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For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15
We are accustomed, at Bethesda and in Palm Beach, to folks packing up and heading away for an extended period of time, whether some weeks, some months, or even ten months of the year. It's in the very fabric of the way South Florida works, and it has been since the development of the resorts here beginning in the late 19th century.
Blessedly, the concept of rest and respite is a part of who we are.
Tomorrow I leave with a packed car and two cats (who are unhappy about this) and head north for some time away from Palm Beach and Bethesda, driving out to begin my own Sabbath for the final week of June and most of July. While I am beginning my time away with professional development with other interfaith clergy at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, I will return to East Georgia to spend some weeks at Mayes Hall with Bob, replacing 180 year-old window sills, planting hydrangeas, thinning out woods, and walking to the post office on the courthouse square to pick up the mail every afternoon. It is a rural rhythm of life so very different from our pace here, and returning to that rhythm is a Sabbath for me, a rest and a restoration that grounds me and feeds the soul.
Scripture is replete with references to and instructions for the Sabbath, from the final day of creation in the first creation story, to the fourth of the Ten Commandments, to Jesus' words to the Pharisees in Mark (Mark 2:27), and it is clear that time set apart and away from our daily routine is both sacred and necessary, blessed by God and requisite for the human condition. It is my prayer that each of us this summer, whether we are in mountains, in rain forests, abroad, or at home, find time specifically to cease our daily routine and to rest, so that we may return to our active lives restored and renewed.
Traveling mercies to all who venture away and blessings to all for our respective Sabbaths.
Father Burl+
Assistant for Christian Education & Pastoral Care
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*8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
8:45 a.m. Coffee Hour, Parish Hall
9:00 a.m. Summer Choir, Choir Room
*#10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist
11:15 a.m.
Coffee Hour, Parish Hall
PARKING: Persons attending Sunday services will be allowed to park on ALL of Barton Avenue and Pendleton Avenue
without receiving a ticket
until 12:30 p.m.
* nursery care for infants through age 3 is
available from 7:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
# service will be live-streamed
here
Click here to view the service leaflet for this Sunday.
Click here to view this week's Bethesda Happenings.
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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 21:8-21
The word "Genesis" means "origin" and the Book of Genesis starts with Creation and concludes with the death of Joseph (Jacob's son) in Egypt. The Book is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated to about 950 BCE and some as late as 450 BCE.
The verses before today's reading tell of the conception of Isaac by the 90+ year old Sarah and his birth. (Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian slave, bore Abraham's first son, Ishmael, 13 years earlier.)
Today's account is part of an "etiology" - a story of origins - of non-Jewish Semitic peoples who claim their ancestral fatherhood through Ishmael. In the story, God says, "I will make a great nation of him" to Abraham (v. 13) and to Hagar (v.18).
Even though God urges Abraham to acquiesce to Sarah's demand that he cast out the slave woman and her 15-year old son (v. 10), God hears Hagar's lament ("Ishmael" means "God hears") and protects both Hagar and Ishmael.
Muslims, based on the Quran, trace their religious roots to Abraham through Ishmael.
Jeremiah 20:7-13
After the righteous King Josiah was killed in battle in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea's existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported some Judeans in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the beginning of the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah's prophesy (i.e. speaking for Yahweh) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Today's reading is one of Jeremiah's laments in which he claims YHWH exerts such irresistible power over him that he cannot help but proclaim the unpopular message that unless the king and people reform, they will be overcome by Babylon and be in captivity. Notwithstanding his lament, Jeremiah expresses confidence in God's protection for those who rely on YHWH (v. 13).
Romans 6:1b-11
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) - about ten years before the first Gospel (Mark) was written.
Today's reading is a discussion by Paul of the effects of Baptism. In Baptism, we are united with Christ Jesus in his death, we will be united with him in resurrection (v. 5), and we should consider ourselves "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (v.11). For Paul, "sin" (as contrasted with "sins") can be understood as our human propensity to put ourselves and our egos in first place rather than (as Jesus did) having the good of others as our primary focus.
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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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Funeral Service
Warren Nash Ponvert
Saturday, June 24
11:00 a.m.
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Vacation Bible School
June 26 through June 30
This year at Bethesda's Vacation Bible School your children will explore the question "Who Is My Neighbor?" This will be an arts-based camp complete with different workshops that engage them in making their own art projects, singing songs and hymns, performing in creative drama and movement, playing games, and even having a hand in making their own snacks. VBS is open to all children age 3-9. The cost is $50 per child for the week payable at the door.
For more information, contact Greg Knight at (561) 655-4555 x114.
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SAVE THE DATE
Summertime Luncheon
Thursday, July 20
12:00 p.m.
Bethesda's Parish Hall
Our first Summertime Luncheon will be a special homecoming at Bethesda--turning the Parish Hall into our own fancy restaurant. We will have a delicious 3-course meal presented in an elegant, welcoming environment with servers and all. For the day, it will be one of the best restaurants in Palm Beach! Once we finalize the menu, it will be promoted. The cost is $25, payable at the door. You may sign up by calling Ayana at (561) 655-4554.
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Summer Choir
There's no need to be a professional singer; all you need is a pleasant voice and some basic music-reading ability. Rehearsals begin in the Choir Room
promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings as the choir prepares music for the 10:00 a.m. service. This choir continues through the second Sunday of September. Please join us when you can!
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Office Closed & Summer Hours
Our office hours will be
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Thursday and
9:00 a.m. to noon on Fridays
(church and grounds will remain open until 5:00 p.m.).
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We pray for...
Andy, Angela, Annie, Barbara, Betty, Bill, Bob, Caroline, Carolyn, Claudia, David, Devon, Dianne, Don, Earl, Ellen, Eric, Evan, Evans, Geraldine, Greg, Hadley, Holly, Jane, Jay, Jill, John, Justin, Kathy, Kehs Family, Kellie, Kimberly, Latta, Laniyah, Leigh, Lesley, Linda, Loffredo Family, Marcia, Mariette, Mary, Mat, Matthew, Mitchell, Monique, Nancy, Oscar, Pamela, Pat, Patti, Paulette, Peggy, Penny, Pineiro Family, Ponvert Family, Ralph, Rebecca, Renée, Richard, Ricky, Robert, Rosmary, Rutherfurd Family, Saliyah, Scott Family, Shawn, Shirley, Stephen, Sylvia, Taryn, Thomas, Trish, Vince, Ward, William,
and those serving our country...
Benjamin, Clara, Erik, Harold, Herbert, John, Michael, Sean, and Tommy.
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