The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost - September 13, 2020 |
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Grant, O God, that your holy and lifegiving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (BCP p.823)
May Almighty God have mercy on us, grant us courage and conviction, and strengthen us to love others who are unlike us. May God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity, make us compassionate in our actions and courageous in our works, that we may see Christ’s Beloved Community in our own day. Amen.
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Please Remember in Your Prayers |
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All those who are suffering from COVID-19, their families and caretakers; first responders and medical professionals on the front lines; all service workers who put themselves in danger daily to keep our communities moving; those putting themselves in danger to work for justice and equality;
Bob & Donna Weber, Mickey Federico, Peter Federico, Yasso Herath, Peter Lubeck, Catherine Lubeck, John and Shirley Federico, Bill Weber, Ian, Jean, Al and Carol Lalli, Peter Zakrepine, Russell Fernando, Rislyn Joseph, Ria Meade, Peter Foley, Rosmarie Buri, Ellie Hafstad, B.J. Close, Kate Scarmato and family, Rita Chapparo, Eliot Kloehn, Joseph, Nancy, Lisa,John Riffle & Family, Dr. Ian Cochran, Robert Attucks Ruffin, Jr., Michelle Kenny, Staff and residents of Murphy House, Toni McCarthy, Malcolm Marsh and family, Christine Churchill Kenneth, Nellie Ayala, Ross Dailey, Yakari Montalvo, Chet Lubeck, Kathy Bettis, Maura McGrath, Charles Hutton, Joanna, Patricia Horn
Flower Memorials: Dorothy L. Cramer, Carrie W. Blanchard, John Anderson, Josephine Braden, Gladys & Joseph Broome, Walter C. & Dorothy A. Parshall, Helen P. Cooke, Edna G. York
Stay in touch with your community!
Why not give a call to your usual pewmate on Sunday? Would you like to add a name to the Prayer List or know someone who needs something? ? Need contact information?
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The Buddha] used to make monks and laypeople alike practice a certain discipline called the “immeasurables,” because it made you bigger, and you sat and you sent out waves of benevolence and good wishes to the whole world, not excluding anyone from your radius of benevolence. It’s a radius. You have to start off when you’re totally thinking soupy, wonderful things about people far off in Africa, for example, if you’re not getting on with your colleagues or your ex-wife or various other difficulties, you’ve got to think well of them. As you do so, the Buddha said, as you move out and beyond, you will find an enlargement, a transcendence. They will find that they were imbued with abundant, exalted, measureless loving kindness. And they would for a moment experience an ecstasy that took them out of themselves above, below, around, and everywhere.
Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” Again, [it’s] one of those sayings that has acquired a new relevance in these terrible times. That doesn’t mean that you have to feel all kinds of soupy, romantic feelings about our enemies, but it does mean that we do have to practice the golden rule: “Love our neighbor as we love ourselves.” Who is my neighbor? The Samaritan who is regarded as the enemy, as the infidel, as the outcast. And scholars who know about these things have told me that “love your enemies” is one of the few words which we’re pretty sure Jesus actually said himself. … Now of course, other action is necessary, but we cannot transform the world and make our religions work for us unless we are ourselves a haven of loving kindness in the world. That is what the religious person should be.
Very often, when you see religious people on TV or something … they’re protesting about something or complaining about something or … being horrified about something, being full of rage. A religious person should be a haven in a violent, fearful world. And there’s a story of the Buddha that I’d like to close with. … It’s a story of one of the kings of India at that time who was undergoing an acute clinical depression after the death of his wife, and he took to taking long, aimless drives around the country with his retinue. Once he stopped in a … tropical park, and he saw some wonderful tropical trees whose roots were higher than those of a normal man, and he looked at those trees and he said, “They look so safe.” They looked [like] a place where you could take refuge in the world. They’ve always been there. You could crawl in there and feel that you had a haven in this awful, grim, suffering world. And as soon as he looked at those trees, he thought immediately of the Buddha. …
That image of serenity, of calmness, accessibility, and openness immediately made him think of the Buddha and jump straight into his carriage and drive many miles until he came to a place where the Buddha was. And they spent some time together, two old men. By that time, the Buddha was old. We are told that this story goes on, that while he was with the Buddha, his son – the king’s son – initiated a palace coup, took his father’s throne, [and] exiled his father, who died the following night in a cheap lodging house, worn out, exhausted, sick with dysentery. The violence of the world goes on. The Buddha couldn’t stop it, but who do you remember now? These kings who only a few learned [historians] remember at all? Or the Buddha? What has lasted are not these empires and kingdoms, but the Buddhist order of monks, which is one of the oldest institutions in the world. It’s lasted 2,500 years.
And that again tells us something about humanity. … I’d like to finish really now with this prayer, a very early Buddhist prayer which may go back to the time of the Buddha. If we could all say this prayer every day, if our governments would say this prayer, if our rulers would say this prayer every day, the world would be a better place. … And notice that anybody can say this prayer. It makes no doctrinal statements whatsoever, but it will cause that [opening] of the heart and mind in the way meditation does and introduce us into the presence of God.
… “Let all peoples be happy, weak or strong, of high, middle, low estate, small or great, visible or invisible, near or far away, alive or still to be born. May they all be entirely happy. Let nobody lie to anybody or despise any single being anywhere. May no one wish harm to any single creature out of anger or hatred. Let us cherish all creatures as a mother her only child. May our loving thoughts fill the whole world above, below, across without limit of boundless goodwill toward the whole world, unrestricted, free of hatred and enmity.”
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The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
HOLY EUCHARIST IN THE GARDEN AT 8:00am
Attendance is strictly limited and masks must be worn.
Service will be moved indoors in the case of rain.
HOLY EUCHARIST 10:00am
The 10:00am service is now Holy Eucharist and we will welcome those who wish to worship in person as well as those joining via the live stream. Attendance is limited and masks required.
The 10:00am service will continue to be streamed live to our Facebook page:
and on our website:
Order of service is available for download HERE
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PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM FR. OWEN+:
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Brother Dunnie's Messages
Brother Dunnie had a new message about The Light of God for families last week.
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Announcements & Ongoing Programs |
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NEW PRESENTED BY THE ADULT SPIRITUAL FORMATION COMMISSION
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BONUS POINTS
You KNOW that under more normal circumstances those attending Jeff’s Camino presentation would be well fed! Jeff and Pat have offered up a recipe for the traditional Tarta de Santiago that is ubiquitous along the final stages of the Camino. Why not bake one up for the 16th and enjoy it in good company as you hear about Jeff’s experiences and see pictures from his pilgrimage? We’ll send you the recipe and template for St. James’ sword when you register (or even if you can’t attend!). Just call or email the office. (845-358-1297 or parishoffice@gracechurchnyack.org)
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NEW HEALING PRAYER FOR COVID-TIDE
Wednesdays at 4:00pm
Join us under the tent in the Memorial Garden for a service of healing prayer, holy readings and soothing music. On Wednesday afternoons beginning September 23 at 4:00pm There will be a 10-person limit, masks will be required, and you must register through the church office. Please use this link: https://tinyurl.com/y23d7u6j or call the office to register.
In case of rain, we will be inside in a place to be determined. We are looking for suggestions about the 4:00pm time. Please share your thoughts. Thank you.
Jan Valentine
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NEW EPISCOPAL CHARITIES SUNDAY - September 20
On Sunday, September 20 our parish will join with others around the diocese to support Episcopal Charities Sunday, a special collection on behalf of feeding programs funded by Episcopal Charities.
Now, more than ever, these programs need our support. Throughout the diocese, unemployment – and underemployment – have dramatically increased the number of people struggling with food insecurity.
Even without the added pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic, close to one million people in the diocese struggle to put food on the table. We ask that you please prayerfully consider making a donation to support Episcopal Charities Sunday by donating at ec-ny.org/ecsunday and be sure to let them know you are a member of our parish in the notes area. There will be a special video about this collection in our virtual service on the 20th.
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BROWN BAG AND A BIBLE
Join us via Zoom on Thursdays and Sundays
Brown Bag and a Bible continue Thursdays at noon and Sundays at 2:00pm in its new virtual format via ZOOM and led by Pat Reynolds. ALL ARE WELCOME.
As always the sessions will focus on the readings for the week. The series will continue for the next five weeks. If you'd like to join, contact Pat (reynolcw@gmail.com) for the ZOOM link.
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Our Virtual Offering Plate
We know these are difficult and uncertain times, and circumstances have changed for many of us. To help ensure continuity for the church and our outreach programs to the community, please keep your pledge current if you are able, or make one-time donations as you would on Sunday. You can mail a check to us at 130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY 10960 or use our Virtual Offering Plate to make an online gift. Use the drop down menu under "FUND" to choose "Other Gifts" or "Pledge 2020".
Expanded Options for Using the Virtual Offering Plate
Grace’s Virtual Offering Plate (hosted by GivingFire) now accepts check/ACH payments in addition to credit and debit cards! Recurring or one-time donations can be made for Pledge Payments, Other Gifts, and any of the other Funds listed in the drop-down menu. Directions for using GivingFire can be found here.
We are so grateful for your support.
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Cast your vote, not on a partisan basis,
not based on your biases, but vote your values.
Vote the values of human dignity and equality.
Vote the values of the rock on which this country was built. Vote.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Are you registered to vote? Are your kids? Now is the time to decide how you're going to vote (In person? Early? By mail?) in November and request mail-in or absentee ballots if you choose. You'll find everything you need to register, to request absentee ballots and more at this site: https://www.elections.ny.gov/
The Episcopal Office of Government Relations has created a created an Election Engagement toolkit that has more ideas about how to be involved and encourage others to be engaged as well. |
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NEW SOAP DRIVE FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN
Parishioner Jennifer Mancuso is coordinating a drive to collect full size commercially packaged bars of soap for women who are incarcerated at Taconic and Bedford correctional facilities. Soap must be full sized bars, must NOT contain any alcohol in the ingredients, must be wrapped and commercially packaged and produced (no homemade soaps). The goal is 3,000 bars of soap, which would be 4 bars of soap per woman. Dollar Tree has full size packaged bars of soap for $1. Through September 29 your soap offerings can be dropped off at church on Sundays or to the office during the week.
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NEW PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
The county’s largest food bank is busier than ever, and your donations make a difference! With in-person worship opportunities expanding, you can once again bring your non-perishable food donations to the basket in the church entryway. Your generosity is much appreciated.
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𝗔 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺
A room does not turn its back on grief.
Anger does not excite it.
Before desire, it neither responds
nor draws back in fear.
Without changing expression,
it takes
and gives back;
not a tuft in the mattress alters.
Windowsills evenly welcome
both heat and cold.
Radiators speak or fall silent as they must.
Doors are not equivocal,
floorboards do not hesitate or startle.
Impatience does not stir the curtains,
a bed is neither irritable nor rapacious.
Whatever disquiet we sense in a room
we have brought there.
And so I instruct my ribs each morning,
pointing to hinge and plaster and wood -
You are matter, as they are.
See how perfectly it can be done.
Hold, one day more, what is asked.
Jane Hirshfield
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