Mark 14:3 While [Jesus] was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head.
From the Archives: November 4, 1941
When our Lord came bringing redemption, he did not stop to count the cost. When this woman wanted to show her gratitude, nothing but the best would do. Onlookers called it extravagance, complained at the waste. Jesus said she was right.
Many people are afraid of doing too much for God. They measure their gifts by what others are giving. “I have done my share. Let somebody else carry on.” What is my share? My service to God is between God and me. It is not a matter of comparison with my neighbors. Comparisons are odious. Suppose Christ had waited in Gethsemane for others to do their share? There would have been no Good Friday and no Easter. He was not afraid of doing too much for us.
MOVING FORWARD: What does it mean to you to pray for fellow Anglicans around the world?
We want to get you in sync and prepared for this Saturday’s St. Edward’s Virtual Annual Meeting. It would be wonderful if as many of our parishioners who have Internet access and are savvy with using the computer can get on ZOOM and attend the meeting as we will be hearing our final message and report from our Interim Rector, Father Bateman, along with vestry elections and delegates to Diocesan Convention and our financial report. The Annual Report will be posted on the St. Edward’s web site by Friday evening for all to review. If you place the link in your browser now, you will download the program and you will see a pop-up box that details the date and time of the meeting, but it will not prompt you for your 2 codes until the day of the meeting.
Once you review the report online, if you have questions you would like answered, we have set up a protocol as follows: Please contact a member of vestry and detail your question and it will be addressed. The vestry list is as follows:
MICHAEL FRESHWATER ’21 Secretary 717-898-6100
JULIE HOFF ’22 Junior Warden 717-898-6037
DINA ISHLER ‘20 717-481-0708
MARK JAKIEL ‘21 540-560-2895
HERB JOHNSTON ‘21 717-392-8513
GINNY KLOEPPING ‘20 717-735-7103
ELLEN MILLIGAN ‘22 717-569-0081
BILL SWIERNIK ‘20 717-682-4428
MEREDITH WESTGATE ’20 Senior Warden 717-575-2119
Here are the details (please make note as we will not make public the join code and passcode on the web site):
If you have not already signed up for ZOOM, go here and click the button in upper right “Sign up, it’s free”
Once you have signed up and have the icon on your desktop, you just need to copy and past the link below into your browser and fill in the join code and passcode.
Date & Time: Annual Meeting – April 18, 2020 10:00 AM
Join Code: Please see your email – we have posted it in the Daily Message emails
Required Meeting Passcode: Please see your email – we have posted this in the Daily Message emails
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SCEPTER SUBMISSIONS FOR MAY: Articles, announcements and pictures for the May Scepter are due Monday April 20th. Please send items to [email protected]
It was a sunny day, but a bit of chill in the air.
The ceiling in the narthex is complete and looks beautiful.
Mike Freshwater, parishioner, and vestry member, was on the St. Edward’s grounds today and started repainting our outside doors. He started with the nursery door, and it looks fantastic!
Father David and Father Rick were in to film the service for Sunday, which will be Father David’s final service, so make certain to tune in on Sunday!
Last night, Father Rick met with Patrick and Karen to film the music portion of the service.
We are so fortunate to have the many video, musical, and sound talents of Father Rick, especially now, giving to us the gift of being connected to St. Edward’s, weekly, through online services, with many more opportunities coming forward in the weeks ahead.
Bible Study met this evening and we hope that people in this group are staying engaged with this ministry, led by Bill and Yvonne Gasperetti.
Tomorrow will be an important email to look out for as it will detail, again, the particulars for the Zoom Annual Meeting on Saturday at 10:00 AM, and where to find the Annual Report to download and view prior to the meeting and who to call on vestry if you have questions you would like presented at the meeting. It will all be a little bit different this year, so bear with us as we work to present to you the “business” of St. Edward’s in 2019, a year of great transition and many accomplishments for our parish community.
In the meantime, since I was thinking everyone really is looking for some “escape” that does not involve watching a movie or reading a book I am adding some virtual tours of faraway places in the Daily Message that will just let your mind have some relief from the day or week or the mask wearing or the hunting around the grocery store shelves. Today, the link takes you to Iceland: A fascinating, beautiful, magical, and otherworldly place that I hope you enjoy. It really is as exciting as it looks in the video!
Finally, we share with you a personal reflection from Buddy and Liz Yeager:
To all our Family, Friends,
Liz and I are thinking about all our Family and Friends hoping that all is well and you are all safe and hunkering down.
We are both doing well and wishing this pandemic would disappear as fast as it appeared. Please everyone stay safe and keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
This may be strangest Easter any of us will ever live through. Not only have we not been able to gather and celebrate in person, but we are experiencing Easter at a time of great fear and human suffering. It’s important that we acknowledge our fears for ourselves and those we love as well as our concern for the many others who are exhaustedly trying to hold together our health care system, public order and our supply of basic needs.
But still, it’s Easter. The Resurrection never changes and never goes away. The Resurrection isn’t a gift for a comfortable, ideal world. It is a gift for a broken world, a world of suffering and even dying. So maybe this year the proclamation of the Resurrection is more important than ever.
In any case, we will celebrate it, and we will celebrate it for 50 days.
We’ll just do so differently.
Speaking of which, all our attention has been focused on how we were going to mark Holy Week and Easter in worship. Now that they are behind us, what lies ahead?
First of all, there is one more Sunday in which I will still be here as your Interim Rector. So on April 19th St. Edward’s will have an online service in which I will preach a farewell sermon. We had planned some sort of coffee hour reception farewell for that day, but of course that can’t happen now.
After that, Father Rick will be on board and he is already planning for regular weekly online services beginning April 26th for as long as they may be necessary. We have beefed up our internet capabilities at the church and Fr. Rick has experience in video production and editing. So we’ll be having regular internet services while we continue to shelter in place.
As of now, the Bishop’s suspension of services in our church buildings lasts until the end of May. There’s some optimism that we may not have to extend beyond that. We’ll certainly be announcing as soon as we know when we can begin gathering at church again.
Also, Fr. Rick has proposed an interesting idea. It turns out that he was not able to have a farewell event from St. James. So we are thinking about picking a Sunday later this summer in which I might return for one final good-bye while that same day Fr. Rick has his official farewell at St. James. We’ll see if we can work it out.
May Resurrection blessings be upon us all,
David +
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A personal note from Dina Ishler:
One of my first (long overdue) projects while self-isolating was packing up and putting away my nativity set. I lingered over my sheep figurine as I gently wrapped it in tissue paper. Two tiny lambs huddle close to its side, looking up with trust and love.
I was reminded anew that we are the sheep and our Good Shepherd walks with us always, lovingly caring for us, keeping us from danger and promising to bring us safely home.
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.”
~John 10: 14-15.
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So, maybe you are just itching to “get away” but, oops, we can’t! Here are some virtual tours of UNESCO World Heritage sites that you might enjoy.
We want to get you in sync and prepared for this Saturday’s St. Edward’s Virtual Annual Meeting. It would be wonderful if as many of our parishioners who have Internet access and are savvy with using the computer can get on ZOOM and attend the meeting as we will be hearing our final message and report from our Interim Rector, Father Bateman, along with vestry elections and delegates to Diocesan Convention and our financial report. The Annual Report will be posted on the St. Edward’s web site by Friday evening for all to review. If you place the link in your browser now, you will download the program and you will see a pop-up box that details the date and time of the meeting, but it will not prompt you for your 2 codes until the day of the meeting.
We will continue to send details towards the end of the week.
Here are the details (please make note as we will not make public the join code and passcode on the web site):
Date & Time: Annual Meeting – April 18, 2020 10:00 AM
This second offering is submitted by Meredith Westgate and is Andrea Bocelli’s “Amazing Grace” as part of his incredible Music for Hope concert for Easter at Duomo di Milano.
Habits of Grace, April 13, 2020: An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry
As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new meditation will be posted on Mondays through May. These meditations can be watched at any time by clicking here.
April 13, 2020: All Belong in this Family of God
It looks like the storm has passed over and the sun has come out, at least for a little bit. It is the day after, if you will. Monday in Easter week, Jesus has been raised from the dead. The miracle has happened. Hallelujah, Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. When I served as a priest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina back in the 1970s, I learned about a custom that was old and venerable, that was part of the tradition of the Moravian community, of which there was a large settlement there in Winston-Salem. In old Salem, near the Salem church, near God’s Acre, the Moravian cemetery there, early on the morning, before the sun rises, the Moravian community and other friends and well-wishers gather on Easter Sunday morning before the sun comes up. And there is the Easter sunrise service.
It begins with these words, “The Lord is risen. All hail, all hail, victorious Lord and Savior, thou hast burst the bonds of death,” and the music begins and the congregation processes from the church to the cemetery, to God’s Acre. And when you see the Moravian cemetery, there are no mausoleums. There’s no differentiation. They’re dignified headstones, like in a military cemetery. Everyone has the same headstone with their name and information on it, but there is no differentiation, for the cemetery itself is a reminder of our equality before all mighty God who created us all.
Not many hours before Jesus sacrificed his life, and just a few days before he was raised from the dead, he said this to his gathered disciples, “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be driven out, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”. God came among us in the person of Jesus to reconcile us with God and to reconcile us with each other. To help us and to show us the way to become the human family of God and to show us that, that is God’s mission. That is God’s dream and that is God’s intention, and Easter is a reminder that together with our help and support, God’s will, will be done.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu some years ago said this about that quote:
“God sent us here to help God realize God’s dream of a new world and society, gentle, caring, compassionate, sharing.” ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself’, God says. “Please help me to draw all.”
For there are no outsiders or aliens. All are insiders, all belong, black and white. Rich and poor. Young and old, male and female, educated, uneducated, gay, lesbian, straight, all belong in this family of God. This human family, the rainbow people of God, and God has no-one but you, and you, and you and me to help God realize God’s dream.”*
Hallelujah. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Amen.
*Quoted in “The prodigal God”, in God at 2000, edited by Marcus Borg and Ross Mackenzie, Morehouse Publishing (2002). Used with permission.
We have put together our own St. Edward’s online Easter service. Much of it, including the music, prayers and preaching, has been recorded in the St. Edward’s sanctuary one piece at a time in order to be safe and practice social distancing. Other parts, such as the scripture readings, have been recorded by the lectors from home. Watch Here (click “box” icon in lower right to make full screen):
Or, just right click our Easter service link below and it will start to play via YouTube:
It will be Morning Prayer from St. Stephen’s Cathedral and will feature well-known hymns, an Easter message from our Bishop Audrey, and a special prayer of Spiritual Communion.
David +
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR AT ST. EDWARD’S
Don’t forget to join Christina and Joe McLaughlin, hosting a weekly “Virtual Coffee Hour.” This is all new to us, so take a chance, set up zoom and see how it all goes! It will be fun to connect and whether you want to stay on for 5 minutes or the full session, grab your cup of coffee or tea, pull up a chair, and say hello to your fellow parishioners.
Here is a link of step-by-step instructions to set up zoom, that Christina put together.
And, if you have any questions, Christina has offered to please give her a call and she can help! Her number is 717-415-7043. *Zoom join code and passcode were in the Daily Message
DATE: EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12TH
TIME: 10 – 10:40 am
PLACE: Wherever you are comfortable with your computer in your home environment!
WHAT TO BRING: Your coffee, and a favorite recipe to share!
After our long and intense preparation of Holy Week we finally arrive at the great climax of Easter itself. Some of you may know that in the earliest recorded celebrations in Jerusalem, the Resurrection celebration was actually an occasion that began on Saturday evening and ran continuously through the night until Sunday morning. Because the Jerusalem Christians had many sites and churches built around locations traditionally associated with the last days of Jesus, a significant part of the night was spent walking from place to place, interspersed with periods of worship at the holy sites.
This gave rise to the tradition of the Great Vigil of Easter, which echoes the original Jerusalem celebrations. The vigil is the first celebration of the Resurrection and also the original occasion for Baptism. But for many centuries the Great Vigil was lost among Protestant Christians and has only recently been recovered. In the meantime, the celebration on Easter morning has become the norm in many places including the United States.
So we have two equally good options for Easter. One is the one that most of us take, and that is Easter morning. We have put together our own St. Edward’s online Easter service. Much of it, including the music, prayers and preaching, has been recorded in the St. Edward’s sanctuary one piece at a time in order to be safe and practice social distancing. Other parts, such as the scripture readings, have been recorded by the lectors from home. Our Easter service will be available at 6:00 AM on Easter Sunday morning (prior to that time, if you click the link below, it will read “private”) available on YouTube :
A special surprise bonus is that Fr. Rick Bauer, our soon-to-be-Rector, will be joining us for prayer and to introduce himself briefly.
But for those who would still like to experience a version of the Great Vigil of Easter, the diocese has asked St. James Church in Lancaster to produce an online Vigil service of the Word. It will be livestreamed at 7:00 pm on Saturday evening and includes the Lighting of the New Fire and Paschal Candle, singing of the Exsultet, selected vigil lessons and hymns and reflection, intercessions, blessings and dismissal. The link is here: https://diocesecpa.org/holy-week-2020-holy-saturday-vigil/
It will be Morning Prayer from St. Stephen’s Cathedral and will feature well-known hymns, an Easter message from our Bishop Audrey, and a special prayer of Spiritual Communion.
David +
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR AT ST. EDWARD’S
Don’t forget to join Christina and Joe McLaughlin, hosting a weekly “Virtual Coffee Hour.” This is all new to us, so take a chance, set up zoom and see how it all goes! It will be fun to connect and whether you want to stay on for 5 minutes or the full session, grab your cup of coffee or tea, pull up a chair, and say hello to your fellow parishioners.
Here is a link of step-by-step instructions to set up zoom, that Christina put together.
And, if you have any questions, Christina has offered to please give her a call and she can help! Her number is 717-415-7043. **Zoom Join code and passcode were in daily message email
DATE: EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12TH
TIME: 10 – 10:40 am
PLACE: Wherever you are comfortable with your computer in your home environment!
WHAT TO BRING: Your coffee, and a favorite recipe to share!
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LENTEN MEDITATION – HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020
Almighty God, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up.
The Book of Common Prayer
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The scene was familiar. I had been traveling to Ghana regularly to support the Anglican Diocesan Development & Relief Organization as they implemented maternal and child health programs. When I attended community gatherings, I often noticed that when children became fussy or disruptive, parents might impatiently shush them, whisper sternly to behave or wave them away to restore calm. After all, the adults were talking. We’ve all been there, right?
This time was different. I had come to see the progress of the newly implemented Moments That Matter early childhood development and parenting empowerment program. In addition to sharing health messages, we also promote parenting practices focusing on attentive and nurturing care. Within a few months of introducing the program, parents began making eye contact with their crying children, comforting and soothing them. Rather than shooing away gregarious toddlers, parents instead played with them. The attention was on the children, and the children responded positively. This shift in dynamic was notable, powerful and quick.
I am elated and humbled by the power and potential of our work with parents and children. It gives me real hope that we can all follow the example of Jesus to create a loving, nurturing world for all of God’s children.
Melissa Crutchfield is Director of Community Impact for Episcopal Relief & Development
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Stay tuned on Monday for “new” news about happenings for this next week.
St. Edward’s WILL be holding our ANNUAL MEETING, virtually, via zoom, on Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 AM. The Annual Report will be posted on the website prior to the meeting and we will give further instructions next week.
We will also be posting a Sunday service, late next week, with Father David as celebrant, as this will be his final service as our Interim Rector.
We are also in need of one more delegate for convention. As noted in prior notices:
The Rector and Senior Warden are looking for interested parishioners to serve as our delegates to convention. The Diocesan Convention is one day, October 17, 2020, and is a wonderful opportunity to represent us and to be involved in the very important work and decisions that shape our diocese. As per the by-laws, we are seeking confirmed or received Episcopalians who are over 18 years of age and who attend regularly, financially support the Church and who have been a member of St. Edward’s Church for at least 12 months. It would be wonderful if parishioners who have not served as delegates in prior years would seek this as an opportunity to serve our parish community. We need you! Please prayerfully consider submitting your name by Monday, April 13th to the parish office.
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And to end this email on a wonderful ministry note: St. Edward’s will be sending a check, this week, to the Hempfield Area Food Pantry, in the amount of $1,700 to assist them in purchasing food from their sources to keep their food bank well-stocked for all of the families in need, especially during these trying times. Through the generous donations of parishioners, and through the prayerful consideration of the St. Edward’s Social Outreach Ministry to contribute $1,000 from their funds, we are living into our community outreach mission:
The guiding principle of St. Edward’s community outreach activities is found in Matthew 25:37-40. ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Please note:We will continue to accept monetary donations to the Food Pantry, as their need to serve many (and many more) in these extraordinary times will continue for a very long time. They cannot accept food donations at this time and monetary donations allow them to buy much more food, which is so important in these times.
They are open Monday’s & Wednesday’s 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. You will need to bring ID to document Hempfield residence and will be able to get food same day. If you are not a Hempfield resident, but attend St. Edward’s, you are eligible to receive food. Entrance is around the rear of building.
Today’s offering is “Good Friday: The Seven Last Words of Jesus,” which features lay and ordained Episcopalians across the diocese and includes elements of our Book of Common Prayer, Good Friday liturgy, and prayers and collects. Musical interludes will offer time for contemplation or departure. On Saturday, Saint James, Lancaster, is offering a Vigil service of the Word: liturgy with the kindling of fire; proclamation of Pascal Candle; exultet; selected vigil lessons and hymns and reflection; intercessions; blessings and dismissal. On Easter Day, join the staff of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral for Morning Prayer, with some well-known hymns to sing at home, the Easter message from our Bishop, and a special prayer of Spiritual Communion.
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EASTER SERVICE AT ST. EDWARD’S: We are so fortunate to have Father David, Father Rick, Karen Waddill, Patrick Ishler, and the Altar Guild prepare St. Edward’s for our Easter service which was pre-recorded and put together, with love, by Father Rick. It is something that will be so special to all of us as we yearn to find ways to be together in community in these new times that we are still getting accustomed to. We look forward to sharing it with you SUNDAY morning at 6:00 AM when we will post it, via email and also on our website, where you can view it via YouTube. We will also have a bulletin in pdf format that you can click to open and follow along with the service. Please check your email tomorrow as we will supply the bulletin link, as well as a link to our virtual coffee hour so that you can be well prepared for Easter morning. Let’s celebrate Easter together at St. Edward’s and then join each other for coffee and fellowship!
STEWARDSHIP & GIVING:
Besides prayers, calls, cards and emails, there is one more thing you can do to support St. Edward’s during this time. Please keep up-to-date with your pledge or regular contribution. Even though we must keep our doors closed for a period of time, we also must continue to pay our fixed expenses such as electricity, insurance, and salaries. We will continue to pick up our mail, so you can easily mail your contributions to the office and we will see that they are properly credited. We have also been blessed to discover that the diocese has set up online giving for each parish. If you feel comfortable making your weekly giving or pledge donation in this manner (it is a secure giving tool), simply go to the diocesan web site, click on the tab up top and it will take you to a page where you can scroll down, find St. Edward’s, and continue with making your contribution! Thank you for maintaining your faithfulness through your financial stewardship!
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Good Friday sermon from the live-streamed service at Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York
[April 10, 2020] The following is the text of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Good Friday sermon from Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York, New York. This sermon was pre-recorded for inclusion in the live stream of the Church’s April 10, 2020 worship service.
This sermon can be watched at any time by clicking here.
Church of the Heavenly Rest
Good Friday
April 10, 2020
Michael B. Curry
Hello to all of my friends at The Church of the Heavenly Rest, to Matt and all of the clergy, and dear people of God. In this time of COVID-19, in hard times for us here in our country and for people around the world, it is meet and right that we should gather online on this Good Friday.
From the Gospel according to St. John:
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” And he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour, the disciple took her into his own home.
Good Friday is the entire gospel of God, summed up in an act of sacrificial love. John 3:16 earlier in John’s Gospel says, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Jesus gave his life not to appease an angry deity. He gave his life not out of some selfish motive. He gave his life to show us what love looks like. The lengths that love will go, that loves seeks the good, the welfare and the wellbeing of others. He gave his life to show us that love is the way to life. I am more and more convinced the older I get that the Gospel is very simple. Doing it is complex and difficult, but the essence of it is very simple.
God came among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to show us the way to live. Jesus came to show us the way to live as God has intended since God created anything at all. He came to show us the way to a right and reconciled relationship with the God and the creator of us all. He came to show us the way to be in a right, reconciled relationship with each other as children of this one God and creator of us all, that God came into the world in the person of Jesus to show us how to become more than individual collections of self-interest, how to rise above and beyond self, how to rise above and beyond me, to rise and become we. The human family of God. He showed us the way to be one with God and one with each other and in so doing, find life as God has intended from the very beginning. Jesus came to show us how did they become more than merely the human race, a biological category.
He came to show us how to become the human family of God, the family of God, and in that is our hope and our salvation. And now more than ever in this moment of hardship and suffering, sickness and death, when as the old slaves would say there’s trouble in the land, now more than ever, we need to be reminded that God has a plan of purpose and intention for us to become God’s human family and in that as our hope and our salvation.
The truth is, if you look at Jesus on the cross you can actually see it. You can see this way of love happening on the cross. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is dying, and you can almost imagine him through bloodstained face and with sweat in that Palestinian heat, crown of thorns, having pierced his brow and blood dripping down. You can almost imagine him there opening his eyes with the stinging of the sweat, stinging his eyes and able to make out, oh faithful Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, and his mama, and the disciple whom he loved.
And in the midst of that, love speaks. He says to his mother, “Woman,” and then he looks at the disciple, “Woman, behold there is your son.” And to the disciple, “She is your mother. There is your mother.” And John’s gospel says that that disciple took Mary into his home. As his own mother. Jesus gave his life and he showed us what love looks like. That disciple cared for Mary as his mother and she for him as her son. There was no social security in the first century. There was no Medicare or Medicaid in the first century. Women did not have rights of inheritance. Even if there was one in the first century, a widow possibly without the support of her oldest child, her oldest son, could be left destitute. This was Jesus making provision for his mother. It was entrusting her into the home and the care of somebody who was not her blood kin.
He created a new family by love. Families are created by love or sometimes by blood. But by love, that’s what makes a family. It is not an accident that almost as soon as Jesus says that to his mother and that disciple and creates a new family, if you look carefully at John chapter 19, it is after that, almost immediately after that that Jesus just says, “I thirst.” He’s given something to drink and he then says, “It is finished.” That is not, it’s over. The Greek word means it is accomplished. I have done what I came to do. I have shown you what love looks like. I have shown you God’s way of life. It is accomplished. Love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, that you love one another. As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That’s the first and great commandment.
But the second one is just like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself on these. Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself. On this love depends all the law, everything God has been trying to say in the Bible, in tradition. Love is the way to become more than individual collections of self-interest, is the way to become the human family of God and define life together. It is the way to endure hard times. Love is the way to fulfill God’s dream for us. Even in the midst of a nightmare.
Some years ago. I was listening to public radio on a Sunday afternoon, and it was in the summer months in August, I think I was on vacation, and the broadcast was about a recently published photographic essay by a man named Norman Gershman, a noted photographer. This particular essay was photographs of the Muslims of Albania today, but also many years ago, and it tells the story of this Muslim community. During the second World War, when much of the world descended into darkness, a dark age, fascism and bigotry and hatred too cold and seemed to be ruling the world. Europe was covered by clouds of darkness. His armies of a third reich marched in prodigious march of conquest and barbarism in nations and people fell one by one. The Sudetenland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Holland, France. And England stood alone.
At the same time, those armies of fascism and conquest began to march toward the little country of Albania. Word was sent out to the Albanian foreign ministry that said that it was the government’s responsibility to identify the residences of all Jews living in Albania. The foreign minister was a member of the small Muslim community that was in Albania. And like Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad, he sent out quietly, orally, orders to the Muslim community and this is what those orders said. “You will take your Jewish neighbors into your home. You will give them shelter. You will protect them as best you can. You must hide them. They must sit at your table. They must sleep in your beds. They must dwell in your homes. You must treat them as your own family.” When the war ended, that small Muslim community saved some 2,000 Jews from the Nazi Holocaust.
My friends, Jesus was and is right. Love is the way to become more than we would be on just our own self-interest. Jesus was right. Dr. King said it this way, “History is replete with the bleached bones of civilizations that have refused to listen to him.”
Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.
On this Good Friday, may this message of God, be a message for us that together as one family, one human family of God, we may walk through this storm and find light and hope.
God love you. God bless you. May God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
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LENTEN MEDITATION – GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020
O sorrow deep! Who would not weep with heartfelt pain and sighing!
”O sorrow deep” The Hymnal 1982
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About a year ago I met a Syrian refugee in Jordan whom I will call Fatimah. Fatimah fled Syria four years ago. Her husband was killed in the civil war along with two of her children, leaving her with three remaining children.
She told me that every day is a struggle. She cannot return to Syria, and she cannot leave the refugee camp. As Fatimah spoke, anger overtook her. She turned to me and, shaking with fury, shouted: “I have no future. I have no hope.”
It’s not often that I come away from an Episcopal Relief & Development program visit feeling discouraged. And yet, the sad reality is that sometimes we can’t change the circumstances in which people have to live and die.
We can’t bring back Fatimah’s husband and two dead children. We can’t restore her to her former life in Syria. But what we can do is bear witness to Fatimah’s suffering. We can give Fatimah the dignity of being present and sharing her pain. We can ensure that Fatimah is not forgotten.
Good Friday is about bearing witness to Jesus’ crucifixion, just as we need to bear witness to Fatimah’s suffering. We stand at the foot of the cross, helpless and sometimes hopeless. But we are there, and today that is the most important thing we can do.
Robert W. Radtke is the President & CEO of Episcopal Relief & Development.
Christians have often remarked that Good Friday has a strange name. A number of historians believe it is actually a modification of “God’s Friday”. It is the most solemn commemoration of the entire church year. Good Friday causes us to take our time to stop and consider the extraordinary reality of Jesus’ crucifixion. His humanity is on stark display. The focus is on the cross, and on what the cross means for us. The Passion story and liturgy move us in a profound way and invite us to see the Passion of Jesus as an act of compassion for the entire world.
In our current version of the Book of Common Prayer we have a special liturgy for Good Friday, but this was not always the case. Before the 1970s, churches often created their own versions of something often labeled the “Seven Last Words” of Jesus. Such services typically lasted from noon until 3:00 pm and consisted of a variety of readings, prayers, homilies and periods of silent meditation. They were designed so that individual parishioners could quietly drop in to the service for a period of time, stay as long as they wished, and then also leave quietly on their own.
This older “Seven Last Words” format seems like a particularly good fit for a Good Friday service that is to be held online. So our diocesan service will make use of it without being broadcast from any single location and will run from noon to 3:00 pm. Here is the link: https://diocesecpa.org/holy-week-2020-good-friday/
The program will include elements of our Book of Common Prayer Good Friday liturgy as well as other prayers and collects. Musical interludes will offer time for contemplation or departure. The highlight of the program will be offerings and homilies that a small group of preachers and worship leaders will share with the virtual congregation who participate. Viewers and listeners are welcome to come and go as well as follow along with their bibles and prayer books.
It is also worth remembering that Good Friday is a day of personal fasting. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that can bring great rewards because hunger acts as a constant reminder of the purpose of the fast. Fasts can be kept in different ways and with varying degrees of strictness. If you are a determined, healthy adult, you may wish to go the entire day without taking anything but water or liquids. Or you may simply choose to go as long as you can without feeling unwell. Those with health problems or those not physically 100% may choose to skip a meal, to avoid meat, or to merely eat lightly. And some people should not fast at all due to health reasons. The point is not to make it a matter of pride just how much you can give up, but rather to honor the occasion as best you can. Any sacrifice which serves to remind you of the day will be beneficial. Fasting sharpens our spiritual attention and remind us of the plight of those who must do without on a regular basis. Other self-disciplines commonly employed by Christians on this day are the writing of our own obituaries or the planning of our own funerals.
David +
And here is the link for Tonight’s service:
Our online diocesan service for Maundy Thursday will be unique:
Bishop Audrey is inviting us virtually into her home as she prepares an Agapé meal. This has been recorded so you can begin any time on Thursday evening. There will be prayers and scripture and the evening will end with her praying of Psalm 22, the traditional conclusion of Maundy Thursday. Afterwards, people are invited to participate in a live vigil on Facebook which will run from 8:00 pm until 8:00 am the following morning. (This will be a “drop in, drop out” vigil; no one is expected to stay the entire time.)
The Bishop suggests that in order to participate most fully in the program, those of us at home prepare a light meal — such as bread, soup, cheese, olives, dried fruit, and wine or juice — to enjoy during the Agapé portion of the evening.
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR AT ST. EDWARD’S
Don’t forget to join Christina and Joe McLaughlin, hosting a weekly “Virtual Coffee Hour.” This is all new to us, so take a chance, set up zoom and see how it all goes! It will be fun to connect and whether you want to stay on for 5 minutes or the full session, grab your cup of coffee or tea, pull up a chair, and say hello to your fellow parishioners.
Here is a link of step-by-step instructions to set up zoom, that Christina put together.
And, if you have any questions, Christina has offered to please give her a call and she can help! Her number is 717-415-7043.
DATE: EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12TH
TIME: 10 – 10:40 am
PLACE: Wherever you are comfortable with your computer in your home environment!
ZOOM JOIN CODE: 419 646 4139
ZOOM PASSCODE: 449312
WHAT TO BRING: Your coffee, and a favorite recipe to share!
** This join code and passcode will not be posted on the public website of Facebook.
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LENTEN MEDITATION, MAUNDY THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them…“I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”
John 13:12a, 15
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Last year a mother and her two children wandered into our church just as the altar guild began clearing away items used during the foot washing ceremony. From the celebrant’s chair, I watched the altar guild quietly return a pitcher and basin as another member greeted our guests and invited them to participate. The daughter let go of her mother’s hand, removed her sandals and gingerly walked forward. My own daughter then rose from her acolyte chair beside me, knelt down in front of the visiting child and washed her feet.
The act of washing a stranger’s feet surely offers an example for us to follow, but that’s not what brought tears to my eyes. It was instead watching my yellow- haired, pale-skinned daughter tenderly wash the feet of a child her age with meticulously braided hair and dark-brown skin. It was a profoundly holy moment. Families of color never wandered into the church of my childhood, but if they had, I am certain no one would have voluntarily knelt down to wash their feet. In that moment I was reminded how often our children with their unblemished points of view set Christ-like examples for us follow.
Allison Sandlin Liles lives in Dallas with her husband and two children and works as a parish priest and editor for growchristians.org.
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Holy Week and Easter Music Offerings! Brought to you by: Members of the St. Edward’s Choir!
The following Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter offerings are courtesy of Libby Sternberg.
Now we come to it. We are arriving at the climax of Holy Week, known as the Triduum (pronounced TRID-yoo-um) or “Great Three Days”. The Triduum consists of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. These services commemorate what happens to Jesus right before, during and after his death and lie at the heart of all Christian belief. Marking these moments as we do allows us to appreciate and enter into their meaning in a way that nothing else can match. The Great Three Days together are the most important occasions in the Christian calendar.
We begin with Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday. It marks the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum” which refers to the commandment Jesus gives to his disciples that night. The Last Supper has always been honored by Christians not only as the final occasion that Jesus spends with his disciples, but also on account of the washing of the disciples’ feet and of course the meal which becomes the very first Eucharist. In most churches the Maundy Thursday service ends in silence as the altar area is stripped of its furnishings and decorations. The stark and bare church is now in readiness for the Passion. In many churches, there is a prayer vigil beginning at the end of the Maundy Thursday service and running all night until the start Good Friday.
Our online diocesan service for Maundy Thursday will be unique:
Bishop Audrey is inviting us virtually into her home as she prepares an Agapé meal. This has been recorded so you can begin any time on Thursday evening. There will be prayers and scripture and the evening will end with her praying of Psalm 22, the traditional conclusion of Maundy Thursday. Afterwards, people are invited to participate in a live vigil on Facebook which will run from 8:00 pm until 8:00 am the following morning. (This will be a “drop in, drop out” vigil; no one is expected to stay the entire time.)
The Bishop suggests that in order to participate most fully in the program, those of us at home prepare a light meal — such as bread, soup, cheese, olives, dried fruit, and wine or juice — to enjoy during the Agapé portion of the evening.
David +
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The diocesan online service of Tenebrae, for this evening, can be found here:
It takes place live, at 7:00 pm, and comes from St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Harrisburg. On the linked page you can choose to view it on either Facebook or YouTube. All the words will be displayed on the screen so you can easily follow the service as you watch and listen.
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BIBLE STUDY UPDATE FOR TODAY
Some of the people who attend the Wednesday evening Bible Study would like to be free to attend the Tenebrae service this evening. Due to the conflict in timing, we are going to cancel this evening’s Bible Study so that everyone can attend the Tenebrae.
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LENTEN MEDITATION – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2020
God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer
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When my daughter Nia was fourteen, she got home three hours before anyone else. One evening, she revealed, “I don’t like being home by myself after school.” I was stunned! When I was her age, I loved being home by myself. Ultimately, I quit my full-time job, and we changed our lifestyle so that none of the girls spent long afternoons alone.
This prayer names the struggles we watch our young people walk through. In a world where the ground can be shaky, our youth need prayer and honest conversations about a life of faith. Pray this prayer for the young people known to you and those unknown. Do you notice a difference in them? Do you see a difference in yourself?
Miriam Willard McKenney is the Development Director for Forward Movement. She finds extreme joy parenting her three girls with her husband, David.
The Rector and Senior Warden are looking for interested parishioners to serve as our delegates to convention. The Diocesan Convention is one day, October 17, 2020, and is a wonderful opportunity to represent us and to be involved in the very important work and decisions that shape our diocese. As per the by-laws, we are seeking confirmed or received Episcopalians who are over 18 years of age and who attend regularly, financially support the Church and who have been a member of St. Edward’s Church for at least 12 months. It would be wonderful if parishioners who have not served as delegates in prior years would seek this as an opportunity to serve our parish community. We need you! Please prayerfully consider submitting your name(s) by Monday, April 13th to the parish office.
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The following music video is submitted by parishioner, choir member, and cultural events ministry member, Libby Sternberg for Maundy Thursday. Enjoy!
Wednesday in Holy Week for most liturgical churches is a day of transition. We are leaving behind the simple services from earlier in the week but have not yet arrived at the more dramatic and climactic days to come. In many churches, including St. Edward’s, Wednesday is the day we have Tenebrae. The name comes from Latin and means “shadows” or “darkness”. A traditional Tenebrae service takes place in the evening and is a collection of psalms, scripture readings, music, texts and responses drawn from ancient monastic Holy Week services. It is also a service that moves gradually from light to darkness as a collection of candles is extinguished one by one while the service progresses. If you have never experienced a Tenebrae service I commend it to you. The tone is meditative and somber, although it ends on a moment of dramatic surprise. The intention is to leave us in the right frame of mind to be ready for the days to come.
The diocesan online service of Tenebrae can be found here:
It takes place live on Wednesday at 7:00 pm and comes from St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Harrisburg. On the linked page you can choose to view it on either Facebook or YouTube. All the words will be displayed on the screen so you can easily follow the service as you watch and listen.
As a bit of a teaser, if you happen to be doing your grocery shopping today or tomorrow (please don’t increase your risk by making a special trip), you may want to pick up some cheese, olives, dried fruit, and wine or juice. I’ll be saying more about that in tomorrow’s post.
After Wednesday, we will be gathering ourselves for the increasingly intense final days of Holy Week.
David +
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Personal message from Beth Lynch, Social Outreach Ministry Chairperson:
I am a person whose “engine” is always going. The first week of quarantine was not bad, I was able to catch up on cleaning and craft planning for the summer camps I direct. After 10 days though I was lost.
I realize I need a schedule or else I flounder about with no purpose. I have made myself a schedule and work hard to keep at it. I add exercise every day. I add communication to friends and family every day. I add quiet reflection. It is during this time that I feel close to Christ and that brings me close to my family of St. Edward’s.
Bless everyone.
– Beth Lynch
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LENTEN MEDITATION – TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020
I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.
– Hosea 11:4
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There’s not much I love more in this world than holding one of my children—except when I absolutely do not want to do it. My kids have a knack for asking me to hold them at exactly the moment I’m working at a hot stove, busy with a task or just exhausted from the day.
In my reflective maturity, I realize that to parent young children is to constantly be invited to the spiritual practice of presence. I know that, no matter how much I work out, I am not going to be able to physically hold my children for much longer. Apart from that, they aren’t going to want me to hold them much longer. Practicing presence invites me to give thanks for who they are now and reminds me that there is no task more important than the cords of human kindness and bands of love.
– Patrick Funston is a husband, father of two young children and rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan, Kansas
The Rector and Senior Warden are looking for interested parishioners to serve as our delegates to convention. The Diocesan Convention is one day, October 17, 2020, and is a wonderful opportunity to represent us and to be involved in the very important work and decisions that shape our diocese. As per the by-laws, we are seeking confirmed or received Episcopalians who are over 18 years of age and who attend regularly, financially support the Church and who have been a member of St. Edward’s Church for at least 12 months. It would be wonderful if parishioners who have not served as delegates in prior years would seek this as an opportunity to serve our parish community. We need you! Please prayerfully consider submitting your name(s) by Monday, April 13th to the parish office.
