. But these days with the abundance of food – at least for most of us here – the tendency is to give up something that is a luxury, such as chocolate or alcohol. Therein lies the flaw: such a fast hardly points to our dependence on God.
Many today turn to taking on something rather than giving up something. “Reading and meditating on God’s holy Word,” meaning the scriptures, is always a good choice. But don’t bite off more than you can chew or you won’t make it more than a week! Pick something truly engaging and enlightening such as Genesis or Exodus, or the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. And instead of chapters, measure your reading and meditation by time, say, twenty minutes or so.
Another Lenten discipline or practice that is worth considering is to do something quietly and behind the scenes for someone in need, or to set aside a small amount of money each day in thanksgiving for some blessing for which you are thankful, and at the end of Lent, give that money to a charity that helps people who are less fortunate.
However you keep Lent, whatever you choose to give up or take on, the bottom line is this: may it bring you closer to God and to each other, and may it prepare our hearts for the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord.
Faithfully,
Lori +
Coffee & Conversation
Our topic at Coffee & Conversation this Sunday will be a casual study of the Old Testament book of Job. No prerequisites! All are welcome to this opportunity for rich discussion and conversation.
Sharing the Feast
Whenever we get together to share a meal we can be sure that the food will be delicious and plentiful.
We are always very generous with each other in providing more than enough for all. We are about to embark on an extension of this generosity by taking the feast out into our community. We will do this by holding a food drive each and every time we share a meal together. Simply stated, when we feed ourselves we will feed the hungry.
We are asking that everyone bring non-perishable food items which will be donated to the FISH Food Pantry. We will have a food drive for our annual meeting, our quarterly meetings, the parish picnic; whenever we feed ourselves we will feed others.
A list of the Top 10 Most Needed Items for the FISH Food Pantry is located on the narthex table for you to take home. There are also forms for monetary donations if that is your preference. Our neighbors are hungry and we can help.
Magdalene & Thistle Farm
A Presentation by Lisa LeeSt. Ann’s, Woodstock
February 25 at 7pm
Magdalene House is a ministry to women which helps them escape prostitution and sex trafficking. It was founded by the Rev. Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest, and is located in Nashville, Tennessee. Becca and the residents and graduates of Magdalene established and run a cottage industry called Thistle Farm, thus providing jobs for these women and producing wonderful, natural soaps, lotions, candles, essential oils, and now teas. We have been invited to St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock for a presentation by Lisa Lee (our bishop’s wife) on Wednesday, February 25 at 7:00pm.
Caregiver Counseling and Support Program
Family Alliance is reaching out to faith communities to share news about a free program (covered by a grant from the McHenry County Board of Mental Health) they are offering that may be of interest. It is for persons experiencing the stress and loneliness that comes with giving care to another adult. Participants learn of the health risks and the importance of self-care. Program elements may include learning mindfulness practices and how to incorporate them into a daily routine, as well as educational events and support groups conducted by professionals and experts in the field. While the caregivers take time to experience the benefit of this expert guidance, their care recipient can spend the day at the same location in our award-winning adult day program (an option – also no fee – made available if it helps).
To qualify:
caregiver or care recipient must be over age 50 caregiver must be experiencing loneliness, stress or isolation caregiver must want to improve outlook caregiver must want to be the best caregiver they can be for their loved oneThere are many reasons a caregiver may want to keep their loved one out of assisted living or a nursing home… this program is designed to help that caregiver be the best, healthiest person they can be.
Interested persons can contact Family Alliance at (815) 338-3590 to learn more.
On the Calendar
Vestry – Thursday, Feb. 26th Women’s Wednesday – March 4th, 7:00 p.m. Men’s Breakfast – March 7th, 8:00 a.m.Lessons and Hymns for Sunday, February 22nd
(First Sunday in Lent – Year B)
by the Rev. William McLemore
THE SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
The First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17. This is the story of Noah responding to the call of God to build an ark and the covenant that God makes with him.
The Psalm: Psalm 25:1-9. The psalmist acknowledges his dependence upon God and says, “All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness.”
The Epistle: I Peter 3:18-22. Peter recalls Noah building the ark, comparing it to God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.
The Gospel: Mark 1:9-15. This is Mark’s record of the baptism of Jesus and his entry into the wilderness for forty days tempted by Satan.
THE HYMNS:
Processional Hymn: No. 150. “Forty Days and Forty Nights.” This is one of the three Lenten poems by George Hunt Smyttan published in the “Penny Post VI” (1856). The original version had nine stanzas and our hymnal includes the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th of the nine, though greatly altered over the years. The tune called “Heinlein” in the 1940 Hymnal is “Aus der Tiefe rufe ich” in our new 1982 Hymnal, the actual melody attributed to Martin Herbst (1654-1681) and later harmonized by William Monk (1823-1889).
Sequence Hymn: No. 608. “Eternal Father Strong to Save.” This hymn which is sung at most every service at the Naval Academy chapel was written by William Whiting (1825-1878). The tune, “Melita,” was composed by John Bacchus Dykes (1828-1876) and named for the island of Malta where St. Paul was shipwrecked (Acts 28:1). It is an appropriate presentation hymn as its climatic verse exclaims, “thus evermore shall rise to thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.”
Presentation Hymn: No. 143. “The Glory of These Forty Days.” This Latin hymn emerges from the 10th century and has been attributed to St. Gregory the Great but its true origin is unknown. The current translation was made by Maurice F. Bell for the 1906 Episcopal Hymnal and it has been in the hymnals ever since. The tune, “Erhalt uns, Herr,” is a hymn tune traced back to Martin Luther and a hymn that he wrote against the papacy and heretics, “Preserve us, Lord, by thy dear Word; from Turk and Pope defend us Lord.”
Communion Hymn: No. 325. “Let Us Break Bread Together.” This hymn is new to the Episcopal 1982 Hymnal though not to other older Christian hymnals. It is an African-American spiritual in both words and music revealing a deep appreciation for the two elements of the Holy Eucharist-the bread and the wine. (This hymn will be the Communion Hymn throughout Lent.)
Recessional Hymn: No. 149. “Eternal Lord of Love.” This hymn was written by Thomas Henry Cain, born 1931, and is based upon the image of the church as a people on a journey towards the God of glory. The tune is the Old 124th composed or adapted by Louis Bourgeois for the Geneva Psalter of 1551. The present harmonization is by Dr. Charles Winfred Douglas (1867-1944).
February 22nd Servants
Ushers: Beth Lukas, Jim Lukas Lector: Michelle Wiejaczka Intercessor: Jim Lukas Eucharistic Ministers: Charlie Boak, Pam Dietmeyer Vestry Persons of the Day: Pam Dietmeyer, Beth Lukas101 Reasons to be an Episcopalian
Reason 20
“Where the road to Easter is never a short cut, but you always get there.”
The Rev. Dr. Barbara T. Cheney, Diocese of Connecticut
From the cartoons created by the Rev. William P. McLemore
1965 – 2014
