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Our inbox is full this week of comments from those who want us to take a stand on the immigration crisis playing out in the news. Many of these ask us to refuse attendance at our service to some individuals. Closing our doors to anyone or any individual is not our practice; ALL are welcome at Bethesda. What we are faced with at this moment is a piece of a larger problem that has no clear and simple answer. I am relieved in the change of policy that came yesterday, because detaining children is not an answer. I will repeat what I heard from The Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the
Episcopal Church, who said this week: "If it doesn't look like Jesus of Nazareth, you cannot claim that it is Christian." I'm a humble Administrator, not a theologian, so I will not try to tell you what is like Jesus and what is not in the current crisis. What I will tell you is this: as Episcopalians, we will gather together at the Lord's table on Sunday understanding that we are all broken and looking for guidance from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Fred Staley
Associate of
Administration
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SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2018
Preacher (8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.): The Rev. Burl Salmon
*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 & 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 the south side of Pendleton Avenue
without receiving a ticket until 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
* nursery care for infants through age 2 is
available from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Click here to view the service leaflet for this Sunday.
Click here to view this week's Bethesda Happenings.
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Sea Sunday
Sunday, July 8 | Parish Hall
Join us in Parish Hall during Fellowship Time to learn about our Port Project and how Deacon Clay serves those seafarers who visit the Port of Palm Beach.
This Christmas season [2017] over 300 gift bags were delivered to 24 ships. Russians, Ukrainians, Hondurans, Panamanians, Poles, Indians, and Filipinos received Christmas presents which were for the most part provided by the people of Bethesda by the Sea. On Sunday November 19, the people of Bethesda assembled over 250 gift bags in about 40 minutes! The same effort was repeated on Sunday December 24 after the 9:00 service. We truly are a family here at Bethesda. On behalf of the mariners, thank you for all you do for them throughout the year for collecting soap, and shampoo samples as those items are a welcome surprise for the mariners. Click here to read more.
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This winter Presiding Bishop Michael Curry gathered a team to pray and reflect with him on a simple question: "How could we as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement center our lives on Jesus and embrace evangelism?"
One outcome is this initial draft of a Rule for Jesus-Centered Life....
Please pray and reflect with this Rule, and offer your thoughts in the survey...
click here....
The Presiding Bishop will issue a call to the church to join him in the Rule at General Convention in July 2018, when the finalized Rule and a comprehensive set of resources gathered from across the church will be available.
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Save the Date!
Bethesda's Celtic Pilgrimage
May 3 to May 15, 2019
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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.
The reading discusses
background to the story of Job and the beginning of God's "response" to Job in today's reading. It also discusses the strained relationship between Paul and the Corinthians and Paul's defense of his relationship with the Corinthians.
Job 38:1-11
The Book of Job is a unique poetic story in the Hebrew Scriptures. Job is a righteous person (in right relation with God and others) and is presented as a non-Jew living in the land of Uz (somewhere in what is now Saudi Arabia).
Satan (the "adversary" - not the post-First Century name of the devil) makes a wager with God that Job is righteous only because he has health, family and riches. Satan bets God that Job will curse God if he loses his family, health and wealth.
Satan takes everything from Job, but Job does not curse God. His friends come to "comfort" him and (using typical Deuteronomic thought) tell him that his deprivations must be the result of a sin by him or his forebears. Job denies this and (contrary to the claim in the traditional translation of Jas. 5:11) is anything but "patient." He "endures," is steadfast and in some respects, defiant. He asks for someone to judge whether a God who causes a person to suffer is really a just God. He asks to confront God face-to-face.
Today's reading is the beginning of a four-chapter "response" by God to Job. The "response" is structured by the author (called "Poet-Job") as a series of questions from God to Job that demonstrate the complexity of created reality, an imaginative inspection of the cosmos.
After the theophany (the appearance of God to Job), Job acknowledges his limitations. In a later-added Epilogue, Job's riches are restored, and he had another family.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50's (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Based on internal references in the two remaining letters to the Corinthians, scholars agree that Paul likely wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. The so-called Second Letter to the Corinthians is composed of fragments of these letters.
Paul's relationship with the Corinthians was sometimes strained (2:2-4). Today's reading continues Paul's defense of his ministry (v.3). He enumerates his sufferings (v.4-5), defends his works (v.6-7), and counters charges against him (v.8-10). He claims that his affection for the Corinthians is unrestricted, but the affections of the Corinthians are limited (v.11).
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Middle Way resumes on Wednesday, September 19.
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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
Jane Ann Hadley Caruso
Friday, June 29, 2018 at 3:00 p.m
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Have someone you would like us to pray for?
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Father James'
Sabbatical Blog
You can follow Father James on his
sabbatical
journey.
Subscribe to his Reflections posts for email updates.
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The Church Mouse
Summer Hours
The Church Mouse closes for the summer on Saturday, June 23, at 12:00 p.m. However, we will be open for donations throughout the
summer, at the "Donor Door" located on the south side of the building, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Don't miss our End of the Season Sales:
- Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23: 90% off!
For more information, please call The Church Mouse at
(561) 659-2154.
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Nautical Knitters
Saturdays | 10:30 a.m. | Library
Nautical Knitters are a group of knitters who provide handmade watch caps and scarves for the Port Ministry. These necessities are then blessed and given to mariners at the Port of Palm Beach. All-including beginners-are welcome to attend this fun and free activity.
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Save Your Samples
As you travel, remember to save the small soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc. found in your hotel room. Last year we made 300 gift bags for seafarers who were at sea on Christmas Day. Let's do the same this year.
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Vacation Bible School 2018
Join us for our 2018 Vacation Bible School from Monday, June 25, through Friday, June 29, 9:00 a.m. to noon each day. Open to all children ages 3 through 9, we will be exploring Jesus' Parable of the Sower. This will be an arts-based camp complete with different workshops that engage them in making their own artwork and project, learning songs and hymns, engaging in creative drama and movement, playing games, and even having a hand in sowing their own seeds. For more information, visit bbts.org or contact Greg
Knight at
(561) 655 4555 x114.
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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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St. George's Sandwich Making
Fridays | 8:00 a.m. | Kitchen | Every Friday people of all ages meet in the kitchen to make sandwiches for the St. George's Community Center in Riviera Beach. The Center serves over 1,900 meals a week. This is a fun opportunity to help feed those in need in our community while getting to know fellow parishioners.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, December 15
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's very own Canon for Evangelism and Reconciliation, The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, will be at Bethesda in December. More details to follow.
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Memorial Day through Labor Day,
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...
Alan
, Angela,, Austin, Brenda, Carlin, Carolyn, Carrie, Celia, Chris, Cynthia, Danny, Donna, Dorothy, Ellen, Evan, Flonell, , Gisela, Glenn, Holly, , Hunter, Jack, Jane, Jo, Joe, John, John, John, John, Kelley, Kitty, Luca, Mary, Mary Ann, Matthew, Michael, Pat, Peggy, Regine, Ricky, Robert, Ron, Sebastian, Sean, Sharon, Shawn, Stephen, Sylvia, Taryn, Thomas, Tim, Tom, Tommy, Trish, Ward, and those serving our country...Alex, Alex, Benjamin, Christian, Clara, Eric, Harold, Herbert, John, Lorne, Luster, Michael, Sean, and Tommy.
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