St. Andrews by the Lake

 GRAINS OF SAND

 February Mid-Month

  2010

VICAR’S MESSAGE

     February 17th is Ash Wednesday. There will be a Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes - 7 pm at the church.  The Gospel for this day (Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18) warns us not to practice our ‘piety’ before others, so as to be rewarded for what we do. Instead, we are to give, pray and fast in secret – God will know – and that is enough.
How is it, then, that a text that suggests we do acts of righteousness in private be read on the same day one receives the imposition of ashes – a very visible and public act of piety. More than a few have struggled with this paradox.
The emphasis on private piety can be overstated. Perhaps its more honest to focus on the more implicit, underlying theme present in the calls to give, pray and fast – namely – authenticity.
Authenticity blurs the rigid lines of public and private. Private acts are not authentic, and public ones inauthentic. Rather, the authenticity of an act of faith (or an act of piety) is determined by the desire and motivation of the one engaged in the act. Those desires and motivations cannot be judged externally.
Let me share a story of an act that is authentic, in large part because the act is done secretly. It comes from a continue reading » »

GRAINS OF SAND

February 2010

VICAR’S MESSAGE

     For those of you receiving this newsletter online, today (February 2nd) is The Feast of the

Presentation. The day commemorates the purification of Mary and the presentation of Jesus in the temple, which took place 40 days after his birth – as Jewish law required. The story can be found in Luke 2:22-40, but essentially, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem because every firstborn child was to be dedicated to God. The also went to sacrifice a pair of doves or two young pigeons – showing that Mary and Joseph were poor (as compared to sacrificing a larger animal, and thus more costly). Once in the temple, Jesus is purified by the prayer of Simeon, which we know as the Nunc Dimittis (found in Evening Prayer and Compline):

     Lord, you now have set your servant free

     to go in peace as you have promise;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see;
A Light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2: 29-32)
But the person who catches my attention is Anna, the prophetess. She appears in only three verses of Scripture, yet the glimpse we get into her life reveals a woman dedicated to living the ‘with-God’ life. She spent all her time in God’s earthly dwelling place – which was at that time – the Temple in Jerusalem.  In other words, she herself had become a dwelling place of God, and late in her life she helped welcome Jesus, Immanuel – the child who embodied the promise of ‘God with us’.
We may not identify with Anna’s call to prophecy or her living situation – especially if we continue reading » »

GRAINS OF SAND

                                      January 20, 2010

HELP FOR HAITIAN’S

     Last Sunday we invited those at church to make an offering to help the Haitian people through Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD).  ERD is just one of the many reputable outreach groups who have been in Haiti for many years, trying to help the Haitian people develop their country through education, health care and other kinds of development. In addition to the $1200 we sent to ERD from our Millennium Development Goals (MDG) fund, we raised another $1640 from your generous contributions. We will continue to invite contributions in Sundays to come - at various times — because this will be a very long term recovery for the Haitian people. It will be important to continually remind ourselves of their needs — especially after the media leaves the scene.

If you would like to help the Haitian people through ERD, make your check out to St. Andrew’s by the Lake and put on the memo line: ERD.  We will collect checks and write one check from St. Andrew’s each month. If you find other agencies that you know are doing good work continue reading » »

                                                         GRAINS OF SAND                                                          January 14, 2010

VICAR’S MESSAGE

     Just like when the Tsunami hit in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina created such devastation in our own country, millions of people are now reeling from the effects of the earthquake in Haiti.  Haiti is the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere. As one headline said, ‘there is an atmosphere of overwhelming despair’.  Haiti may seem far away — and yet the effects of this hurricane even touches our city of Duluth. Many of us are buffered from the grinding poverty and despair, but locally, two Lutheran pastors lost a son. Ben Larson, a fourth year student at Wartburg Seminary, was killed when he was trapped in an orphanage building. He and several other students had gone to Haiti to help with a new Haiti Lutheran Church.

The images on TV are overwhelming. What can we do? We are immediately sending our MDG funds ($1200) to Episcopal Relief and Development. ERD has had a long presence in Haiti - and has many connections and are in the forefront of relief - as you receive this. As you recall, the Millennium Development Goals were developed to help eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. What better ways to use our funds. These are our 2009 funds, which had not yet been designated.  Each year we give 1% of our operating budget to MDG goals.  

     Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefforts Schori has asked Episcopalians in the U.S. to offer immediate and concrete prayers in the form of contributions to Episcopal Relief and Development.  This Sunday you will be invited to participate in a special collection during the offertory. If you would like to give, please bring your check made out to St. Andrew’s by the Lake - with ERD on the memo line.There will be other ways to give listed in the bulletin.  There are many other worthy organizations out there that can make good use of whatever we offer as well - one that comes to mind is Doctors without Borders.

Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers — but most of all — put flesh to your prayers by offering resources out of your own abundance.  Epiphany is the season of the Light of Christ. This is one way to bring some light to people who are living in the darkness of despair right now.

Peace to you,   Cindy

THANK YOU to Mike and Sharon Oliver and Bob Anderson for organizing the ’sack lunch’ for CHUM outreach last Sunday. People gathered in the kitchen and before you knew it - 80 bag lunches had been made and delivered to the drop in center. We will do this once a month. You may contribute in several ways:

Donate money to buy food (bread, bologna and cheese, mayonaise, fruit).

Donate the lunch bags and sandwich wrappings for a month - or several months.

Offer your time to help assemble the lunches - right after worship, during coffee hour.

Speak to Mike, Sharon or Bob if you have resources to offer.

COMING EVENTS continue reading » »

                                                             GRAINS OF SAND                                                              January 6, 2010

                                                          The Feast of Epiphany

This is part two of the Grains of Sand - a reflection on the Feast Day of Epiphany and a few more bits of information.

VICAR’S MESSAGE

     If one were to read the gospel story for Epiphany, it would be Matthew 2: 1-12. It’s the story of the Maji who come from the East, following the star over Bethlehem. They cross paths with Herod — and wisely, do not return his way. Upon entering the house where Mary and Joseph are, along with their baby, Jesus, they present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, they leave and go home by way of another road.

For many of us by now, the camels have crossed the living room and made it to the manger. Last Sunday in church, they arrived at the creche.  They are three outsiders who have made a dangerous journey, and their foreignness serves a point: all are welcome in Bethlehem (the place of bread).

A great deal in our culture can make us feel like outsiders, like we don’t amount to much, can’t contribute much. It can make us feel too old, too young, not respected, not useful.  The first message of Epiphay celebrates Jesus welcoming us at the manger — all we bring and all we are. Nobody can take that away.

Epiphany’s second message and meaning is about journey. To lay our eyes on Christ means to set out on a journey.  No matter who we are, to let God into our lives means that our lives are never the same again. We grow and change as we listen for the voice of the Spirit.

Journeys can have their good and bad points. I love the idea of being on the road, discovering the new. That’s exciting, but it’s also tiring. The sense of adventure also has a flip side of rootlessness — of disorientation.  It is possible to believe in Christ, but hold back from letting God into much of our everyday lives.

No matter what we may think about the value of the ‘institutional church”, community in Christ is important on the journey.  The journey can be hard. The faith community is like an oasis – the gathering of God’s people together, in a specific place.  A real oasis is more than a pit stop. The oasis, in Jesus time, was a place of safety, of refreshment, of sharing stories with other travelers, of continue reading » »

GRAINS OF SAND

                                                              January 4, 2010 

Because there is so much information to pass on to you, the Grains of Sand will come out in two parts this week - today and Wednesday.

EVENTS COMING UP

Degreening of the Church: If you can stay for a bit after worship on Sunday, January 10th, we can use some extra help to take the greens down in the church.  It goes a lot more quickly than putting them up!

Sandwiches for CHUM:  The Peace and Justice  Group is beginning a new monthly ministry of making bag lunches to take to CHUM once a month on a Sunday.  Sundays are usually days when fewer meals are offered to those who are hungry. This is an intergenerational outreach. If you’d like to help, meet in the kitchen after church (during coffee hour) and help put together 40 bag lunches. They will include a sandwich, chips, fruit and dessert. Coordinating this ministry are: Bob Anderson and Mike and Sharon Oliver.  Anyone can help — all ages!! Other ways to help would be to provide bars or cookies on the Sundays we pack the lunches. The rest of the food will be bought ahead of time.

Annual Meeting: January 17th. We gather after worship to look back over the past year and forward into the new, as a community of faith. We have  two recipients of the St. Andrew’s medal, chosen for the way they model Christ’s presence in their life, and for their commitment and faithfulness to worship and outreach in the St. Andrew’s community. The budget will be presented and discussed. We will offer a new slate of Bishop’s Committee members to vote in. All communicants who are 16 years and up are eligible to vote. We will have child care available and refreshments will be served.

A Night of Norwegian Music 

Mark your calendar for Friday, February  12, 7 p.m.  Music will be provided by Arna Rennan and Brian Dack. continue reading » »

CHRISTMAS EVE

Dear Friends in Christ,

I don’t think it snows where Jesus was born. But it sure does here!!  Christmas Eve worship will go on as planned for those who can make it — but please, don’t take chances if you are far away or don’t think you’d be able to make it home. One of the beauties of our tradition (Anglican/Episcopalian) is that the Incarnation is so central to our understanding of who God is — and how we live out that spirituality in our lives.  God has come to be with us in the flesh of a child — which means that God is with us in our flesh and that of others - today, now, at this very moment.  Everyone carries that presence of God — and that holy, indestructible energy to create love permeates the world around us and is the foundation of all. That’s why the Anglican Church is often referred to as the Church of Christmas.  We know it’s not a single evening - a single day - even just 12 days. Christmas Spirituality is 365 days a year — all our lives — if we choose to let it be. I’ve always thought it would be good to designate a Sunday in July to sing Christmas Carols — just to remind ourselves of that!

This evening, if you can’t make it to church, take some time to light the white Christmas Candle. Stop, look, and listen for the Holy around you in that moment. Take a long, reverent, quiet look at the Reality of God in your life.  Listen to God’s message — that the light of Christ pierces the darkness.  That light is the caring energy of God’s love. It scatters the darkness of the world. It offers us the mystery of resurrection that breaks the bonds of sin and death.  Ponder God’s abiding presence and the mystery of the Incarnation.

Then here is a prayer to offer:

Come, Holy Spirit. Enlighten our minds to see the inner meaning of the mystery of our faith.

      Come, Holy Spirit. Enkindle our heats with your fire of love and with a passion to do God’s will.

      Come, Holy Spirit. Empower us to become disciples of Christ in both word and deed. *

The Season of Christmas is here! Celebrate. Share God’s love. May you be blessed in many ways.

Cindy

*Prayer by The Rt. Rev. Robert Morneau

GRAINS OF SAND

               THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

                     Dec. 13-19 

A QUESTION TO PONDER

     As we walk through the remainder of Advent, here is something to ponder: What question is Jesus asking me this Advent? When you read or hear the Gospel read (this year, Luke), ask each time: What is the question that Jesus is trying to answer here? Then say to yourself, “Lord, put in my heart those same questions. Make me curious about the important questions.”

If the Gospel (God’s Good News) is not an answer to the world anymore, it’s perhaps because the world is not asking the right questions. For example, ‘How can I be making a million dollars by the time I’m forty? or fifty? or sixty?’   Our world seems to be obsessed with such a silly question. Jesus would say continue reading » »

GRAINS OF SAND

                                                   SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT

                                                                Dec. 7-13

PRACTICES FOR ADVENT

Last week I mentioned that the time of Advent is not just simply a time of waiting for Christmas Day — but a time of preparing for the “Life-Light” (Jesus the Christ). This season is often filled with social engagements and gift-giving, but how do we honor the season of darkness, while making way for the Life-Light?

Music is one way for me.  I don’t listen much to the radio — too many commercials for my taste. Instead, I have a collection of CD’s of Advent music that I really enjoy. Is there special music of the season that transports you to a different place?

Attending gatherings that celebrate joyful connections is important. However, if it starts to feel like “I should go” or “I have to go” — then maybe it’s important not to go.  Going anywhere near high traffic shopping is also usually not worth it.  By eliminating some of these events, you might actually have a very spacious Advent.

Christmas Cards.  I have to admit I still haven’t gotten last years out — and I may not this year either. Try to focus on meaningful connections — rather than just collecting as many as one can.  More is not better — but endeavor to savor continue reading » »

GRAINS OF SAND

November 30, 2009 - St. Andrew’s Day 

Dear Friends,

Today is the Feast Day of St. Andrew’s, our Patron Saint.  Yesterday many of us had a wonderful celebration of our life in community as we gathered for worship, lunch and entertainment (a fun Talent Show!).

I have been reading a book by Sister Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year.  At the beginning she distinguishes four major kinds of celebrations in the Church Year. First, there is Sunday - the weekly remembrance of the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus. Then there are ‘two seasons’: Advent, before Christmas, and Lent, before Easter. Thirdly, there is Ordinary time. One stretch of that is between Christmas and Lent (what we call the season after Epiphany) and the other long stretch is between Pentecost Sunday and Advent - the season after Pentecost (all summer and most of the Fall).

The fourth major kind of celebration are those like St. Andrew’s Day — the commemorations of individuals noted for living out the kind of personal holiness they saw in Jesus.  The special name for these celebrations is the ‘sanctoral cycle’.  These are the footprints of the faithful who have gone  before us. (1)
At the same time, these Saints days  say to us:  You can, like these, live it too. You can also make the life of Christ your own.

     The Apostle Andrew was the first to be called by Jesus, and so his feast is the first to be celebrated at the beginning of the new church year.  In the Bible, Andrew is mentioned in all four Gospels and in the continue reading » »