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Sometimes it's hard to see exactly where the prevailing culture ends and our Christian community begins. Christians have been struggling with their relationship with the world around them since the very beginning of the Jesus Movement. Certainly in many times and places the image of being in battle with the culture predominated, especially where Christians were being persecuted and executed for their faith. In other places, Christians have sought either to separate from their surroundings and create an insular world built solely on the group's understanding of Christian community or to work under the belief that they could change the prevailing culture to reflect their Christian faith.
So much has this question of how Christians relate to and interact with the prevailing culture vexed and stirred up faith communities that it is the subject of some of the most widely-read works of theology of the past century. H. Richard Neibuhr published a book called
Christ and Culture in 1951, and for decades it was purportedly the only book that was required reading in every Episcopal seminary (and many of other denominations as well). In 1989 two Duke University faculty members published an equally impactful volume called
Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, in which they incite Christians to consider anew their interaction with secular society and to determine how to live a Christian life without the need necessarily to shape the culture.
All of this inevitably comes to the fore every time there is a shift in the culture and the place of Christianity in it, as we have been experiencing for the past decade or so. Lent provides us an opportunity to prayerfully examine some of the distinctive characteristics of the Kingdom of God--not with an eye toward any particular action or inaction but to look afresh at what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, to let the last be first, to let the transformation of our lives be a source of hope for others.
I have the privilege of preaching every Sunday from now through Easter Day, except for the week of our Lenten Retreat when our retreat leader, the Rev. Ed Bacon will be our guest preacher. Other than that week, we will consider, for example, the contrast between modern culture's invitation to self-indulgence and Jesus call to self-denial, or our call to be dependable witnesses to the Good News rather than unreliable bystanders in God's mission in the world. I hope that these reflections will deepen our Lenten journey of self-examination and repentance and strengthen our commitment to follow Jesus with our whole heart and mind. I hope that this season of Lent will provide opportunities for each of us to learn and grow in our life of faith so that we can greet the resurrection with renewed joy and clearer sense of our call to be part of the Jesus Movement.
Father James+
Rector
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SUNDAY, MARCH 5
, 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. Great Litany and 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. Great Litany and Holy Eucharist
12:15 p.m. Coffee Hour, Parish Hall
- Parking Permitted from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. -
3:30 p
.m. Recital
4:00 p.m. Evensong
5:00 p.m. Reception
* 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 6:30 p.m.
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Adult Forum: The Opioid Crisis in Palm Beach County
10:00 a.m. | Parish Hall
As the opioid crisis expands across the nation, South Florida in general and Palm Beach County specifically have seen rates of death from overdoses or overdose-related deaths skyrocket in the past year. Join Detective Joe Greco from the Palm Beach County Sherriff's Office as he shares his own experiences with us and we begin to consider what actions Bethesda needs to take to minister to and within this crisis to which none of us are immune.
Lectionary-Based Bible Study | 10:00 a.m. | Guild Room
Do you want to go deeper into the readings for today? 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.
Music at Bethesda | 3:30 p.m. | Church
James Guyer, Organist and Choirmaster at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Sarasota, will play a recital at 3:30 p.m., and Evensong with The Bethesda Choir follows at 4:00 p.m. A free-will offering will be received, and a reception will follow in the Parish Hall. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe. The eyes of all look upon you and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, giver of life and salvation.
Both the timing and the style of our 2017 annual campaign was quite different from last year. We concentrated our efforts on the four Sundays in January. While some follow up work continued in the month of February, for most people the campaign concluded on the Sunday of our Annual Meeting with the ingathering of the pledge cards and the blessing of our gifts at the 8:00 a.m. and the 11:00 a.m. services. What hasn't changed is the invitation to you to attend one of the garden chapel events we will hold this March. Please come and join us as we celebrate the results of the campaign, begin to envision the next five years of our life together, and worship in our glorious garden chapel. This year, we also have a special treat as we view a film made by our very own Stephen Leek entitled "Life at Bethesda" which showcases the importance of giving for the life and work of this parish.
Please feel free to attend any one of the following dates:
Thursday, March 2, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 14, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 16, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 17, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Faithfully,
Mother Kimberly+
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Palm Beach Empty Bowls - Eat a Meal
Palm Beach Unites - Make a Meal
Share What You Can - Bring a Meal
Did you know...
*Palm Beach Unites prepared 152,640 meals that will be delivered to those in need in Palm Beach County.
Thank you for your support and your help in making Feeding in February another successful year!
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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 with Seth Thompson from Northern Trust.
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.
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
The Book of Genesis is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Today's reading is part of an early tradition. One clue to the date of today's reading is that God's name is printed in the New Revised Standard Version as "LORD" in all capital letters. LORD is the translation of YHWH.
Today's reading is part of the Second Creation Story (the First is in Genesis 1 and recounts creation in six days and God's resting on the seventh day).
The earliest written tradition presented God anthropomorphically - a God who formed "adam" (the Hebrew word for "earthling") from the fertile earth (adamah in Hebrew), breathed life into the earthling, and placed him in a garden to till it and keep it (2:15) showing that productive work was part of the original blessing.
The complex myth-story of the serpent, the woman (not yet named Eve) and eating the forbidden fruit by the woman and adam (who was "with her" - 3:6) has been interpreted on many levels. Some see the story as the beginning of disorder in human relations (as opposed to good order inherent in creation). Others see the development of human consciousness and the loss of innocence from knowing "good and evil" and having one's "eyes opened" (3:7).
Although the story is often taken by Christians as an account of "Original Sin," the word "sin" does not appear in the story. "Original Sin" was a concept developed by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE).
Romans 5:12-19
Paul's letter to the Romans is his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) - at least ten years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written - to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome. In today's reading, Paul (who remained a Jew all his life) interprets Adam's disobedience as introducing "sin" into the world. Through sin, death spread to all (v.12) - just as the LORD had told Adam would occur (Gen.2:17).
For Paul, the good news is that the obedience of Jesús the Christ brings to all the gifts of "righteousness" (being in right relation with God and others) and grace so that life now has dominion over death (v.17).
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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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2017 Lent and Easter Schedule
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WEEKDAY SERVICES
IN LENT
TUESDAYS
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in the Garden Chapel
WEDNESDAYS
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist in the Chancel;
1:15 p.m. Lenten luncheon, Parish Hall
(Cost is $3.00)
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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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Don't forget to set your
clocks forward one hour
on Saturday evening, March 11!
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Lenten Retreat
led by
The Rev. J. Edwin (Ed) Bacon, Jr.
Saturday, March 18
9:00 a.m. | Parish Hall
In an increasingly divided world where anxieties corrode relationships, systems, and institutions, and casual conversation is tense and discourse has been replaced by shouts and accusations, and The Rev. Ed Bacon offers hope in reorientation, salve in returning to grace and generosity of spirit. Basing his ministry in Henri Nouwen's concept of leaving the house of fear, where one builds barriers that isolate and insulate, and moving into one's house of love, where grace and forgiveness break down barriers, FatherBacon will guide participants in this year's Lenten Retreat on a journey that seeks wholeness and redemption for a more Christ-centered and light-filled life. Join the Bethesda community and guests on Friday evening and Saturday as Father Bacon, renown preacher, spiritual leader, recently retired rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, and author of the bestselling 8 Habits of Love: Overcome Fear and Transform Your Life, work together toward a holy Lent and a transformed soul.
8 Habits of Love: Overcome Fear and Transform Your Life
is available for purchase in the Shoppe at Bethesda.
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Bethesda Memorial Scholarships
Through the generosity of families associated with the parish, Bethesda has long been fortunate to administer a scholarship program to students graduating from schools in Palm Beach County who intend to matriculate at colleges or universities in the fall. This year we have moved the application process online, and details about the Bethesda Memorial Scholarships and application forms are now available on the church website HERE. Applications and supporting documents are due on April 3, and all materials, except school transcripts, may be submitted online. Awards will be determined by mid-April, and Scholarship Recognition Sunday is August 6, at which we will recognize the scholarship recipients for this year as well as those continuing in their college careers. For more information, contact Father Burl at salmon@bbts.org.
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Palm Beach Fellowship Interfaith Dialogue
5:30 p.m. | Parish Hall
The Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews will present an interfaith dialogue on "The Meaning of Israel to Jews, Christians and Muslims." The conversations will be among Rabbi Howard Shapiro, Imam Nasir Ahmed, and Canon Tom O'Brien, and beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 6:45 p.m. with time for questions and answers until 7:00 p.m. Admission is free for Fellowship Members and a $10 offering is requested from non-members to cover expenses. Contact Sherri Gilbert at (561) 833-6150 or click here to e-mail her.
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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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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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