Gathering to burn last year's palms for our Ash Wednesday ashes.Saint Andrew's-in-the-Valley
Thursday MEMO
March 10, 2011
Time to Spring Ahead!!! Remember to set your clocks ahead on Saturday evening before you retire for the night. We don’t want you late for church!
This coming Sunday, March 13th and the First Sunday of Lent, we will have services and 8 and 10, both followed by coffee hour. We hope you will join us for worship and sociability.
Special envelopes will be included in the bulletins this Sunday inviting you to make a contribution to the "Rector's Discretionary Fund." The need for assistance with rent, medications, transportation, and utilities has been great this winter, leaving the Discretionary Fund close to bare. As the Ash Wednesday reading from Isaiah 58 reminded us, what is the real fast that God requires of us? Is it not to loose the bonds of injustice, to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into your house, and when you see the naked, to clothe them? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and you shall be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of streets to live in.
Whether we are in our 20s, our 50s, or our 80s, at some point each of us will die. The question is not if; the question is whether we will be prepared for a "good" death? What do we mean by a "good" death anyway? How will our faith sustain us in that process? What do we need to do to be ready?
This coming Wednesday, March 16th, at 10:30 AM we will begin a five-session series, Holy Dying: Preparing for a Good Death. Please do not be intimidated by the title! What better time than now to explore this together, what ever your age or state of health?
Our first session will begin with a 60 minute film “Holding Our Own: Embracing the End of Life.” I think you will find that this extraordinary film, which focuses on the work of a fabric artist who does portraits of dying people and a hospice choir, will open our hearts in some surprising and life-giving ways to the profound joy, beauty, and deep love that can be God’s surprising gifts at end-of-life times.
In the subsequent sessions we will explore what our Christian faith says about death and dying, how living our faith now might equip us for dying, advanced directives and wills, our fears and hopes about our own death, and how we would like to have our lives celebrated (including funeral and burial possibilities).
Our Wednesday morning presentations/discussions will be followed by an informal eucharist and bag lunch. Each session will stand on its own so you are welcome to attend whichever ones work for you, but my hope is that most people will plan on attending the series. please indicate your interest by signing up on the list on the table in the Parish Hall or by calling the office.
Lenten Quiet Day planned for April 2nd. This morning of prayer and reflection will focus around the making and baking of bread. Join us beginning at 9 on Saturday, April 2nd as we allow the metaphors offered in the wheat, water, salt, honey, and yeast to work in us as we work the ingredients into bread, bringing forth life and giving growth. Please sign up on the sheet on the Parish Hall table, or call the office. Questions? Talk to Heidi or Gretchen.
Thanks go to the FUN-Raising Committee for the terrific Cajun food, the wonderful decorations, and delightful Mardi Gras party spirit at last Friday's dinner. If you missed the festivities, there are a few pictures follow. There are more posted on the Parish Picture Board. Unfortunately, attendance was lower than we had anticipated, resulting in less income to the parish and less for outreach. Were you voting with your feet and really wanted pancakes? Was it the night? The menu? Or just coincidence? Let us know. Your input helps the committee plan effectively.
Readings for Sunday: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11
Food for thought, especially if you missed church on Ash Wednesday, but even if you were there...Take out your Book of Common Prayer, turn to page 265 and read the paragraph that extends an invitation to the observance of a Holy Lent. How will you respond to that invitation? Do you sense a call to greater simplicity in your life? Or more thoughtful environmental stewardship? Or greater generosity? As you claim your Lenten direction, pay attention to the joy you experience in it. I doubt that God calls very many of us to a dour season, and noticing our joy is likely to help deepen our commitment and open us to God's surprising grace!
See you in church!
Blessings, Heidi+
