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Although it seems as though we just finished singing "O Come, All Ye Faithful" a couple weeks ago, the beginning of Lent is right around the corner! I'm pleased to list some upcoming musical highlights for the rest of our season.
March 1 is Ash Wednesday. Father James and The Rev. Dr. Robert Norris, Pastor at The Royal Poinciana Chapel, have planned for our congregations to observe Ash Wednesday together this year. The parishioners of RPC will join us for services that day; Dr. Norris will preach, and members of the RPC Chorale will join with the Bethesda Choir to provide music for the 6:00 p.m. service that evening.
The Bethesda Choir will lead Evensong on March 5, April 2, and May 7. Our pre-Evensong recitalist on March 5 will be organist James Guyer, newly-appointed Organist and Choirmaster at St. Boniface Episcopal Church in Sarasota (and, until recently, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Fort Pierce). James has not performed at Bethesda-by-the-Sea in the past, so I look forward to his first outing on our wonderful instrument. The pre-Evensong recitalist on April 2 will be organist Timothy Hall, a long-time friend and classmate of mine from Westminster Choir College days. Tim is Organist and Choirmaster at Christ Church, Savannah. He has performed here before, and his recitals are always full of interesting repertoire and beautifully-performed. Our recitalist for the final Evensong of the season on May 7 will be The Rev. Karl Van Richards, Associate Minister and Director of Music at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Miami. He is a brilliant pianist who will show off our splendid Steinway to great advantage.
Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Day, all offer ample opportunities for music to express the emotions of the day. The major work during our 3-hour Good Friday service on April 14 will be a favorite of many people: Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, which will be accompanied by orchestra.
Hal Pysher
Associate for Music and Liturgy
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY
12, 2017
Preacher: The Rector
- Parking Permitted from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. -
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
8:45 a.m. Coffee Hour, Parish Hall
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:00 a.m. Children's Worship, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. Pre-K Class, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. Kindergarten & 1st Grade Class, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. 2nd & 3rd Grade Class, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. 4th & 5th Grade Class, Sunday School Lounge
10:00 a.m. 6th & 7th Grade Pre- Confirmation Class, Library
10:00 a.m. 8th Grade Confirmation Class, ECW Room
10:00 a.m. 9th-12th Grade Pilgrimage Group, Youth Room
10:00 a.m. Adult Forum, Parish Hall
10:00 a.m. Bible Study, Guild Room
*#11:00 a.m. Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist
12:15 p.m. Coffee Hour, Parish Hall
12:15 p.m. Church Lecture Tour
* Nursery care for infants through age 3 is
available from 7:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
# These services will be live-streamed.
You may watch the service online
HERE
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Click here to view the service leaflet for this Sunday.
Click here to view this week's Bethesda Happenings.
PARKING: Persons attending Sunday services will be allowed to park on ALL of Barton Avenue and Pendleton Avenue
without receiving a ticket until 3:00 p.m.
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Adult Forum: For You Were Aliens in the Land of Egypt--
A Conversation of Faith | 10:00 a.m. | Parish Hall
Join award-winning
Boston Globe journalist Maria Karagianis and Father Burl for a conversation about their first-hand experiences in the Syrian and Congolese refugee crises. A resident of Milton, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach, Ms. Karagianis traveled to Lesbos in the spring of 2015, not as a journalist, but as witness to the humanitarian crisis. The decision to go was made after a life-changing, impromptu conversation at her daughter's wedding. Father Burl made a pilgrimage at the same time to Kenya and Rwanda as a member of a small group with Episcopal Migration Ministries, one of the nine recognized resettlement agencies in the United States, to witness this ministry of the church as it worked with Congolese refugees housed in UNHCR camps in Rwanda.
Lectionary-Based Bible Study | 10:00 a.m. | Guild Room
Join us for a discussion of the collect, Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament, and Gospel readings, and how they inform our 21st century lives. Whether you've come from the service earlier in the day or are about to attend the later service, this class is sure to enhance your encounter with the holy scriptures.
Church Lecture Tour | 12:15 p.m. | Church
The tour will include information about architecture and the beautiful embellishments of the church. The tour is presented by Ann Elizabeth Hall and members of the Church Lecture Tour Committee. This tour is open to anyone interested in learning more about our beautiful church.
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Three Events, One Cause: Eat a meal - Make a meal - Share a meal
Palm Beach Empty Bowls: Thank you to everyone who helped make this event on Friday, February 3, a great success!
Palm Beach Unites: Sunday, February 12, 2017, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Come participate in one of three, 60 minute shifts at Palm Beach Day Academy and be a part of packaging 150,000 healthy meals for those in need. Volunteers are needed for one or more of the following shifts: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; and 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please join us today at Palm Beach Day Academy located at 241 Seaview Avenue in Palm Beach!
Share What you Can: Sunday, February 19 & 26, 2017. Our food drive here at Bethesda benefits C.R.O.S. Ministries Food Pantries, ensuring that families have access to healthy food. Together we give thanks and "Share What You Can" with those in need. Be sure to pick up a bag and food list on February 19 and return the full bag on February 26.
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6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | Wednesday, February 15
Community Supper
6:00 to 6:30 p.m. (serving starts at 5:45 p.m.) | Parish Hall
The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12; $25 family max (payable at the door).
This week we will serve Caesar salad, vegetable lasagna, mixed vegetables, garlic bread, and banana pudding with fresh bananas and vanilla wafers. Kindly
RSVP HERE* or call Ayana at (561) 655-4554.
*In order to properly plan and prepare the supper, we need your reservations by noon on Monday.
Cantate Choir
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Choir Room
This intergenerational choir is open to adults of all ages and to youth as young as third grade. Contact Jessica Hitchcock at hitchcock@bbts.org.
Modern Scholarship Meets the Bible
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Guild Room
Do you guilt trip yourself because you think you ought to know the Bible better? Does reading the Bible intimidate you? Bore you? Then this seven-week course is for you! Using PowerPoint slides that reflect modern scholarship about the Bible (including archeology and linguistics), Tom O'Brien will help you become a more informed (and better) Bible reader.
Foreshadowed: Stories Behind Visual Art
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Library
Join Danette MacGregor for a Socratic and interactive discussion on the fundamentals of visual art and its methods in storytelling. Learn how to approach a new piece of art to unravel the secret stories behind the canvas. You will also discover simple techniques and visual cues to aid in revealing the message or purpose of any piece. We will visit examples from antiquity to modern art (and no, your 5-year-old really can't "do it"). Plan to get creative the last week as we apply storytelling in your own artistic work.
Yoga
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Parish Hall
Physical therapist and yoga instructor, Emily Large, invites all adults for an evening of yoga. A requested donation of $10 per class.
Compline
7:45 to 8:00 p.m. | Church
A fitting end to our Wednesday evenings, compline offers a peaceful and meditative sacred time in the middle of our often frenetic weeks.
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This Sunday's Readings in Context
Parishioner Tom O'Brien, a Canon and Examining Chaplain for Scripture of this diocese, writes brief background descriptions of the Sunday readings. We thank Tom for sharing his learning and love of Scripture with us in this way.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Deuteronomy is the fifth (and last) book of the Torah and is presented as Moses' final speech to the Israelites just before they enter the Promised Land. The word "Deuteronomy" comes from Greek words that mean "Second Law." The book is structured as a "restatement' of the laws in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Although there were revisions to Deuteronomy as late as the 5th Century BCE, the bulk of the book is generally dated to the 7th Century BCE.
It is also the first book of the "Deuteronomic History" - a didactic history of Ancient Israel from the time in the Wilderness to the Babylonian Exile (589 BCE) and includes the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings.
In today's reading, the Deuteronomic authors portray the covenant with YHWH as conditional. If the people (and particularly the king) love the LORD and "walk in his ways" (v.16), good things will happen for them. But if they "turn away" by worshiping other gods, they will perish. Their choice was whether to "choose life" or not (v. 19).
The Revised Common Lectionary for today offers a choice between Sirach and 1 Corinthians.
Sirach 15:15-20
The Book of Sirach is not included in the Jewish version of the Hebrew Bible, but is included in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox versions of the Hebrew Bible. Protestants place Sirach in a separate section of the Bible called the "Apocrypha" (which means "hidden books"). The book is known by the name of its author, and its full title is "The Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach." It was written around 180 BCE, during a time when the Seleucids (from Syria) were ruling Judea and trying to impose Greek gods upon the Judeans. Ben Sira describes himself as a "scribe" (a person of learning).
In today's reading, Sirach reiterates the theme of Deuteronomy 30 that the Jewish people must choose whether to obey the commandments or not. Consistent with today's reading from Deuteronomy, the choice is between life and death (v.17).
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was Hellenistic and emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers also taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul's understandings of what it means to be a Jesus Follower. This led to contentions among the Corinthians.
Today's reading continues Paul's argument to the Corinthians. He asserts that he cannot speak to them as "spiritual people" and they need to be fed spiritual "baby food" because they are "still of the flesh" (exhibiting "human inclinations" by quarreling and being jealous). Growth in faith comes from God, not particular teachers, including Paul and Apollos.
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141 South County Road · Palm Beach, FL 33480
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Bethesda's Mission is to experience the clear and strong presence of God and to understand and spread Christ's teachings through collective worship, learning, and service.
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Road Closures
for the Weekend
Please be aware that South Ocean Blvd. will be closed tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. from South County Rd to Southern Blvd. Traffic will not be affected around the church, but you must enter the island using the middle or north bridge. Traffic will not be allowed to go north after crossing the Southern bridge on to the island. This closure is in effect Friday, February 10, at 2:00 p.m. through Monday, February 13. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
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Spring Catalog
now available!
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St. Mary's Guild
Valentine Bridge Luncheon
Tuesday, February 14
11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Parish Hall
Contact Pam Schneider-Loening at (561) 376-5991 or e-mail her HERE
for reservations.
$30.00 per person
(includes free valet parking)
Please organize your tables and bring cards.
Checks Payable to
Bethesda-by-the-Sea
(Valentine Bridge)
141 S. County Road, Palm Beach, FL 33480
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2016 Annual Report
now available!
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Lenten Retreat
led by
The Rev. J. Edwin (Ed) Bacon, Jr.
Saturday, March 18
9:00 a.m. | Parish Hall
As is our custom, the Bethesda community comes together during Lent for a dedicated time of reflection and prayer, a respite from the hectic world in order to intentionally examine our relationship with God. The facilitator of this year's Lenten Retreat is The Rev. J. Edwin (Ed) Bacon, Jr., most recently retired rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, author of the bestselling 8 Habits of Love: Overcome Fear and Transform Your Life, and renowned preacher and spiritual guide. Over the course of a day, join Father Bacon and members of the Bethesda community as we examine our faith, what God has called us to be, and what holds us back from fully realizing God's dream for each of us.
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SAVE THE DATE
Mardi Gras Party
Tuesday, February 28
6:00 p.m. | Garth
Join our annual Bethesda
Mardi Gras Party which benefits the Youth Pilgrimage Group's fundraising efforts. We will have authentic Cajun food and festive music.
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Women at the Well Winter Bible Study
This year we will be studying the Old Testament Book of Psalms. Each week we will explore the beauty and power of the Psalms in both poetry and prayer. All women are welcome. Deacon Cecie Titcomb, Ellen Kaufman, and Vivian Chen will once again lead the group. The cost is $10. For more information and sign up please call Ayana at the church office (561) 655-4554.
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Bible Study Boot Camp (BSBC) is geared toward women 25-55 with all levels of experience in studying Scripture. The group will focus on Paul's letter to the Philippians. Feel free to drop in and bring a lunch, no RSVP required. Click here for more information or to e-mail Rachel Supple now.
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We pray for...
Andy, Angela, Anna, April, Arthur, Bernadette, Bill, Bob, Caroline, Chris, Claudia, David, Debbie, Della, Denny, Deitz Family, Ed, Ellen, Eric, Eugene, Evan, Eve, Gail, Gerry, Glen, Gunn Family, Gunther Family, Habicht Family, Harold, Helen, Holly, Ingrid, Jane, Janey, Joan, Jodie, Joe, John, Kehs Family, Kimberly, Laniyah, Lawrence Family, Leslie, Louise, Mandy, Mariella, Mariette, Matthew, Meghan, Michael, Pat, Patricia, Patti, Peg, Peggy, Pineiro Family, Ralf, Rebecca, Robin, Ryan, Saliyah, Scott, Starla, Stephen, Taryn, Thomas, Tom, Vincenza, Vince, Virginia, Ward,
and those serving our country...
Benjamin, Clara, Erik, Harold, Herbert, John, Mantis, Michael, and Tommy.
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