February 16, 2012
Sunday Services:
~8 am Highlands Chapel; 10:00 am St. Dunstan's Church~
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In This Issue
 Next Sunday's Readings
Sometimes we encounter God in subtle, beautiful ways, and sometimes God is present in dramatic, spectacular ways. This week’s Gospel reading is the story of the Transfiguration. Jesus goes to the top of a high mountain with Peter, James, and John to pray and there he is transformed, transfigured, and appears in dazzling white robes along with the great prophets Moses and Elijah. These “mountaintop” experiences give us courage and hope that can sustain us when God seems far away. Last Sunday's Sermon: The Heart of JesusThe Gospel of Mark is a precious jewel: small, complex, beautiful, and when examined closely, surprising in its complexity. In this week’s short passage we hear the story of Jesus healing a leper and then telling him not to reveal who healed him. These six verses seem to hide more than they reveal. Why would Jesus tell the man to go to the Priests when he was already healed/clean? Why would Jesus tell the man not to reveal that Jesus healed him? And yet, for all the mystery of this passage, the words also reveal some beautiful facets of Jesus’ heart. Even though Mark is the shortest of the Gospels, I find it to be profoundly revealing of Jesus and his ministry. This sermon offers a lens, a method of reading the text, that can begin to reveal more of who Jesus is and what we can count on Jesus for. This work, the work of discovering who Jesus is and what he means to us, is the foundational work to deepen our faith by building our trust and faith in Jesus. Click Here to Listen to this sermon. Youth News1) "Wall of Praise" As you come down to the rooms on the first floor, please note the new addition to the yellow wall at the bottom of the stairs. A while back, the SUNDAY SCHOOL made a paint collage of various colors, decided on words that were "words of praise", and then traced those words onto the painted collage. The YOUTH GROUP has showcased those words by cutting them out and they are now up for your pleasure. THANKS for the SUNDAY SCHOOL and YOUTH GROUP for this beautiful display of color and imagination. The words stem from a lesson in "Seasons of the Spirit". Many thanks to Sandy Lamb for her creativity in developing this wonderful activity. We hope enjoy! Ann-Patrice Riccardo2) Sunday, February 19th, the Sunday School will meet to design and put together their LENTEN BANNER for the OFFERTORY procession. THANKS to Tina Bunes for being our volunteer this coming Sunday, and to Mary Pacher who was in our classroom last Sunday when we made our "Compassion Valentines". There is no Youth Group this coming Sunday. Take care and enjoy your Presidents Weekend and Mid Winter Breaks! Ann-Patrice and Sandy Saints are Us More stories from Great Britain - People developed the habit of using up milk, animal and dairy products and eggs by making pancakes . Even today, Pancake Day is widely observed, and in some towns and villages pancake races are still held! They start with the ringing of a bell, then the contestants run along the main street, tossing pancakes in a fry pan as they go. There has been one such race in Olney in Buckinghamshire since 1445, from the market square to the parish church. There is a legend suggesting that a distracted housewife, on hearing the "shriving bell", calling the faithful to confession, mistook it for the "pancake bell" and ran off to the church clutching her frying pan containing a pancake. At Olney, the race is started by a churchwarden ringing a large bronze "pancake bell". Competitors toss their pancakes and then run a 400 meter course. The housewife who comes in first is required to toss her pancake again before being greeted with a kiss, and a greeting of peace by the Vicar, at the conclusion of the race at the parish church, with competitors placing their frying pans around the font. In 1950 Olney was challenged by the town of Liberal, Kansas. The two towns now compete annually, the separate races being run on a timed basis. A more gruesome explanation of "pancake day" dates from Saxon times. A settlement at Linby in Yorkshire was invaded by Danes and the local men fled. The women left behind planned to massacre the Danes on Ash Wednesday, using kitchen knives. As a pledge to take part in the conspiracy, the women agreed to make pancakes the day before. The smell attracted the Danes, who ate and then slept. In the early hours of Ash Wednesday, the women stabbed the Danes, and the annual commemorations of their victory slowly spread to other areas. Other areas celebrate Shrove Tuesday by whole towns participating in games of football, called "wide games". The goals could be as far apart as three miles. These are vigorous games, burning off much energy, in much the same spirit as carnival before the restraints of Lent. Over the next seven weeks I will be exploring customs leading up to Easter, the themes for the weeks are: Ash Wednesday; World Day of Prayer; Palm Sunday; Holy Week; Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; and The Great Vigil (Eve of the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord). Days during Lent that disciplines DO NOT APPLY are all of the Sundays of Lent, Sunday is always a joyful celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord; as well as the Holy Days of Feb. 24 - St. Matthias; March 19 - St. Joseph of Nazareth; March 26 - the Annunciation of Our Lord. I hope you find this series interesting and informative. At the end of this series I will go back to exploring the life of men and women who have made a significant contribution to the work of the Gospel. See you next week. Br. John, O.C.P. |
Lent: It's Not About the Chocolate What are you giving up for Lent? How will you prepare yourself for Holy Week and Easter? It has become almost a cliché to give up chocolate for Lent. The idea, of course, is that chocolate is so good that to give it up for the season will remind us repeatedly of our love for God and our desire to prepare our hearts for Lent.But really, Lent is not about the chocolate, or even about fasting from chocolate. Lent is a time to prepare to experience the power, the beauty, and the joy of Easter. This year I would like to offer, along with our bishop, something that will be more powerful than giving up chocolate.  Each year at Lent, our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Greg Rickel, recommends a book for study. This year he recommends the Bible. Yes, the Bible, and he offers a program to support us in reading through the Bible in a year. So, I would like to invite you to join me in taking our Bishop up on his challenge.Here’s the way it will work. The Center for Biblical Studies has created a one-year reading schedule to guide us through the Bible in a year, from Lent to Lent. You can get the schedule at their web site: http://thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org/read-the-bible-in-a-year-from-lent-to-lent/. Let me know you are reading along with me and we can support each other, share our reflections on the readings, and generally cheer each other on. If you would like to read through the Bible with us and you don’t have Internet access, just let me know and I’ll be happy to send you a paper copy of the reading schedule. The schedule is very thoughtfully created. Each day we will read from the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the New Testament. It takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to read the daily assignment. I recommend that you set aside the same time each day to do your reading. Keep your Bible, with three bookmarks, along with a printout of the reading schedule in a comfortable spot for reading so that all you have to do is sit down each day, open your Bible, and read. You might even light a candle and say a prayer. As you read, you will know that others are reading the same verses. If you are not ready to commit to reading the entire Bible with us this year, consider these alternatives suggested by the Center for Biblical Studies:
There are Bible readers available for smart phones and Ipads. You can also find most versions of the Bible for free online if you would like to read at your computer. There are even daily podcasts that go through the Bible in a year. Whatever option you choose, I recommend that you buy yourself a modern translation published as a study Bible. The translation that we use in our worship is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). Study Bibles include notes and illustrations to help us understand what we are reading. I use the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV). There are some wonderful study Bibles based on the New International Version as well. The Message is a wonderful translation in contemporary language that is very readable and accessible. If you are already familiar with the King James Version, there is nothing wrong with that venerable translation. The only challenge is that the King James English is not always obvious to our contemporary ears. I would be happy to help you find a good Bible for this project. Yours in Christ, Fr. David Click here to respond to this post at Fr. David’s Blog. Treasurer's Report After the discussions about the budget at the Annual Meeting, a number of people have asked about making extra donations for different purposes, such as reducing our budget deficit and maintaining our educationcoordinators and section leads. As was brought up at the meeting, we still have a projected $4,400 deficit for 2012 and a carryover deficit of nearly $7,000 from 2010. As treasurer and a member of the vestry, I have to view these obligations as a first priority. Once we eliminate the deficit, increasing the hours for music and education will become the priority. Anyone wishing to make additional donations to address the 2012 budget doesn’t need to do anything special – anything that is over your specific pledge amount will be credited to you and the surplus used to reduce the deficit. However, if you want to designate a donation as something extra, please feel free to indicate that. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at fleeketpooh@gmail.com or at home at 206-364-5742 and thank you all for your continued support. Here is a snapshot of the contributions at last Sunday’s services: Plate offerings (cash) $22 Pledge payments $2,189 Sunday flowers $40 Non-pledged giving $1640 Thanks, Tom Community EngagementPlease find us on Facebook @ St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church. Get updates on events, share your thoughts and join the discussion. Become involved!Vacation Bible Camp, 2012. This summer, St. Dunstan’s Church will hold their Vacation Bible Camp on July 9th through July 13th. Come join us from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon for fun filled days that will include games, bible stories, music, arts and crafts, and much more. All children from ages five through sixth grade are welcome, so tell your friends and neighbors. We also welcome middle and high school young adults to join us as assistants to our teachers. If you are an adult and would like to teach and share in this great experience with our young people, please let us know. You may contact Mary E. Pacher at (425)374-8846 or (206) 363-4319 for further information. You may also register at the office of St. Dunstan’s Church. The fee for the week is $25.00, and worth every penny. Tent City is in need of warm clothing.Please bring to St. Dunstan’s and mark your donations Attn: St. Agnes Guild/Tent City.Prayer Shawl Ministry - Knitting & Crocheting Lessons: Calling all knitters and crocheters and those who'd like to learn. Do you desire to help those in need of comfort but don't know how? Here is an opportunity to use your needlework talent to make a prayer shawl for our ministry. Several people have expressed an interest in learning how to knit and crochet to support this ministry. Please contact Diana Rall (206-660-9156, dtoshiba@comcast.net) or Susan Vanek (susanv@aceweb.com)if you'd like to learn or if you'd like to help with lessons. Upcoming EventsBeautiful Auction ItemThanks to the generosity of parishioners Mary and Mike Servais, St. Agnes’ Guild will be offering a Seth Thomas Westminster Chiming Clock as an auction item at the February 21st Shrove Tuesday Italian Dinner at St. Dunstan’s Church. This is an electric chiming clock in excellent condition. It was overhauled in 2010 by a master clock repair service. We are excited to offer this item at our auction and grateful to the Servais family for their gift. Tickets to the dinner will be sold this coming Sunday: $12.00 for adults with a family package available. Don’t miss this event with delicious food, special musical entertainment and good friends to greet. Shrove Tuesday Dinner As you plan to attend the Shrove Tuesday Dinner this year, please take note of the SILENT AUCTION. In the process of having an estate sale for our mother, we pulled some items that will be displayed on February 21st. As the St. Agnes Guild was near and dear to our mother's world, we have doanted some of her treausures for that evening's cause. It would delight her to no end, to know that the proceeds from your bidding will be going to the St. Agnes Guild. THANKS for bidding! Don and Ann-Patrice Riccardo. Saint Agnes Guild is sponsoring the Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras Dinner on Tuesday, February 21, 530pm. There will be a delicious Italian Dinner prepared by the Carosiello family, No-Host Wine Bar, Silent Auction and Musical Entertainment. It will be fun for all ages. Single Adult - $12. Family Package = Two adults & children 12 & under - $30.00 or One adult & children 12 & under – 18.00. Reservations required and paid prior to Feb. 19th by calling Dixie Buol at (206) 533-0288 or after church services. Donations are needed for the silent auction.If you have any questions contact Lu Gardiner, President of Saint Agnes Guild.
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Lenten Spirituality Seminar and Worship begins at 7:30 PM on Wednesdays, from February 29th through March 28th, in the entrance hall of St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church. At 8:30 we will offer the service of Compline using the music of Taizé. Compline is a beautiful and meditative service used for centuries at the end of the day. This seminar is open to all who seek to experience the comforting presence of the Holy in the midst of life's challenges and struggles. For more information see our Facebook event!Occupy the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Feb 29
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Lifetouch photography will be coming to St. Dunstan’s in March to create photo directories. Every participating family will receive a free photo directory and a free 8x11 family portrait. You can invite your friends, family and neighbors and they will also receive a free 8x11. Sign-up is required and will start at our Shrove Tuesday dinner. Lifetouch will be here in March on Tuesday 20th, Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd from 1pm-8pm and Saturday 24th from 10am-5pm. Vestry CornerThis last weekend we celebrated the life of Sunny Holt, with a beautiful memorial service at St. Dunstans. We had beautiful readings and music provided by our wonderful choir section leaders accompanied by Marion Anderson. Sunny will be missed deeply by all who knew her, and I know we all want to do all we can to support the Holt family through this time.St. Agnes provided a reception after the service, as they have done many times for many others. This is just one of the really valuable ways that the St. Agnes Guild is a blessing to our congregation. Memorials, by their nature come up without much notice, and can vary greatly in size. The ladies take on these challenges very gracefully, which I know this has been appreciated by many families. They always seem to know how many tables to set and where to put them, and never seem to run out of cookies. I hope this year that the Vestry can work more closely with St. Agnes than ever before. Memorials are just one area in which St. Agnes supports our congregation, and are an illustration of how important that group is to all of us. They have much valuable experience and, care very much about our church. As we work to grow St. Dunstans, that experience will be invaluable. With all the challenges that will face us in this year, I am so glad to know we have the St. Agnes guild continuing to support us as they always have. -Liz |
