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"Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days" - A Meditation for Lent
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From Dr. Jeannine Jordan, Minister of Music and Organist at St. Bede, Forest Grove
The scripture, Luke 4:1-13, the well-known story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, provides the foundation for the Lenten hymn, “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days.” The hymn is unique because it is one that directly recounts Jesus’ temptation story with the express intention to encourage us by example in our ongoing personal battle with temptation in the wilderness of our conflicting desires. And, most notably, the title and content of this hymn place us firmly in the season of Lent and allude to its prescription for the mindful practice of the spiritual discipline of these penitential days.
It’s always interesting what one can discover when studying hymnology. Amazingly, I discovered this hymn text was written originally for children by Claudia Frances Hernaman in 1873. Claudia was the daughter of the Vicar of Edwinstow, at age 20 became the wife of Rev. J.W.D. Hernaman and was steeped in scripture from an early age.
Mrs. Hernaman’s creative interests focused on children and, in the course of her life, she wrote a total of 150 children’s hymns. This particular hymn first appeared in her book, The Child’s Book of Praise (A Manual of Devotion in Simple Verse) published in 1875, and was written to teach children the story behind the Lenten season and what the season should mean for them as young Christians.
Read more.
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry Offers a Theological Reflection on Transgender Rights
I offer this brief theological reflection to share some of my thoughts and convictions which informed my decision to join with the President of the House of Deputies as signatories to the amicus brief in the case of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G, which concerns Gavin Grimm, a transgender youth who seeks equal access according to his gender identity, to bathroom facilities in his public school.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.”
– Genesis 1:26-27 NRSV
Read more.
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Rahab's Sisters
There’s a place in Southeast Portland where women can go to feel safe.
Every Friday night Saints Peter and Paul Episcopal Church on Southeast 82nd Avenue transforms into a place with food and fellowship for Rahab’s Sisters, a nonprofit that provides meals, toiletries and even pedicures to women who are in the sex trade, living in poverty or are homeless.
“All three of those categories connect in some way, shape or form,” says Crystal Kordowski, president of Rahab’s Sisters. “Sometimes it’s a cycle they can’t get out of.”
Women say no matter how hard life gets, they know they can come to Rahab’s Sisters and everything will be OK. At least for a few hours.
Wendy Kirkpatrick has been homeless since August.
“It’s humbling to have to ask for help,” she says. “It saved my life.”
Read more.
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Upcoming diocesan and church events:
There are several Safe Church and
Diverse Church 1
trainings around the Diocese this year.
P
lease register early so plans can be finalized with accurate numbers.
Youth Mission Trip: applications are due March 29 for YMT 2017, returning to the Paiute Reservation in Burns to host VBS and do work as needed around the reservation.
The Guadalupe Experience: join the Revs. John & Alice Scannell for a guided pilgrimage led by a community of Benedictine Sisters, Oct. 25 - Nov. 3.
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Events and Notices
Bishop Michael's Visitation Schedule:
St. Edward, Silverton: March 19
St. Gabriel, Portland: March 26
Mark your calendar: Clergy Conference will be April 24 - 26 at the Oregon Garden Resort. Our guest speaker will be Sister Simone Campbell of the Catholic social justice group "Nuns on the Bus." Registration is available here.
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Word of the Week
Whether you're a cradle Episcopalian or just walked through the red doors yesterday, chances are you've encountered some of the special vocabulary specific to our faith and wondered, what does that mean?
Check out previous entries on our
Instagram
account.
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We are the people in the Diocese
On January 8, 1854, Bishop Thomas Fielding Scott was consecrated the First Missionary Bishop of Oregon & Washington Territories, at Christ Church, Savannah, Georgia. He arrived in Portland on April 22, to find a diocese that effectively covered today's Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia. He had a supporting clergy of exactly three priests: one who was homesteading at Butteville, Oregon; the second, an Army Chaplain at Vancouver Barracks; and the third, an Anglican Hudson Bay Company Chaplain at Victoria, BC. He made his annual visits, covering the circuit by horse back and canoe. He died on a visit to New York City, on July 14, 1867, but had laid the foundation of our present Diocese.
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