As announced at all services this past Sunday; in 2020 we are starting a new prayer list and establishing new policies for the Prayers of the People.
You may request prayers for yourself or for somebody else if you have the person’s permission. These requests will be on the list initially for up to four weeks. If you would like prayers continued after four weeks, call the office or submit a second request card. Such requests can be renewed twice, for a total of 12 weeks. After 12 weeks names go to a long term prayer list and are prayed for by the women’s group: the Daughters of the King. There are cards in the Narthex to submit a name and/or you can call the church office at 512-836-3974. Prayers may be requested for illness, surgery, deaths, new babies, decisions, wisdom, or other needs. Requests will be prayed for, out loud, at Sunday services. All worshippers are encouraged to take home the weekly bulletin and pray during the week for those listed. If you have any questions, please contact the Reverend Ann McLemore at the church office or call 769-257-2377.
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Report from The Reverend Victoria Mason, Deacon, on the 2nd Annual Summit on Border Ministries; held in Phoenix Arizona in late November 2019. Click HERE for a text-only version of this material suitable for use with text readers for the visually impaired
Jesus and the disciples were at the temple and some people commented on the beauty of the temple: "how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God," The temple was a large stone building. If you’ve ever seen the National Cathedral with its beautiful stone sculptures and stained-glass windows, you can understand how these people felt. Another example is our Capitol Building. These buildings are made of very heavy stone, as was the temple. I can’t imagine either one not ever being there. Given the technology of Jesus’ day, it’s even easier to understand how the people could not imagine the temple ever being destroyed.
Yet, Jesus said that the temple would be destroyed. An then Jesus continued his observations by speaking of the disasters that will come in the future – “Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues;” All of these things have happened and are happening now in various places of the world. Yet, here we are – alive and well in Austin, Texas. It’s really hard to comprehend this level of destruction when one has not experienced it. We can believe that nothing in the world is permanent. But we can understand that life is cyclical – we have all experienced good times and bad times. As we go through difficult times, we reach out to God seeking consolation, strength, and answers. Jesus said, “But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls." Buildings are not permanent, but God’s love is. When I was studying Old Testament at the Iona School for Ministry, our instructor advised us to look for God’s “steadfast faith” as we read through the books. That was good advice as we slogged through the wars, the evil kings, leaders and armies doing remarkably horrendous acts in the name of God. However, throughout the readings, there was a clear message that God loved and cared for his people. He bemoaned the times when his people turned their backs on Him and chose to worship other gods and not live according to His Law. He rejoiced when the people returned to Him and chose to live in righteousness and justice according to His Law. He never abandoned his people, even though they may have felt like he had. Righteousness in biblical terms is about living in right relationships – with God and with each other. Righteousness is about supporting one another. It means helping friends, neighbors, and even strangers, as they go through hard times. It’s about going to Houston with a boat to help rescue people stranded by the floods caused by hurricanes. It’s about putting on work boots and picking up hammers, nails, saws, and other tools to help people rebuild their homes after the floods. It’s about sitting with a friend who is mourning the loss of a spouse. It’s about giving respite for someone who is caring for a loved one. It’s about giving a homeless person a bottle of water and a $5 HEB card. It’s about cheerfully doing chores around the house. It’s about holding back on that cutting remark that would “feel so good” to say. It’s about listening carefully to one another, especially when we disagree, so that we can work at solving problems peacefully. It’s about challenging violence in any form and to stand with others who are treated unfairly. The Letter to the Thessalonians talks about this. In the excerpt we read today, it’s about doing one’s fair share for the community. The author of this Letter to the Thessalonians remarks on the “believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.” At one level, the author is specifically talking about those who are taking advantage of the community by not working and contributing to the community funds. The Rev. Edward Pillar, in his commentary, suggests that this idleness is about not adhering “to these traditions of righteousness, justice, truth, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.” He further points out that the key to this passage “is to be found in the very last phrase: ‘Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right’ (2 Thessalonians 3:13).” … There is then a call to work, but to work for righteousness. To work hard so that the traditions passed on by the apostles, based on the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, might become a reality within our communities and society.” The traditions of righteousness to which we reaffirm our faith are summarized in the Baptismal Covenant. The five vows which we promise to do, with God’s help, would enable us to live in righteousness – as individuals, as a community, and as citizens of the Kingdom of God. In the words of Bishop Daniel Martins, of the Diocese of Springfield, “The gracious rule of Christ brings together people of every race, nationality, social status, taste in music or food or drink, and a variety of politics without demanding that those personal attributes or proclivities be laid aside. We are one in Christ, even as we cherish our particular customs.” In Isaiah’s prophecy, we are given a vision of this unity. A vision of community where the members have differences and live together in peace. " The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent-- its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord." Thanks be to God. Today's lessons are very somber. The despair expressed in Jeremiah and the Psalm remind me of an event in a television show. Some of you may remember the television series of the 1990s – “Touched by an Angel.” Three angels were assigned to connect with people in distress to let them know that God loves them and hasn’t forgotten them.
One episode that stuck with me was about a young woman who escaped persecution by the Chinese government. She had to make a choice about saving her brother by returning to China. Her return meant that she would be imprisoned and tortured. The very last scene showed the young woman on her knees preparing to be whipped and the angel wrapping her arms and body around her like a shield. The angel and the young woman suffered the pain together. Jeremiah and the Psalmist are voicing their pain. The first words that we hear from Jeremiah are: My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. The people of Judah were conquered by Babylon and they were exiled. It was a time when Judah lost everything – the land, the sacred temple, and their king. The Babylonians had authority over everything: government, property, religion, business. The peasants and slaves remained, but the people who could subvert Babylon's authority were exiled to Babylon. Jeremiah was mourning for the loss of Judah. Let’s take a moment to understand the history. When Saul died, the kingdom was split into two: Israel and Judah. Israel contained 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel. Judah contained the other 2 tribes. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah were ruled by David and then his son Solomon. After that, they were ruled separately. Israel was conquered by Assyria (~740 BCE) about 150 years before Judah was conquered by Babylon (~597 BCE). The conquest of Judah, which included Jerusalem, was about six hundred (600) years before the time of Jesus. The Psalm is lamenting the same loss – the conquest and exile of Judah: 1 O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance; they have profaned your holy temple; * they have made Jerusalem a heap of rubble. 6 Pour out your wrath upon the heathen who have not known you * and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your Name. 7 For they have devoured Jacob * and made his dwelling a ruin. The destruction of Jerusalem, including the holy temple, meant that the people of Judah had no home or power. In addition, the destruction of the temple signified that God was homeless as well. Continuing the somberness of today’s lessons, the gospel parable talks about how a man faces ruination. His employer learned how the manager was squandering his property. He confronted him and demanded an accounting of his property and fired him. The lesson and Jesus’ comments are complex at best. But what if we focus on the loss that this manager is facing? His whole world is falling apart. Immediately before this story, the gospel tells the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son and the manager share the characteristic of wasting away their gifts – the son his inheritance and the manager his position of honor and trust. The two men make a decision to repent and improve their lives. The son to stop living as a beggar. The manager to avoid becoming a slave or a beggar. Jeremiah and the Psalmist also wanted their situations to change. Today’s reading of the Psalm ends with the Psalmist asking God for salvation: 9 Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your Name; * deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your Name's sake. Today's readings lead us to recall our deepest moments of despair. We all have had difficult times. Some of us have even faced life-threatening experiences. At those times, we may have chosen to submit to despair or tried solutions that offered no peace. At some point, we found the sanctuary of peace and protection in God. Using the words from a Forward Day by Day meditation: When we shout to heaven, as Jeremiah and the Psalmist did, God hears our cry. From the deepest pits of our lives, God lends words of comfort and leads us out of the wilderness into pastures of peace—where springs of love restore us. That deep wellspring of love is found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the letter to Timothy, the author says: "5 For there is but one God, and one man who is the mediator between God and men: Christ Jesus. 6 For he gave himself to death as a ransom for the salvation of all" The good news of the gospel is that, yes, God hears our pleas. Our pleas for help, for deliverance from our afflictions, for forgiveness of our sins. Our Lord knows our hearts and our desire for repentance of our sins. In the Gospel of John, we have the most famous and familiar saying: "16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die, but have eternal life.” And in the next verse – “17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save him through him." Yes, there are times when we're in pain. Yes, we are sinners. Yes, we waste away our gifts. Yes, we weep when we feel alone and abandoned. Yes, we repent time after time after time. And in the middle of all that pain and despair, God is with us. Yes, the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us the strength to survive our afflictions and overcome our problems. Jesus Christ gives us hope and the possibility of a new life. Through the power of the resurrection, Jesus makes it possible to become the person that God created us to be. Thanks be to God! Effective, Sunday, October 13; after taking a straw poll amongst members who attend both
the 9 am and 10:30 am services; and in light of our recent survey results; the service hours are going to be changed. The first service; will begin at 8:30 am instead of 9:00 am. The second service will begin at 10:45 am instead of 10:30 am. We are going to give this a try until the end of the calendar year. The third service, 1:00 pm, will stay the same. Don’t forget, Daylight Savings ends on Sunday, November 3! Why the change? A few months ago, all in the church were invited to participate in a general congregational survey called Holy Cow (company name). The purpose was to help identify who we are, who is our neighbor, and what is God calling us to do during this time of transition. These survey results are some of the sources of information for the task force that is currently crafting our Parish Profile. This process, this profile, is one of the steps towards calling a new Rector. A valuable response to come out of the survey is the desire for adult Christian Education (Sunday school) on Sunday mornings. The existing worship schedule does not allow for such a time slot. By changing the early service to 8:30 am and the second service to 10:45 am; this allows a solid 45 minutes on Sunday morning for adult education (9:45-10:30 am). Very important, this new schedule still allows time for coffee and fellowship. The main parish hall will continue to be available for snacks and sharing. The classes will be held in the vestry meeting room of the parish hall. The program is to have a series of classes that will be a series of two to three Sundays; yet, each Sunday standing on it’s own as far as subject content. The first two weeks will be with Fr. David Beer leading a discussion on Celtic Spirituality. The next three weeks will be through a symposium called The Work Of The People (TWOTP). This will be a discussion on gratitude, gifts and abundance led by Diana Butler Bass, an American historian of Christianity and a leading voice in progressive Christianity (via streaming). This has been a year now of many changes and transitions for this congregation; not to mention my arrival on April 1 as your Interim Rector. My prayer for all is that you continue to keep your hearts and minds open to the movement of the Holy Spirit throughout this congregation. God has a plan! Faithfully, Ann+ |