The Beacon April 2017 -...
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The Beacon— April 2017 Table of Contents 1 From Fr. Jim+ 1 & 2 Announcements 3 Birthdays, Anniversaries, Events, & Jokes 4 Church Words 5 Money Matters 6 Devotional Meditation 7 Closing Information 8 Who are we? Why do we gather to worship? What has Christ death and resurrection procured for us? Dear Church family, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I was recently listening to a sermon by John Piper about the nature and power of the church. It seemed a good topic to examine as we prepare to enter Holy Week and Easter, celebrating what Christ has done for us. So, let us ponder the following questions: Who are we? And why do we worship together? Who are we? We are a people of God’s own possession. We were chosen, before the foundation of the world, to belong to God. We are a people destined to become like the Son of God. We are a people bought with divine blood. We are a people forgiven and accepted before the throne of the universe. We are a new creation on this planet. We are indwelt by the creator of all things that have been created. We are a people who have been made holy by the blood of Jesus. We are called to eternal glory. We are the heirs of the world and all that is in it. We are a people appointed to judge angels. We are destined to rule with Christ on his throne. We are eternally loved. We will live forever. There is more power to effect eternity as we gather in our church on Sundays and in other Christian gatherings, than all earthly government systems in the world. Makes you wonder why we worry so much. Why do we look to the power brokers of the world to “save” us? Read the list above again. It should make us tremble. It is beyond comprehension, and yet it is truth. All of it comes from God’s word. Yet we often walk as if we have no clue about who we are. The church, (not just us), seems to be asleep. We walk through the world unconscious of what God has done, unconscious of the truth of the power within us, unconscious of who we are. Why? Perhaps (Connued on page 2)
Transcript of The Beacon April 2017 -...
The Beacon— April 2017
Table of Contents 1
From Fr. Jim+ 1 &
2
Announcements 3
Birthdays,
Anniversaries,
Events, & Jokes
4
Church Words 5
Money Matters 6
Devotional
Meditation
7
Closing
Information
8
Who are we? Why do we gather to worship? What has Christ death and resurrection procured for us? Dear Church family, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I was recently listening to a sermon by John Piper about the nature and power of the church. It seemed a good topic to examine as we prepare to enter Holy Week and Easter, celebrating what Christ has done for us. So, let us ponder the following questions: Who are we? And why do we worship together? Who are we? We are a people of God’s own possession. We were chosen, before the foundation of the world, to belong to God. We are a people destined to become like the Son of God. We are a people bought with divine blood. We are a people forgiven and accepted before the throne of the universe. We are a new creation on this planet. We are indwelt by the creator of all things that have been created. We are a people who have been made holy by the blood of Jesus. We are called to eternal glory. We are the heirs of the world and all that is in it. We are a people appointed to judge angels. We are destined to rule with Christ on his throne. We are eternally loved. We will live forever. There is more power to effect eternity as we gather in our church on Sundays and in other Christian gatherings, than all earthly government systems in the world. Makes you wonder why we worry so much. Why do we look to the power brokers of the world to “save” us? Read the list above again. It should make us tremble. It is beyond comprehension, and yet it is truth. All of it comes from God’s word. Yet we often walk as if we have no clue about who we are. The church, (not just us), seems to be asleep. We walk through the world unconscious of what God has done, unconscious of the truth of the power within us, unconscious of who we are. Why? Perhaps
(Continued on page 2)
Page 2 Rector’s Letter (continued) too often, we listen to voice of the world rather than God’s own voice. Why do we worship? First and foremost, God is worthy of all worship - ALL worship, which means we should worship nothing else. We worship because of who He is. Secondly, we worship because of who we are. We worship because there is a unique and manifest presence of the Living God reserved for His family gathering in worship. In worship God comes to us. When we gather, as a people enterally loved by God and filled with His spirit, we usher in His presence. Our offerings of prayer and praise on Sundays is a unique offering to the Lord. He is enthroned on our praises. That is true for all Christian gatherings in the world. Our worship rises up to Him as sweet incense. Our worship pleases God. When we offer Him praise and thanksgiving, when we gather in His name, when we gather as a spirit-filled temple - He is in our midst! We should have the expectancy of meeting God every Sunday. We should expect to experience His presence. We should reach out and touch His Kingdom. And no matter how we come in, we should leave changed. We worship in His presence, because during our offering of praise: He will heal broken marriages as a husband and wife sing praises to God and feel the impossible become possible. He will humble the most arrogant sinner so that he may leave free and humble as a little child. He will shine his light on the confused and they will leave knowing what way to go. He will catch those who feel like their whole life is falling off a cliff, and they will walk out on solid ground. He will convict you of the ugliness of a hidden habit that is quietly destroying your life, and you will walk out not just resolving to be free, but truly Free! That is why we worship. Come with hunger and expectancy on Sunday. Pray to God to wake us all up! Finally, all of this is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has made a way where there was no way. By His blood and sacrifice we can boldly stand before the throne of grace. He has made it possible. As we walk through Holy Week into Easter, remember who you are! Remember why you worship! And experience His presence! In Christ, Fr. Jim+
Page 3 Announcements
Scrip Coordinators: Lucinda & Rich Hart Phone: 941-746-0841
Email: [email protected]
Scrip It’s that time again! Below please note the
schedule for scrip Sundays 2017. April 2nd (for Easter)
May 7th June 4th
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross will be prayed every Friday at 7PM during Lent. We need individuals to assist. Please sign-up in the Narthex to be the A) leader, B) reader 1, C) reader 2, or D) Crucifer.
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) Hope Chests
We encourage all Episcopalians to gather, to pray for people fighting poverty, disaster and disease in their communities and for all those around the globe leveraging local resources and expertise to address disparity and inequality in the world. ERD collaborates with local church and ecumenical partners in nearly 40 countries on long-term community development strategies. Please support this work by contributing to your HOPE CHESTS this Lenten Season. Your participation is a simple way to help
convey Jesus’ love for our neighbors in need.
ERD 2017 Lenten Meditations Written by a collection of Episcopal Church and faith leaders and published by Forward Movement, ERD’s 2017 Lenten Meditations explore how faith is fed and enriched through spiritual relationships and communities. It is our hope that these Lenten meditations will deepen our faith in the risen Christ and strengthen your connection to our community that walks together with others around the world. As we consider Jesus’ life of healing and sacrifice during this Lenten season, ERD asks you to reflect on your faith and how you might take action in responding to a hurting world. The traditional Lenten practice of almsgiving provides an opportunity to renew your commitment to people in need by supporting our work.
Page 4
View St. MM's Calendar
April Birthday’s 2 Meghan McConnaghy 4 Nancy Newby 6 Allen Register 7 David White 8 Olivia D'Orazio 9 Herman Bell 9 Eliana Wiedeman 10 Rich Hart 13 Tim MacDonald 13 Dave Rose 15 Chuck Johnson 16 Bela Jakusovszky 19 Norma Reardon 22 Olivia Serbin 24 Emil Zellweger 25 Rose Seto 27 Jackson Newby
April Anniversaries
3 Salvatore & Christine Piscitelli 7 Steven & Rose Seto 12 Jack & Colleen Rossbach 18 Clifton & Chandra Williams 20 John & Anne Sullivan 28 Bill & Sharon Alden
Birthdays, Anniversaries, Events & Jokes
April 2 Scrip Sunday 3 Easter Lilly Deadline 7 Palm Cross Class—10AM/Please bring scissors 7 Stations of the Cross—7PM 9 Palm Sunday Services—7:30AM, 9AM, & 11AM 10 Bunco—7PM 11 Vestry Meeting—7PM 12 Daughters of the King—9:30AM 12 Tenebrae—7PM 13 Maundy Thursday—7PM 13 Prayer Vigil—Thursday night to Friday noon 14 Good Friday Services—Noon & 7PM 16 Easter Day Services—7:45AM, 9AM & 11AM w/ Easter Egg Hunt @ 10:15AM 25 Quiet Day w/Dabney @ DaySpring (Registration Required) 28 Happening #74 through Friday 29 Turning Point—10AM
During the forty years of
wandering in the desert,
there wasn’t much to read.
Jokes
A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a container of alcohol. The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil. At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results: • The first worm in alcohol: dead. • The second worm in cigarette smoke: dead. • Third worm in chocolate syrup: dead. • Fourth worm in good clean soil: alive. So the Minister asked the congregation, "What did you learn from this demonstration?" Betty Lou was sitting in the back and quickly raised her hand and said, "As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!" That pretty much ended the service.
Page 5 Church Words
INRI – What does this mean? Is it an acronym, a symbol or
initials for a phrase? Most of us see this daily around our
house or where a cross of the Crucifixion is displayed. The
Gospel according to St. John provides the most complete
account of the sign posted on the cross when Jesus was
crucified. According to John, it was written by Pontius Pilate
and contained the words “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews” in three languages – Latin, Hebrew and Greek. This
account (John 19-20) is contained in the Passion Gospel traditionally read on Good Friday. Matthews 27-37,
“This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Matthew calls the sign the “charge” against Jesus. Mark 15-26 says the
inscription stated it was the “charges against him and read, “The King of the Jews.” Luke 23-38 indicates that
an inscription was placed “over him” “This is the King of the Jews.” Matthew and Luke say that the writing is
often referred to as “the superscription,” which merely means, ”the writing above” His head on the cross.
The Latin version read, “Iesus Nazerenus Rex Iudaeorum.” From the 13th century, Italian painters abbreviated the “subscription to its initials in Latin: INRI. I hope this helps.
PALM – The oldest use of palm branches is described by Leviticus 23:39-44 of
the Old Testament, in connection with the harvest Feast of Tabernacles. There,
people constructed arbors of palm and lived in them for seven days. The
Roman Legions would return from a successful campaign carrying palm branches
as a symbol of their conquest. The Jewish celebration of the recapture of
Jerusalem and the purification of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus is recorded in
2 Macabees 10;7 and included the use of palms. The writings of Egeria, a nun
who visited the Holy Land in the late 4th century, describe a Holy Week procession to the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem in which the faithful carry palms. This use continues in the modern Church. The ashes imposed
on Ash Wednesday are traditionally made by burning the palms used on the previous Easter Sunday.
ROCK - Many Old Testament symbols are derived from history.
David is represented by a lion’s head, Noah by a dove with an olive
sprig, Jonah by a whale, Passover by a lamb, Pentecost by a sheaf of
wheat and so on. Thus, rock was used as a symbol for the Lord
God because of its weighty and enduring qualities. This association
was bolstered by the story of Moses striking the rock at Horeb,
from which the Lord provided water for the children of Israel
(Exodus 17:6; Psalm 105:41; Isaiah 48:21). As a result, God is
frequently referred to in the Old Testament as, “my rock,” “the rock of salvation,” or “the rock of Israel.”
Probably the best known rock image for God is in the hymn “Rock of Ages” written by an English vicar (1740
-1778).
RAINBOW – As a Christian symbol, the rainbow depicts the union between God and humankind (because
the apex is centered in heaven while its ends touch the earth), and is a symbol of reconciliation (after the
story of the Flood in Genesis). The most popular
meaning of the rainbow is as a symbol of the
everlasting promise of God. The Lord chose the
rainbow as a sign of his assurance never again to
destroy the world by flood (Gen. 9:11-17).
Christian interpretation of this symbol turns it
around from a promise not to harm the earth to
a promise of God’s presence upholding and
nurturing His creation. By Harold Crapo, Jr.
Page 6
Personal Financial Stewardship
Loving Money
God’s Word warns us about the love of money: “People
who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some
people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced
themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Jesus said, “You
cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
How much we love money is not dependent upon the
amount of money that we may have. We can love money and
have very little love of it, or we can have lots of it and not love
it at all. Loving money is very subtle, and it can manifest itself in
different ways. For example for those who have accumulated
some money, it could be seen in an unhealthy obsession with the investment markets. It could be seen in
our desire to hoard our money and not give. Power and success for those who focus on money is relative to
how much money they have.
Because we live in a very materialistic society, there is a great deal of interest in money. Webster’s
Dictionary defines materialism as “the tendency to be more concerned with material things than with
spiritual goals or values.” Materialism leads us to spend money we don’t have in order to buy things we
don’t need so that we can impress people we don’t even like. A materialistic person loves his possessions, is
greedy, and lacks contentment.
The following are three negative consequences of both loving money and becoming part of our
materialistic society:
Distorts our thinking: Our hearts become darkened. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him
as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking become futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened” (Romans 1:22-23).
Stimulates our pride: We become self-sufficient rather than relying on God. “You may say to yourself, ‘My
power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me’ ” (Deuteronomy 8:17).
Preoccupies our thoughts: We have no time or concern for the needy or for God. “Their destiny is
destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly
things” (Philippians 3:19).
When we call upon God’s strength, he will empower us to serve him rather than our money. As we
spend time hearing and reading God’s Word, he will strengthen our faith so we can break the power that
money and possessions can have over us.
By Parish Publishing
Money Matters
Page 7 Devotional Meditation
Scripture Reading:
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we
will all be changed . . . the dead will be raised
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality . . . The
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:51-57).
WE’VE WON!
We’ve all been stung by death. Children die. People in peak physical condition die. Sickness or age or
accident creeps up on us, and we all die. Sounds morbid, doesn’t it? But death is a final and painful reality.
When death comes to one we love, no matter the age of the person, we are stung. For some the sting
remains, even though it may be eased by passing time. When death comes to a Christian, however, the sting
of death is momentary. We who mourn do not mourn without hope, for we know that death is not the end.
The disciples who watched their Savior hang on the cross were stung by his death. They mourned
without hope, for they didn’t know his death was not permanent. That hopelessness turned to great joy,
though, when Christ appeared to them alive! Because he rose from the dead, we, too, shall rise. Death could
not triumph over Christ and it cannot triumph over us. Through Christ, we’ve won! Death is defeated.
Eternal life begins at our Baptism and carries us into Heaven.
What a profound mystery this is! Our only response is to cry, “Thanks be to God!” The sting of death is
removed because, in Christ, we’ve won!
Discussion Thoughts:
1. Read the entire passage in 1 Corinthians 15:5-58.
2. According to verse 50, what must we have in order to live in Heaven with Christ?
3. According to verse 58, what two things are we to do as we wait for Heaven?
4. What is the promise contained in that verse?
Prayer: Dear Lord, you have taken away the sting of
death through your death and resurrection. You
have given us new victorious lives to live in you
each day. Keep us steadfast in faith until the end
and use us to spread the Good News of victory in
Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.
By Parish Publishing
11315 Palmbrush Trail
Lakewood Ranch, Florida 34202
Phone: 941-751-5048
Fax: 941-751- 4174 [email protected]
ST. MARY MAGDALENE’S EPISCOPAL
We’re on the Web! Click this link:
St.MM’s
OUR VISION STATEMENT
That all humanity be in full relationship with God & one another.
(based on 2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
We seek to live out Jesus’ Great Commission of making disciples of all people, by
being present in the world and ministering God’s redemptive gifts of love & grace.
OUR STAFF
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith, Bishop of the Diocese of SW FL The Rev. James E. Hedman, Rector
The Rev. Dr. Sharon L. Lewis, Assisting Priest Neil Keith, Music Director
Beth VonEnde, Organist/Choir Director Bridget Rochon, Publications
Becky Schellinger, Bookkeeper Michelle Tarte, Nursery
SUNDAY
7:45AM—Holy Eucharist (Rite One)
9:00AM Contemporary/Family Service w/ Nursery Care
9:15AM Children’s Chapel
11:00AM—Rite Two/Traditional Service w/Nursery Care
11:15AM Children’s Chapel
TUESDAY
7:30PM—Worship Practice
WEDNESDAY
10:00AM—Healing Service
4:30PM—Bible Study
6:00PM—Food, Fellowship and Worship
6:30PM—Teen Bible Study
7:00PM—Class
THURSDAY
10:00AM—Quilters
6:30PM—Choir Practice
FRIDAY
7:30AM—Men in Christ Men’s Bible Study
Recommended Web
Sites:
Diocese of Southwest Florida
Episcopal Relief and Development
The Text This Week
(A collection of resources for your own
Bible study.)
Bible Basics
(A great pronunciation guide - a voice
reads the word out loud to you.)
The Bible Gateway
(The entire Bible in different translations)
The Daily Office (A “high-tech” way to join in the daily
prayer of the whole Church)
The Book of Common Prayer
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E-mail (by the 19th of each month please,
and mark it “For BEACON”) to
We would love to get to know you better If you have any news that you want to share with our church family, please inform Bridget. Email: [email protected] or call the church office. Do you (or did you) have an unusual hobby, pet or business? Do you have a praise report, story / testimony about God’s movement in your life? Do you have a family member who has written an article that made it into a newspaper, magazine or on-line? Do you have a family member who has received an award, certificate or honor that you would like to share? Bridget would love to hear about it and possibly put it in a future St.MM’s newsletter or announcement.
