March 15, 2018

Image result for fifth sunday of lent 2018



JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
THIS SUNDAY, March 18th, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, there will be two services at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
There is a service of Morning Prayer on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m.
We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.
READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Year B
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 119:9-16
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
Image result for John 12:20-33

ALTAR FLOWERS FOR EASTER                


If you would like to make a dedication for the Easter Altar flowers, please complete a slip found on the bulletin table or on the Parish Hall table and turn in to the office by March 25th.  You may also send your request by email to office@standrewsinthevalley.org.


FROM THE RECTOR
Another Snowy Day and the Book of Revelation

Having a snow day this week gave me time to immerse myself in preparations for Holy Week a bit earlier than usual. Bulletin drafts for all the Holy Week services are ready for Deb, and I’ve made a good start on all those sermons! For the most part our Holy Week schedule is the same as in previous years. But we are reviving a practice from a couple of years ago on Wednesday evening of Holy Week, and we’ve decided that the noon observance on Good Friday will consist only of Jesus’ Seven Last Words from the Cross (no Stations of the Cross). On Wednesday March 28 at 7:00 pm we will read the Revelation to John in its entirety. We will gather in a circle in either the Chancel (the space behind the altar) or the Transept (the area with the piano) and those who would like to read will take turns until we reach the end.

Some background on The Book of Revelation, adapted from Cliff Notes and various other sources: The revelation contained in this final book of the Bible was given to John while he was in exile in Patmos, and gives us a glimpse into the apocalyptic hopes of the early Christian community. The Apocalypse was not a new phenomenon among Christians; it was a well-established belief among Jews, who held that the coming of the kingdom of God would not be brought about by a gradual transformation but by a sudden intervention, when God would end the present age and establish his kingdom in the new age. But before this occurred, it was believed that the struggle between the forces of good and evil would become more intense. As the evil powers grew stronger, those who lived a righteous life would experience persecution or even death. The struggle would eventually reach a climax, at which time God would intervene, destroy the forces of evil, and set up a new order in which the righteous would live for all time to come. The early Christians believed that all this would be accomplished through the return of Jesus. This second coming would initiate the coming of the new age, as well as the final destruction of all the forces of evil.

The purpose of the book was to strengthen the faith of the members of these churches by giving them the assurance that deliverance from the evil powers arrayed against them was close at hand. John was confident that the great day of divine intervention would occur within a comparatively short time, but in accordance with the apocalyptic literature with which Jewish Christians were familiar, he knew that many terrifying events would take place first. He wanted to warn his fellow Christians concerning these events and thus prepare them for the time when their faith would be put to a more severe test than anything that they had experienced thus far.

The idea of reading the Book of Revelation in one sitting intrigues me. Hearing it read aloud in different voices will help us pay attention and stay focused throughout. And it is a book that isn’t read that often in the Sunday morning Lectionary cycle of readings. I suspect that is, at least in part, because hearing only a brief passage without the context of the surrounding passages loses much of the meaning.

So I invite you to join us for this reading. You may choose to read a section aloud or to simply listen. Revelation is not terribly long; we will finish in less than an hour.


FUNDRAISING
St. Patrick's Day Dinner
Image result for St paddy's day dinnerFriday March 16th, 2018 6 pm
Join us for a traditional Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner .
and live music provided by Chris and Carolyn Boldt!
Adults $10.00 Kids 6-16 $5.00 5&under free
Family Rate 2A/3K $25.00
For more info Call DAVID MANLEY @ 603-651-1744
                                          

DINNER BELL


Dinner Bell cook team for this Sunday March 18th  
Hammond

Dinner Bell cook team for next Sunday March 25th  
Slader
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Thank you for your volunteer
work in this special Outreach program!

COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER
The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.
The monthly item for March is JELLO.
FORWARD DAY BY DAY FOR TODAY
THURSDAY, March 15, 2018
Luke 17:1-2 Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown in the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
In my mid-20s, I rented an apartment from a colleague. She warned me before I moved in that I might hear negative things about her. There had been one or two complaints from tenants, she said, but her tenants had misspoken and were “crazy.”
Soon I realized that my landlady routinely screamed expletives at her two little girls, accusing them of misdeeds large and small. Verbal abuse was rampant. Was there physical abuse? I didn’t see any, but I would not have been surprised. But I was scared that if I reported her, I would be the focus of anger both at work and at home.
I moved after six months. My lack of courage bothers me to this day. No doubt the girls were already stumbling—I could have at least smiled at them and better yet, picked up the phone to call for help.
MOVING FORWARD: Is there a difficult phone call you’ve been avoiding? Ask a friend to pray for you and make the call today.
FROM Deb IN THE OFFICE
It’s good to be back! even though….
"toes in sand"

beat "boots in snow"

THANK YOU to Joyce Carter for helping in the office during my absence.
  
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In our last Sunday book discussion meeting we touched on the fact that all of us have old prejudices that sometimes rear their ugly heads and take us by surprise. This reflection by Henri Nouwen in Called to Love; Called to Life: Lenten Reflections spoke to me of that discussion. It’s called “Living without Prejudices Is Difficult”.

One of the hardest spiritual tasks is to live without prejudices. Sometimes we aren’t even aware how deeply rooted our prejudices are. We may think that we relate to people who are different than we are in color, religion, sexual orientation or lifestyle as equals, but in concrete circumstances our spontaneous thoughts, uncensored words and knee-jerk reactions often reveal that our prejudices are still there.

Strangers, people different from us, stir up fear, discomfort, suspicion, and hostility. They make us lose our sense of security just by being “other”. Only when we fully claim that God loves us in an unconditional way and look at “those other persons” as equally loved can we begin to discover that the great variety in humanity is an expression of the immense richness of God’s heart. Then the need to prejudge people can gradually disappear.

Dear God, make known to me my prejudices and help me to overcome them.
March BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
If you do not see your birthday or anniversary listed, please make sure Deb in the office has an information sheet on file for you.
     
Birthdays
March
10      Susan Ines
13      Trudy Thompson
16      Caroline Hines
20      Albert Bunker
21       Chris Boldt
30      Kaitlyn Marshall, Barbara Lord
31      Claudia Kennedy
         
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