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As the season of Epiphany draws to a festive close with Bethesda's annual Mardi Gras Party this Tuesday (not to be missed!), Lent begins on March 1st with Ash Wednesday and three services offered at Bethesda with Imposition of Ashes (8:00 a.m., 12:05 p.m., and 6:00 p.m.). I look forward to Lent every year because it affords me the opportunity to take stock of the extraneous stuff that I've allowed to clutter my spiritual house. The almost six weeks of Lent is a welcome time to assess my relationship with God, my prayer discipline, my dedication to the gospel, and my life within the baptismal covenant--all crucial components to my spiritual being--and take stock of what I have allowed to distract me or that I have allowed take up space in my spiritual house, crowding out what is important, ironically, with empty things. Each of us has different ways of going about this spiritual house-cleaning, but included below are several online options for daily meditations that Bethesdans might find helpful. We pray that you find a discipline that works for you, whether giving up or taking on, and in all, the clergy of Bethesda-by-the-Sea invite you, as the Prayer Book does, into the observance of a holy Lent with prayers for an healthy self-examination.
Episcopal Relief and Development:
Society of St. John the Evangelist:
World Council of Churches:
Forward Movement (Forward Day-by-Day):
Father Burl+
Assistant for Christian Education & Pastoral Care
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY
26, 2017
Guest Preacher: Canon Thomas G. O'Brien III
- 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. Pancake Breakfast--for All Ages, Garth
*#11:00 a.m. Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist
12:15 p.m. Coffee Hour, Parish Hall
* 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
.
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 1:30 p.m.
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Pancake Breakfast | 10:00 a.m. | Garth
This is a great opportunity for everyone to make new connections over a shared meal in the Garth.
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Share What you Can: Sunday, February 26, 2017. Our food drive here at Bethesda benefits C.R.O.S. Ministries Food Pantries, ensuring that families have access to healthy food. Some of the most needed items are rice, pasta, beans, canned items, shelf-stable milk, and juices.
Do not include glass items as they are likely to break and spill. Together we give thanks and "Share What You Can" with those in need.
Be sure to return the full bag on this Sunday, February 26.
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Palm Beach Empty Bowls - Eat a Meal
Palm Beach Unites - Make a Meal
Share What You Can - Bring a Meal
On behalf of our Palm Beach Unites Committee, we thank you for your devotion, hard work, financial support, and volunteer efforts to create our most successful event yet! As a result of that Sunday afternoon on February 12, 152,640 meals will be delivered to those in need in Palm Beach County.
Feeding the community is feeding the soul. We look forward to next year and our continued efforts to connect those with a heart for service to those in need.
Many blessings,
Frances Fisher
Helene Lorentzen
Andrea Kosoy
Lee Daniels
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Resumes Wednesday, March 8 | 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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, March 8, we will serve chicken and/or vegetable stir-fry, sauteed vegetables, white rice, and chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. 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.
Christian Hospitality in a Multi-faith World
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Guild Room
The average Episcopalian invites someone to church once every 28 years. It's time for Bethesda-by-the-Sea to turn this statistic around! Drawing on material from her book,
Fireweed Evangelism, The Rev. Canon Elizabeth Geitz will help you discover your own personal motivation for engaging in evangelism-a motivation that meets your comfort level. First, we'll look at our own 'evangelism elephant', the hidden force that's holding us back, as we each discover the path that's right for us. Next, we'll focus on context-where does evangelism take place and for whose benefit? Then, we'll discuss the uniqueness of Christian hospitality, the nuts and bolts of newcomer ministry, and programs needed to sustain Christian hospitality in a pluralistic society. And what does fireweed have to do with it all? Come find out!
Faith and Finance
6:30 to 7:40 p.m. | Library
Have you ever wondered how to balance Christian discipleship with sound investment practices? If so, you're not alone. It can be difficult to practice ethical investing in an era of sound bites, marketing campaigns, and glossy portfolios, but there are ways-and people and groups along the way-to guide an ethical investment strategy that balances wise investment with a dedication to the greater good. Join us as we explore ethical investing this Wednesday night.
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.
Exodus 24:12-18
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible, and covers the period from the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE, if the account is historical), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.
Today's reading recounts Moses' first time going up Mount Sinai to receive the Law written by YHWH. While there for 40 days and 40 nights, Moses had a "theophany" -- a direct appearance of God (v. 17).
In the Chapters that follow today's reading (25 to 31), God gave explicit instructions about actions for Moses and the Israelites to take to enable them to travel with YHWH to the Promised Land.
But because Moses was away from the Israelites for a long time (in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, the number "40" is a euphemism for a "long time" - whether in years or days), the Israelites built the Golden Calf (Ch. 32). When Moses came down, he smashed the tablets of the Law given to him by God. When Moses went up the mountain a second time and had a face-to-face meeting with God, his face shone so brightly that it had to be covered with a veil when he came down (34:33), a story that forms a basis for the Transfiguration of Jesus in today's Gospel.
2 Peter 1:16-21
In the First Century, it was not uncommon to write something in another person's name so that the writing would have extra "authority" -- particularly when the writer believed he knew what the "authority" (in this case, Peter) would have said.
The Second Letter of Peter was likely written around the year 100 CE (Peter died much earlier) and it is written in the popular Greek rhetorical style of the age. The letter is presented as a "testament" by Peter based on his own experiences.
In today's reading, "Peter" claims he was an eyewitness to the Transfiguration of Jesus where he heard the voice of God declare that Jesus was God's Son and God's Beloved. "Peter" concludes that prophesy comes from God to humans who are moved by the Spirit to speak for God.
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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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Mardi Gras Party
This 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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Ash Wednesday
March 1
8:00 a.m., 12:05 p.m.,
and 6:00 p.m.
Holy Eucharist at 8:00 a.m. This is a spoken service with Imposition of Ashes.
Holy Eucharist and Healing at 12:05 p.m. This holy service includes hymns and Imposition of Ashes. Our guest preacher is The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Norris, Pastor at The Royal Poinciana Chapel. A Lenten luncheon consisting of two homemade soups, salad, and bread in the Parish Hall will follow the service. The cost is $3.00, payable at the door.
Holy Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. Our guest preacher is The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Norris, Pastor at The Royal Poinciana Chapel. This service includes Imposition of Ashes, with music by the Bethesda Choir and members of the Royal Poinciana Chorale.
This Sunday don't forget to bring in your palms from last year, so that they may be burned and used on Ash Wednesday.
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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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United Thank Offering InGathering (UTO)
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church. Founded and administered by Episcopal Church Women (ECW) since 1889, UTO continues to address both domestic and international needs through the promotion, collection, and distribution of monies through grants. The blue envelopes will be in the pews on Sunday, March 5. Checks should be made out to Bethesda-by-the-Sea with UTO on the memo line. Each year, 100% of the collected offering is granted!
May we give prayerfully, joyfully, and generously in the blue envelopes
on Sunday, March 12.
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Needs Your Help!
The Church Mouse is in need of your gently-used donations such as shoes, handbags, scarves, hats, gloves, and belts.
We are always open for donations at the "Donor Door" located on the south side of the building, Monday through Friday from
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Scheduled donation pickups occur year round and can be
arranged by calling us
at
(561) 659-2154.
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Spring Catalog
now available!
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2016 Annual Report
now available!
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We pray for...
Andy, Angela, Anna, April, Arthur, Bernadette, Bill, Bob, Caroline, Chad, Chris, Claudia, Debbie, Della, Deitz Family, Earl, Ed, Ellen, Eric, Eugene, Evan, Eve, Gail, Gay, Gerry, Glen, Gunn Family, Gunther Family, Habicht Family, Harold, Helen, Holly, Ingrid, Jane, Janey, Joan, Joe, John, Kehs Family, Kimberly, Laniyah, Lawrence Family, Leslie, Louise, Mariette, Matthew, Meghan, Michael, Pat, Patricia, Patsy, Patti, Peg, Peggy, Pineiro Family,
Rebecca, Robin, Saliyah, Sara,
Scott,
Shirley,
Simone, Stanton Family, Starla, Stephen, Taryn, Thomas, Tom, Vince, Vincenza, Virginia, Ward, Vogel Family, Ward,
and those serving our country...
Benjamin, Clara, Erik, Harold, Herbert, John, Mantis, Michael, and Tommy.
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