Grains of Sand November 30, 2009
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 Acts of the Apostles. He was the son of Jonah, or John, born in Bethsaida of Galilee, and the brother of Simon Peter. Both were fishermen and lived in the same house at Capernaum. From the Gospel of John (1: 35-40) we learn that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony led him to follow Jesus. Andrew was first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (Christ), and introduced his brother, Peter, to Jesus.
Andrew was close to Jesus during his public life, and was present at the Last Supper, saw the risen Lord, witnessed the Ascension, shared in the gifts of Pentecost, and helped establish the Christian faith. Traditionally, he is said to have preached in Greece, and was eventually put to death there. He was crucified and died on a Saltire cross (the one you see in the St. Andrew’s window in church and on the flag, as well as the Episcopal Shield). He was bound, not nailed, in order to prolong his suffering. His martyrdom took place during the reign of Nero, on November 30, CE 60.
Andrew became an evangelist — because he found his deepest desires addressed by Jesus. Leaving his fishing net, he went forth to ‘fish’ for people — captivating them with the message of God’s love and peace. The gift given to him had to be shared — and he offered the message of salvation to all who had an open heart. ‘Through our baptism we are invited into this same life. Even if we are not official ‘preachers’, our lives are a ’sermon’, either leading people closer to or farther away from Christ.’ (2) Baptism is our call to be an evangelist like Andrew — whose footprints in the sand we try to follow.
Blessings to all of you on this St. Andrew’s Day. Cindy
(1) Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year p. 29
(2) Waiting in Joyful Hope, 2009-2010 p. 9
THIS WEEKS EVENTS
5K Walk/Run — Bridge to Peace - Saturday, December 5th
Hopefully many of you, by now, are either volunteering or walking/running the 5K. We gather at Fitgers (3rd Floor - follow the signs). Be there no later than 9 a.m. if you are walking/running. Volunteers, you probably already have your assignments. If you are not involved and would like to be, find a friend to take a walk with on Saturday morning. It’s a great way to connect and to do some good in the world at the same time. Registration fee is $25. You can register the night before at Fitger’s Lobby or the day of the race. Each participant receives a race bag and long-sleeved T-shirt. Proceeds go to the Central Asian Institute. They build elementary schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Our funds will pay for teachers salaries and training, scholarships and building upkeep. This is one way to promote peace in the world — which is why we call this run — The Bridge to Peace.
St. Nicholas Day - Sunday, December 6th
Special events are happening for the youth on this Sunday. During Christian Formation there will be a special story about St. Nicholas in Godly Play, followed by a visit from St. Nicholas. There will be a craft activity and treats following the story. At the same time, practice will begin for the Christmas Pageant. All children who would like a part in the pageant should be present on Sunday!!! Also, plan to be present for the remaining Sundays in Advent so practice can continue. The pageant will be on Sunday, January 3rd, during worship.
Advent Lessons and Carols - November 6th - 9:45 a.m
One of the most beautiful services of Advent is Lessons and Carols. This Sunday, we will hear five of the traditional Advent lessons, each followed by an Advent Carol. Most of the carols will be sung congregationally, however one will be done by our Adult Choir. In addition, we will be blessed with the accompaniment of Jeanette Paulson, with her oboe. The tradition of Lessons and Carols is that there is no sermon - the lessons and carols themselves are the preaching.
CnC (Confirm not Conform)
The group meets Wednesday, December 2nd, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
OTHER EVENTS IN DECEMBER
December 8 - Peace and Justice Meeting (time to be determined)
December 11 - Friday Prayer Group (9 a.m.)
December 14 - Bishop’s Committee (5:30 p.m.)
December 16 - Bible Study (last session on Proverbs) 7 p.m.
December 17 - Third Thursday Lunch at Mark and Ginny Berger’s (11:30 a.m.)
December 25 - Christmas Eve Eucharist (5 p.m.)
“St. Andrew the King, three weeks and three days
before Christmas comes in”. –English traditional proverb
