Grains of Sand February Mid-Month 2010
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 children’s book called The Frog and Toad Treasury by Arnold Lobel.
Frog and Toad are good friends. They spend a lot of time together, exploring the world and supporting one another. One chapter is titled “The Surprise”. The action in it takes place in October. The leaves are falling. Frog decides to go to Toad’s house, secretly, and rake his leaves for him. “I will rake all the leaves that have fallen on his lawn. Toad will be surprised!” Toad has the same idea. Both manage to arrive at the home of the other unseen, ascertain that no one is home, rake the leaves, and return to their own houses unnoticed. On their respective ways home, however, a wind comes.
The wind blows and blows. The piles of leaves do too, so that the leaves are scattered everywhere. At the end of the day, neither Frog nor Toad realizes what the other has done, because both return home to leaves strewn across their yards. Both pledge to rake their own leaves the next day.
“When Frog got home, he said, ‘I will clean up the leaves that are all over my own lawn. How surprised Toad must be!” Toad echoed Frog. “That night Frog and Toad were both happy when they each turned out the light and went to bed.”
The sense of purpose each derived from his acts of love and service was not dependent on a pubic response or acknowledgment. It was not, in the end, even dependent on the accomplishment (given the wind). The acts were – authentic.
In contrast to Frog and Toad’s private, unacknowledged acts of service stands the Ash Wednesday practice of the imposition of ashes – as a public display of faith and an act of piety. But Ash Wednesday is so much more than that. It marks the beginning of Lent and calls us to reflection and repentance; it invites us to begin our preparation for Good Friday and for Easter. Lent is a season of renewal – a springtime of the soul. It is a time to decide ‘whose we will be’.
The ritual of imposition of ashes is a sobering reminder of our mortality. Receiving the ashes with the words “You are dust and to the dust you shall return” is a gentle whisper that says, “It is not about you”. It is the Creator who is always to be glorified and not we who are created. We are to spend less time guarding our own image and instead, grow more into the image of God.
You see, it doesn’t make any difference whether you get ashes early in the day and wear them wherever you go – or at night – and then go home and wash them off right away. Perhaps, even before you leave the ash-anointing service and go home or back to the office, brush off your forehead so that the spiritual value of the experience is not clouded because others will notice that holy ‘smudge’. Why? Because the intoxicant of praise – of doing things primarily for external approval – is as damaging as it is addictive.
Remember that nothing we can do will draw us any nearer to God – God is already with us. In the end, a faithful observance of Lent is a grace-filled return to God, from whatever has drawn us away from that relationship.
May you have a holy Lent. Cindy
THE PRACTICE OF LENT
Pray this prayer of St. Teresa of
Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you.
All things are changing. God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the good.
One who has God lacks nothing.
God alone fills our needs.
Develop an Open Heart
Self Reflection:
What is blocking the fullness of life in you right now?
Begin Again:
What did you do, read, hear, choose, today that opened your heart in a new way?
Make an effort each day to begin again with a new heart. How were you able to
‘go beyond the mind that you have’?
Live Anew:
Write down how you will rebuild the worlds that you have allowed to go sterile.
Be very specific. What will you DO to rebuild a relationship, to bring justice,
to care for the earth? Do it this week.
My brothers and sisters, the hour of God’s favor draws near, the day of God’s mercy
and of our salvation, when death is destroyed and eternal life began. This is the season
for planting new vines in God’s vineyard, the time for pruning the vines to ensure a richer harvest. (The Rite of Reconciliation)
HEALTH AND HEALING
Years ago, the World Health Organization of the UN defined health as a state of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. It does not imply the absence of disease. It is a state in which the individual is able to perform at a level that is personally fulfilling. Life may not be perfect but one can carry on and experience contentment. Modern science helps us achieve that satisfactory level of wellness. We may not be cured, but we are healthy. We will have our ups and downs, but generally speaking, we are OK where we are.
And what is meant by healing? Healing is a process of finding ways to support our health. It is a personal and individual process. We need to find the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional space that is best for us. Then we need to engage in activities that will promote and support that healthy state. Healing prayer is one part of the process. Prayer helps us find purpose, peace, acceptance, and contentment within our lives. Prayer helps us when the going is rocky and lets us exalt when things are going well. Praying within a community and with a companion can help us approach our personal goals. Two activities at St. Andrew’s by the
Joanne Blyler
HEALING PRAYER STATION
On Sunday, February 21st, we will commission a new ministry at St. Andrew’s by the
LENTEN RETREAT – March 20, 2010
A Lenten Retreat is being offered for area Episcopalians. It will be held on Saturday, March 20th at
St. Andrew’s are involved in the planning, along with the retreat facilitator, the Rev. Mary Ellen Ashcroft. The Rev. Ashcroft is an Episcopal priest residing in Grand Marais, where she runs a retreat center. More information is forthcoming, but put this on your calendar if you are hungry for a retreat in Lent. Contact the Rev. Sally Maxwell for more information. There will be a sign up sheet in the Mission Hall soon.
PARENT OF TEENS – Note Date Change in Letter
There is an error on one of the dates in the letter I recently sent you regarding youth events, the Pilgrimage and Confirmation. The event listed for May 14 is NOT then, but
June 14th (Monday, 10-3). There is not Monday, May 14th – besides – the teens are still in school. Please correct that on your calendars. Thanks. Cindy Peterson-Wlosinski
YOUTH EVENTS
Senior High – February 21st – Service Project and Bowling
We’ll be making 80 bag lunches to take to CHUM (after worship). Please meet in the kitchen. Afterwards, we’ll deliver them, then go bowling, from 1-3:30 pm (Incline Station). Cost is $15/person (includes 3 games of bowling, shoes, pizza and pop.) We will go to Incline Station from St. Andrew’s. Pick up at Incline is between 3:30 – 4:00 pm.
Invite a friend! Parents – if you can transport to Incline Station, please let Brian know.
Tweens – February 28th – Roller Skating Event
We’ll leave St. Andrew’s between 12:30 – 1 pm (right after Pilgrimage meeting). Skating will be from 1-4 pm at the World of Wheels (
Cost is $10/person. Parents – pick up your child between 3:45 – 4 pm. PARENTS – If you can help transport to World of Wheels from St. Andrew’s, please let Brian know. Thank you! (591-2583 or bllund@msn.com)
TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) – March 19-21,
WEDNESDAYS IN LENT - Soup Supper and Study
Beginning February 24th, we’ll meet at 5:30 pm for supper (soup and bread), followed by a study group. The topic this Lent is: Affectionately Yours, Screwtape: The Devil and C.S. Lewis.
Did God give each person free will? Who is Satan? Can good truly overcome evil? We’ll read the short book The Screwtape Letters, and travel inside the mind of C.S. Lewis. We’ll explore the imaginative letters between two devils. To lead us into our discussion, we’ll view a short segment of video (each time) that helps us understand the biblical, historical and cultural depictions of Satan and hell – as well as provide insights into the nature of temptation and redemption.
You are invited to help provide dinner by signing up to bring a pot of soup one of the Wednesday nights – and a loaf of bread. Sign up in the Mission Hall. If you can’t stay for the study, then just come join us for supper.
PARENTS OF TEENS
On Sunday mornings and during Confirmation, we have been using short videos produced by Rob Bell to spark our discussions. Rob Bell is one of the leading pastors in the
ST. ANDREW’S STITCHERS
Next gathering will be at Sandy Carlson’s home,
Everyone is welcome.
RUMMAGE SALE – June 11th and 12th
During the Park Point Rummage Sale we’ll be holding our own Rummage Sale – so start setting aside things you might offer. The chair-persons of this event are Kathy Jacobs, Ellie Alspach and Elena Knezevich. The proceeds will go toward Pilgrimage expenses. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANYTHING TO THE CHURCH UNTIL THEY GIVE US THE GO AHEAD. We don’t have storage space – so it will probably be early June. A list will also come out of things we cannot sell.
EVENTS IN THE
March 2 (4 pm) – Talk by Firoozeh Dumas, author of Funny in Farsi and Laughing
Without an Accent,
the public. See the poster in the Mission Hall. There are 7 copies
of the books at the UMD Library and anyone can get a community
card to use the library.
March 9th – Talk by Bill McKibbon at CSS. Mr. McKibbon is an expert and author on the
subject of sustainability. More information to come. It is an evening lecture.
NORWEGIAN FOLK MUSIC EVENT
Thank you to those who were able to attend Norway My Norway, to hear Arna Rennan and Brian Dack sing. It was a great evening. Thank you to all who helped set up for the event, and later put things back in place. And most of all, thank you to Donn and Donna Larson who organized this wonderful evening. We raised a total (so far) of $1151 which will go to CHUM in March (so we can get the benefit of matching dollars).
MUSIC IN LENT
During Lent I have arranged for extra musicians to take part in our liturgy. On February 21 and March 7, Jeanette Paulson (oboe) will be with us. On March 14 and 28 we will have Elise Kuuttie (cello) and at the Easter Vigil (April 3) we will have Lorie Scott (flute). Does anyone know a good trumpet player we can engage for Easter morning??? If so, let me know. Thanks, Cindy P-W
Other Events/Dates
February 21 - Bishop’s Committee (after worship)
February 21 - Making Sandwiches for CHUM
February 21 - Senior High Youth Group
February 24 - Wednesday Night Soup Supper and Study (5:30 pm)
February 28 - Pilgrimage Meeting (after worship)
March 6-7 - Wisdom Team meets at St. Andrew’s
March
March 12 - Friday Prayer Group
February 28 - Tweens Roller Skating Event
