It Was a Feast! Many thanks to everyone attended on Sunday, and to those who offered reflections about church during the pandemic. There were so many thoughtful offerings, and so much spiritual depth. I was especially struck by what was said about our community, and the fact that we were able to stay connected and support each other in such a powerful way on Zoom. Other reflections included:
· Time to volunteer for new things, and learn more about how things work behind the scenes
· Compline
·
So
happy to be back in person for Eucharist
·
Missed
prayer shawl ministry and so happy that is meeting again
·
Church
is not a building but the people
·
Not
a techie person – Zoom was hard. So glad to be back
·
Seeing
everyone’s faces on Zoom during worship and other gathering – I miss that
·
Connection
in good times and bad – deep despair and times of joy - together we can get
though anything
· Aha moment – realized how much I took the church and people for granted, and how precious everyone is
Thank you as well to all helped make the parish brunch such a success! There was so much delicious food! It truly was a feast! Thanks to the Vestry for supplying the main dishes, to Tina and Lin for cooking in their ovens at home, to Jen for working the kitchen, and to everyone who helped with set up and clean up, and moving items from the Prince Room and stage back into the church in preparation for the new carpet installation. We’ll have to have another celebration when the carpet is laid and all the furniture is moved from the MiBox back inside.
Carpet installation begins on Monday. In order to give the installers room to work, please do not come to the church during the week unless absolutely necessary. Carpet installation will be finished in plenty of time for our Sunday services.
Martha Wayt’s burial is tomorrow (Friday) at 4:00 pm. All are welcome!
Blessings, Caroline
The remaining Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 AM
This Sunday-August 8th
11th Sunday after Pentecost
at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
Collect of the Day
Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think
and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without
you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
First Lesson 2
Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
In
our opening lesson David orders his most trusted military commanders to crush a
coup led by Absalom, his son. He asks
that “the young man, Absalom” be treated gently, expressing fatherly care even
when dealing with that son’s traitorous uprising. Those who followed Absalom in rebellion are
defeated in a great slaughter, and Absalom is caught in the branches of an oak
while seeking escape. In defiance of
David’s wishes, Joab’s men put Absalom to death. David, when told of Absalom’s death, grieves
deeply.
Psalm 130
The psalmist
calls to the merciful Lord and waits upon God for forgiveness and redemption.
The Second Lesson Ephesians
4:25-5:2
In this lesson
Christians are urged to conform to a new way of life which is pleasing to the
Holy Spirit. They are to have a love
like the love of Christ. All manner of
evil is to be shunned. Especially are
the new converts to put away spitefulness and other sins which harm the one
body and grieve the Spirit with which they have been sealed in baptism. The model is non other than a God who is
revealed in the Christ who sacrificed himself for us.
The Gospel John 6:35,
41-51
In our gospel
Jesus continues to teach that he is the true bread who will bring all who have
faith in him eternal life. The
discussion is meant to recall the story of the Israelites protesting and
murmuring against God in the wilderness because they had no bread. But even the manna that God gave them was
only a temporary food. While Jesus seems
very ordinary to the Jews (who represent a worldly lack of faith), he offers
the world both his teaching and himself, a life-giving bread from heaven.
Updating the Prayer List
Please let Deb know when a person can be removed from the prayer list. Thank you.
Eleanore’s Project Update
As part of Eleanore’s Project, Sammie Wakefield has received requests for thirty wheelchairs for children in Peru. The North American team has not been able to travel to Peru since 2019 and they will not be able to travel there in 2021. However, the Peruvian therapists continue to work with children at Yancana Huasy who need mobility as well as consultation with their parents on 24 hour postural care. At their request Eleanore’s Project is putting together a container of equipment scheduled to leave Sioux Falls, SD the last week of August.
Sammie has equipment and supplies ready to be boxed on Monday, August 2 and then on Saturday August 7. We still need some extra hands to help on both those days. Please call Sammie to volunteer or have questions about what type of help is needed.
We plan for the Uhaul truck to be in the parking lot at St Andrews on Sunday August 8 and delivered to Manchester on Monday the 9th. Sammie will be going to Sioux Falls on August 23-26 to join other members of Eleanore’s Project and pick out the rest of the equipment for the container.
Sammie Wakefield
Thoreau On "Simplicity"
(From Walden)
~ Henry David Thoreau, excerpts from Walden
