The Cloak

The sacred texts of the Bible are filled with absolute breakthroughs, epiphanies, and manifestations of the highest level of encounter, conversion, transformation, and Spirit. The Bible also contains texts which are punitive, petty, tribal, and idiotic. A person can prove anything he or she wants from a single line of the Bible. The egocentric will still dominates: the need to be right, the need to be first, the need to think I am saved and other people are not. This is the lowest level of human consciousness, and God cannot be heard from that heady place. Perhaps it is not accidental that we place the ashes of Ash Wednesday precisely on the forehead.

~ Fr. Richard Rohr - A Meditation for Ash Wednesday

If we are reading carefully, perhaps the single most appropriate response to our sacred texts and traditions is humility. We are always encouraged to "right size" ourselves in relationship to God and the world around us. One of the things I love about Ash Wednesday is that it right sizes us explicitly: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return." This isn't a cause for mourning and yet more hand-wringing, it's a call to action. What will we do with the precious time that God has granted us?

Peace & blessings,

Chris+

Souper Bowl & Chili Wrap-Up

Together Christ Church, Ithan, and St. Martin's collected over $490 in profit from the Souper Bowl fundraiser. Donations will go to the Great Valley and Ardmore Food Cupboards. If you missed your chance to get your Souper Bowl jar last Sunday, there is still time. We will have the remaining soup mixes on the table in the back of the Gurley Room on February 11. Help our children raise as much as possible! We also thank all who already made donations for their generosity.

Thanks to everyone who cooked and voted for this year's chili dishes. There were 30 attendees and 7 chefs. Here are the results:

Third place: Deb Parker

Second Place: Laura Penny

First Place: Al Murphy

Congratulations!

From the Champions!

I can only give the praise to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity. And I'm going to tell you something. I've got the best players in the world, and it's a resilient group. I love this coaching staff. Mr. Lurie, the owner. And not only do we have the best fans in the world, we now have the best team in the world. Thank you guys.

~ Doug Pederson

You know, we've played this game since we were little kids. We've dreamed about this moment. There's plenty of kids watching this game right now, dreaming about this moment [who] some day will be here. And to be here with my daughter and my wife, my family, my teammates, this city - we're very blessed.

~ Nick Foles

... glory to God first and foremost. We wouldn't be here without him. This team is amazing. I mean, each and every day we go out there, we love to practice, and I think that's the foundation of this team. And wow, what a run it's been.

~ Zach Ertz

CONGRATULATIONS!

Sunday School

Transfiguration Sunday is one of the very special days in the church year. Through scripture we see Jesus in a new light. Sunday School will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the large Sunday School Room, and we will again explore what it means for Christ's light to be in the world. Lego creations continue to be part of the experience, and we will once again color the "Alleluia" word. At the end of the 10 a.m. service the children will roll up the "Alleluia" banner and store it for Lent. From Ash Wednesday until the Easter Vigil we don't say the "A" word. Then on Easter Sunday we will joyfully unroll the banner sing "He is risen! Alleluia!"

The nursery will also be open this Sunday starting at 9:30 a.m.

Ashes will be distributed during the mid-day and 7pm Holy Eucharist services on Wednesday, February 14th (yes, Valentine's Day).

Lent Madness

With only a week before Lent begins, now is the ideal time to go to LentMadness.org and sign up for the email messages that invite you to vote for each pair of saints. During Lent, saints go head to head, much like sports brackets. The Episcopal Church provides you with enlightening information on each holy man or woman, and you will help make a decision on who moves from the first round to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen. Then eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. Starting Thursday, February 15, winners will be listed on the brackets page on the wall opposite the Education Bulletin Board. So watch to see how your favorite saints progress!

Bible Study

The weekly Wednesday night Bible Study will not be held during Lent, due to the Wednesday night Lenten Series. Thanks to the 14 people who have participated in this study group this winter. During Lent please plan on attending the Wednesday night Lenten Worship events!

Christ Church, Ithan, and St. Martin's will resume reading the parallel Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke on April 4 at 7 p.m. in the large Sunday School at St. Martin's. Newcomers are welcome to join us. Each week the Gospel accounts are read together so each week can stand alone. This Bible Study format uses a time-tested way of reading the stories of Jesus in a group setting, guided by open-ended questions to help each person discover for themselves the Good News of Jesus Christ. If you have any questions please contact Deb Parker ([email protected]).

Visit https://approachingthegospelstogether.com for more information.

Bible & Beer

We gather this month on February 15th at 7PM for informal (non-political) discussions of how faithful people can interact with the world: how our view of the Gospel impacts our views of people and the challenges of our time, and how events also shape our faith.

Bible and Beer is now meeting at Pietro's Pizza at 236 N. Radnor-Chester Road- only 1 mile from the church! Parking is plentiful around this new, reasonably priced bar/restaurant.

To get there from the church, follow King of Prussia Road south toward the train station, bearing right after going under the tracks onto Radnor-Chester Road toward Route 30. The entrance to the restaurant parking area is on the right, just across from the Radnor High School athletic field. Go in the side entrance and turn right. Come, share from your heart, and bring a friend

Feel free to have a suggested topic in mind for discussion! An example: What does Ash Wednesday really mean to me?

Lenten Outreach Soup Cook

We will once again prepare homemade soup for the clients of The Great Valley Food Cupboard during Lent. Please join us at our first Group Cook at Bolingbroke on Saturday, February 17th from 1:00pm until 4:00pm. If you can't make it or would prefer to cook individually at home, sign up in the Gurley Room. Containers and instructions will be provided. Cupboard clients are already asking "Will there be soup this year?", let's respond with a resounding YES! If you have any questions, please contact Pam Faber.

Pilgrim's Prayer

Some of us feel a gap in our lives, from the end of the World Series to the start of the next baseball season. Search online and you will find any number of books on the parallels between lives of faith and baseball in our lives. In other words, there can be a theological connection to this gap.

Through his life Jesus used imagery to help us relate to the enormity of God's creation. From seeds, to talking about the Kingdom of God being like a wedding feast, a hidden treasure, or a journey--Jesus helps us relate to his teaching by using examples that are common experiences. As we travel, we can think of our own common experiences and look for where we can find opportunities to think more deeply about God.

In honor of the Phillies pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training on February 14, here is an excerpt from a Carl Sandburg poem that uses baseball as a metaphor. I invite you to offer your own prayers of thanks as we count down to Ash Wednesday (also on the 14th):

OUR PRAYER OF THANKS

GOD,

The game is all your way, the secrets and the signals and the system, and so, for the break in the game and the first play and the last, our prayer of thanks.

http://www.bartleby.com/265/325.html

Upcoming Events

Ash Wednesday

February 14th, 12:15 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Bible & Beer

Thursday, February 15th, 7 p.m. at Pietro's Pizza, 236 N. Radnor-Chester Rd, Radnor.

Lenten Outreach Soup Cook

Saturday, 2/17, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Lenten Evening Worship

Starting Wednesday, February 21st, 6p.m. in Bolingbroke (see full schedule above)

Read and Ponder

this Week's Scriptures

The scripture readings for this Sunday are:

2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9

The Collect

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

2 Kings 2:1-12

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent." Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

The Response

Psalm 50:1-6

1 The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God reveals himself in glory.

3 Our God will come and will not keep silence; before him there is a consuming flame, and round about him a raging storm.

4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above to witness the judgment of his people.

5 "Gather before me my loyal followers, those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice."

6 Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; for God himself is judge.

The Epistle

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel

Mark 9:2-9

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in square brackets.

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Collects, Psalms and Canticles are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.

Martin

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Saint Martin's Episcopal Church of Radnor

400 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(610) 688-4830

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