The Bishop is coming for his
semi-annual visitation on November 7. Following the service
he will have a Q & A session for the parish, and then a meeting with the
Vestry. I hope you will be able to attend church that day, welcome the Bishop
and worship with him!
November 7 is also All Saints Sunday, and
we will read the names of your loved ones who have died at the beginning of the
service. Please send your names to Deb in the office (office@standrewsinthevalley.org)
or fill out a slip on the top of the cabinet beside her door and leave it for
her. If the pronunciation is not obvious please include phonetic spelling so
the reader will be able to pronounce the name correctly. If you would like to
help read the names, please let me know.
As November 7 is the first Sunday of the month, we
will have one service at 9:00 am.
Finally, November 7 is also the day we end
Daylight Savings, so don’t forget to turn your clocks back.
Our Stewardship Campaign is underway. Please
turn in your pledge card and your fall leaf as soon as possible (Sammie needs
time to glue a stem on your leaf so it can be hung on the tree). Our
Ingathering Sunday is also on November 7. We have set a goal of $155,000
for 2022. Please help us meet our goal with a pledge of any amount.
Thank you to members of the Prayer
Shawl Ministry for taking a prayer shawl to Ellie
McLaughlin at St. Barnabas in Berlin last Sunday. See below for pictures and a summary
of their visit.
Blessings, Caroline
The remaining Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 AM
This Sunday-October 24th
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
The
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, increase
in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you
promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First
Lesson Job
42:1-6, 10-17
In the
conclusion of this saga Job, who had demanded justice for his own life and was
then encountered by the living and awesome God, now responds with great
humility and finds restoration of his fortunes.
Job recalls some of the earlier words of the Lord and realizes how far
he has been from any true understanding.
In the conclusion of the story, Job finds abundance far in excess of his
previous state, and is fully restored to human community. An unusual feature of the story is that Job’s
three daughters are given equal inheritance and mentioned by name, though none
of his sons. Job’s tragic experience has
given him an amplified view of the world and deepened empathy.
Psalm
34:1-8, 19-22
A hymn of blessing and praise to the
Lord for divine deliverance.
The
Second Lesson Hebrews 7:23-28
In this New Testament lesson the
author demonstrates how Jesus is our perfect and everlasting high priest. He was appointed not by human beings
according to the law, but by an oath of God.
He had no need to offer sacrifices for his own sins, for he is holy and
undefiled. Nor does he offer sacrifices
repeatedly, but once for all he presented the perfect sacrifice of
himself. His priesthood is forever and,
as the Son, he now makes eternal intercession for us.
The
Gospel Mark
10:46-52
In the gospel story Jesus’ followers
still expect that his way will quickly lead to a state of glory in which they
want special places. Jesus tells them of
a different path of discipleship. First
Jesus and then his disciples must experience the cup of sorrow and the baptism
of death. They are not to live and act
like worldly rulers. They must lead in
servant-hood. Their example is Jesus,
who as the Son of Man serves and gives his life.
Updating the Prayer List
Please let Deb know if you need someone added to the prayer list. Thank you.
Prayer Shawl Ministry On the Road
Sunday, October 17th five
members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry travelled over hills and vale to Berlin,
NH to present Ellie with an exquisite shawl woven by Barbara Lord. The intrepid travelers included Dale
Appleton, Cathie Lewis, Barbara Lord, Lin Frank and Tina Quinn. It was a joy-filled surprise celebration of
Ellie who was thrilled to see some of her SAITV family. Upon receiving the shawl, she
was—momentarily—speechless! Her first
words were “It’s green! It’s
green!”. The beautiful green and
lavender shawl was woven and presented in love and as a reminder to Ellie she
is missed and will not be forgotten!
Ellie remains as engaging as ever repeating several times that she
misses her SAITV family…. “especially the choir!”. Seeing Ellie and celebrating the Eucharist at
St. Barnabas was truly a morning filled with the joy of the Spirit!
~The Prayer Shawl Ministry~
Tending Our Heart, Mind, and Body
November 5th – 6th, Friday at 4 pm to Saturday at 2:30 pm~ at the Spirituality Center
Cost: $100.00. Includes overnight accommodation and meals.
Life as a human being has always had its complexity. These days with a global pandemic, natural disasters, facing racism and other oppressions, compounded with a 24-hour news cycle and social media, being human becomes trickier. Finding our way, following a path that is authentic to our personal truth while participating in society, takes skill and practice. How do we live a more centered life while navigating the fierce struggle of choosing sides?
This overnight retreat will offer space, silence, teachings, and practices for opening the heart, mind, and body to what is present in our days. Using four fundamental steps of practice—pause, allow, tend with love, rest in presence – we will consider how to build these steps into a rhythm for everyday life.
All are welcome, no matter where you find yourself on your spiritual journey, as you live into being human.
Presenter: Christi Humphrey, M.Div.
Our time together will include:
- a breathing practice for settling and grounding
- reconnecting our mind, body, and spirit in order to recognize what is present
- offering loving-kindness to ourselves, our loved ones, and our world
- contemplating what it is like to rest in the loving presence behind creation
Registration information can be found at this link https://ndspiritualitycenter.org/programs/
“To
live in this world / you must be able/to do three things,” writes Mary Oliver
in this well-known and much-loved poem. The three things she names are not
easy, of course. But everything in my 75 years of experience tells me they are
true — with a twist that’s at the heart of this little story.
Over the past decade, I’ve been reflecting on questions about aging and vocation — questions worth asking at any age, I think. I love my work. But with age come diminishments that keep me from doing as much of it as quickly as I’ve done in the past. The key question I’ve been holding seems simple enough on the surface: “What do I want to let go of and what do I want to hang onto?”
But I found that that question did not work for me, did not open onto a path I wanted to walk. So I took my quandary to a small group of trusted friends who sat with me for two hours. Their role was not to advise or “fix” me, but to ask honest, open questions and simply listen to me respond, giving me a chance to hear my own inner wisdom more clearly. (There’s more about this process that Quakers call a clearness committee.)
I emerged from that little gathering with something more important than an answer. I emerged with a better question. I’m no longer asking, “What do I want to let go of and what do I want to hang onto?” Instead I’m asking, “What do I want to let go of and what do I want to give myself to?”
I now see that “hanging on” is a fearful, needy, and clinging way to be in the world. But looking for what I want to give myself to transforms everything. It’s taking me to a place where I find energy, abundance, trust, and new life.
Yes, it was a “Well, duh!” moment for sure! But the more I live into it, the more I treasure it.
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
Excerpt from In Blackwater Woods, by Mary Oliver
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