St. Paul's Episcopal Church   Poughkeepsie, NY 12601


MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"

The week of February 26-March 4, 2018       

Jesus clears the temple
 
Exodus 20: 1-17; Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22
 
Readings now available online!
 
   
In Sunday's Gospel Jesus clears the temple of all the commercial activity that had been established there over the years. He said, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" This incident comes very close to the end of Jesus' earthly ministry. He knew it. When he said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," the Gospel tells us he was referring to his own resurrection.
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This week's lessons 
 
Last week Jesus called Peter "Satan," because Peter rebuked him for describing the suffering he was about to endure. This week he upsets the apple cart which is the reason for the temple, in the minds of the vendors. Jesus is calling people out of comfort and into an awareness of their faith and their desire for spiritual integrity. Things are getting pretty intense.
 
Why is Jesus so very strongly calling out the Temple authorities and the vendors and hawkers who are misusing the temple? Is it because sometimes it takes an outrageous act like overturning the money changers' tables to get the attention of people? Jesus had a knack for such acts.
 
Perhaps we should be a little more willing to put ourselves in the middle of controversies, to shine a new and bright light on them. Should we call out Christians who fail to love their neighbor and attempt to deport them or marginalize them? Of course. Should we call our national addiction to guns what it is, an addiction and a blind spot, and not tolerate the gun lobby hiding behind the US Constitution? It would seem the attack in Parkland Florida has opened that conversation in a new way. Is there any question about where Jesus would come down on that?
 

THIS WEEK'S HELPERS
 

SUNDAY 8AM

Server:            Maria Bell

Lectors:           Rose Marie Proctor

                       Tom Walker

Litanist:           Pete Bedrossian

 

SUNDAY 10AM

Organist:         Maris Kristapsons

Acolytes:         Shawn Prater-Lee

Lectors:           Judy Mizell

                        Daphne Barrett

Litanist:           Mark Debald

Usher:             Dewy Clarke

                        Mark Debald

Altar Guild:      Joanna Frang

                        Rose Marie Proctor

Greeters:         Cynthia Benjamin

                        Rose Marie Proctor                

 


PARISH NEWS
The Stewardship Committee will meet Monday, March 5 at 5:00pm. Evening Prayer will follow at 6:00pm.  

The agenda will include fundraising plans for the remainder of the year, update on the chili take-out dinner and choosing a date for planning the Corned Beef dinner.  
All are welcome.   

Please join us with your good ideas.

Chili take-out brings in $528
Chili in February was pretty popular at St. Paul's! The take-home chili feed brought in a total of $528 on the day of the sale and then on subsequent Saturdays and Sundays. Thanks to the cooks and the cleanup crew and to the Stewardship Committee for putting the delicious varieties of chili together. 
 
  


Second Collection nets $228 for black colleges

Sunday's second collections at the 8 and 10 am services brought in $228 to support two historically black colleges in the South. Voorhees College in Denmark SC and St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, NC,  are the recipients of our collection and the collections of many Episcopal Churches responding to the call from the Union of Black Episcopalians to support historically black colleges.


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                                          MARCH
 
11     Margaret Robinson                    23     Donald S. Ackert
12     Tyler Jones                                24     Alice J. Leigh
14     Kattyann Goodwin                     25     Michael Van Pelt
17     Deb Williams                             26     Karen Reid  
         George Williams                        29     Danya Clarke
         Whitman Williams                      30     Stuart Ballinger
         Bryanna Winkler                        31     Rose Marie Proctor
18     Shirley Pharr                                       Pete Bedrossian
20     Stacey Wosborough
21     Linda Aleen Dubois
         Lisl Prater-Lee


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St. Paul's Episcopal Church-Poughkeepsie
 
 
 
THIS WEEK'S HYMNS

1982                 372      Praise to the living God! (Leoni)
 
1982                 685      Rock of ages, cleft for me (Toplady)
 
1982                 574       Before my throne, O God, we kneel (St. Petersburg)
 
1982                 665       All my hope is on God is founded (Michael) 

 
 
HYMN INFORMATION:  The hymn Rock of Ages (meant as an endearing term for God) was written by English cleric Augustus Toplady in 1775 and was set to music by American composer Thomas Hastings in 1831. Each stanza has a theme: 1. Christ's blood from his death gives us forgiveness for our sins. 2. We are reminded that we can never repay him for that sacrifice. 3. We ask for God's mercy as we face our end. As we proceed through the season of Lent, this hymn prepares us for the significance of Holy Week.

(There is also a local connection: composer Thomas Hastings was born in Washington, Connecticut, just forty miles from Poughkeepsie)

 

 
THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
FEBRUARY 26-March 4, 2018

MON 26           7:30am AA Meeting;                     
                        6pm Evening Prayer; Vestry;              
                                                                                                                                                
TUE 27            10am-2pm Office, Food Pantry, Small Blessings Thrift Shop;
                         6pm Evening Prayer; Bible Study;
                                                                                                             
WED 28            7:30am AA Meeting;  
           10am-2pm Office, Food Pantry, Small Blessings Thrift Shop;
           12:15pm Healing Service & Eucharist;
           5:30pm Lenten Supper & Worship;
                                                      
THUR 1            10am-2pm Office, Food Pantry, Small Blessings Thrift Shop;      
                         6pm Evening Prayer, Evangelism/ Outreach;              
        
FRI 2               7:30am AA meeting;

SAT 3              S.H. Private Party                  
                                                                                                                                            
SUN 4               8am Rite I
                         8:45am Lessons' Discussion
                         9:30am Choir practice;  
           10am Rite II- Anointing/ Laying of Hands
           10am Sunday School;
           11:15am Coffee Hour
           11:30 am "Beloved Community" meditation 
           3pm Play-Lamentation at Christ Church, 30 Carroll Street;


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