3rd Sunday of Lent - March 24
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9
8:00AM
Preacher: Dean Ryan
Celebrant: Dean Ryan
10:00AM
Ushers: Toni Alvarez & William Patterson
Lector: David Balabanis
Eucharist Minister: Peter Cabbiness
Preacher: Dean Ryan
Celebrant: Dean Ryan
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Lenten Worship Wednesdays
12:15 & 6:00PM - Eucharist
5:45PM - Evening Prayer
Chapel
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"Learning to Walk in the Dark"
Lenten Supper and Study Series
Wednesday, March 27 - 6:45PM
Fireside Room
Buildings and Grounds Meeting
Saturday, March 30 - 9AM
Conference Room
Youth Gathering: Bowling
Saturday, March 30
12:30PM to 3:30PM
Bulldog Bowl (FSU Campus)
Baptism Class
Sunday, April 7 - 12:00PM
Conference Room
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SACRED SPACE FOR THE YOUNGEST AMONG US
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Sports stadiums have “club seat sections.” Theater and concert halls have “VIP box seats.” Airplanes have “first class seats.” These are the places everyone wants to enjoy!
At St. James, there is a new section in the Cathedral in very high demand by those who are young and young-at-heart—it is the newly developed “With Joy Kids’ Section.” The space is designed for families with young children, toddlers, and infants. This Sunday, March 24th, during the 10:00AM service, St. James will bless the ““With Joy Kids’ Section.”
“We wanted to create an inviting and open space for children and their parents/guardians, where they can spread out, feel comfortable, and fully engage the service as a whole family,” says Dean Ryan. “For new families visiting St. James, it sends a very clear and profound statement: It says we are a community of faith committed to supporting the needs of our families, especially those with young children.”
The new area provides plenty of space for children to move around. It also provides special seating when children want to color, play, or read. There are books for kids of all ages. There are Biblical-themed coloring and activity pages with a variety of pencils, pens, and crayons. For the very young ones, there are plush toys and simple puzzles. Anchoring the space are two very colorful rugs (with padding underneath) and seating for adults. The space will always be a “work-in-progress” because we want the space to reflect the needs and interests of the children and their parents/guardians.
“Our current campus situation does not really offer us the opportunity to host a dedicated nursery. In all honesty, even if we did have a nursery, we would still have a sacred and special space for families with young children in the Cathedral,” says Dean Ryan. “Yes, it is a little noisier during worship, but those are beautiful sounds, little blessings from God. A church with the sounds of young children is a growing and thriving community! I greatly prefer St. James to be a Cathedral with youthful noises rather than no noises at all.”
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Children of all ages are always welcomed at St. James! God blessed children with the ability to wiggle. The joyous sounds, movements, and curiosity of kids are gifts from God. Please do not feel you have to subdue those joys in God’s house. We want God’s children to be comfortable and experience the joyfulness of worship. During the celebration of Eucharist, children are welcome to move closer to the altar or to stand on the pew/seat to see what is going on. Located near the entrance of the Cathedral sanctuary is our “With Joy Kids Section.” Please feel free to utilize this family-friendly area at any time during the service. It has been designed to allow kids to spread out and enjoy some contemplative playtime while still allowing their parents/guardians to experience the service.
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PLEDGE TO CARE FOR CREATION
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"May this Lent be the first day of the rest of your life, and new life for the world.”
In his Lenten message to the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has challenged Episcopalians to take a pledge to do more to love God's creation. This is a pledge that would begin in Lent, but continue for a long time.
"I invite you to do some things that help to love the earth, that help to preserve the world," says Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. "Do some things that actually love the world that God loves."
“We hope people understand this is more than adding your signature to a petition,” said the Rev. Melanie Mullen, director of reconciliation, justice and creation care. “Pray with the pledge and the Reflection Guide during Lent. Think about what you love in God’s Creation, where your heart breaks over environmental injustice, and how you’d like to simplify your life – consume less, share more.”
Those making the pledge, affirm that they "long to grow loving, liberating, life-giving relationship with the whole of God’s Creation" and that they "pledge to protect and renew the Earth and all who call it home."
"This is an important and meaningful endeavor of the Episcopal Church," says Dean Ryan. "My hope is that many in the St. James Cathedral Family learn more about and sign the Creation Care Pledge."
To learn more about the Creation Care Pledge,
click here.
To view the Care of Creation Reflection Packet,
click here.
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WEEK THREE: COLOSSIANS 1:16-17
by Dean Ryan Newman
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Colossians
1:16-17 ‘For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.’
God has given us everything that we claim is ours—we are not owners of creation, we are God’s stewards. A great deal of resources have been entrusted to our care. As a human family, do we treat those resources as a sacred gift?
If we are honest with one another, our human family is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of caring for God’s creation—both visible and invisible. Each of us make daily choices for creation that runs counter to God’s will and intention for our earthly home. At times, it is a struggle to balance our needs and desires with our duty and call to be faithful stewards of God’s creation.
How many of us consider the implications of our purchases and consumption in relation to our faith and connection to our divine creator? One small plastic water bottle isn’t just one small plastic water bottle…collectively each day millions of those bottles leave a terrible scar on our earthly home. There are countless products in our bathrooms, kitchens, and garages that threaten the resources entrusted to us. Our way of living now could and will impact future generations.
If we want to be serious about rethinking our care of creation, we must begin with confessing the reality of our current situation. During the season of Lent, we invite you to pray the “Joy in Enough Confession” developed by the Green Anglican movement.
The Joy in Enough Confession
Our climate is changing, and we are changing it. We confess our carbon footprints, our failure to consider the consequences of our actions, our slowness to react. We are sorry for all the times we knew the right thing to do, but chose convenience.
Your earth is exploited, and we are complicit in its exploitation. Species are lost, soil erodes, fish stocks decline, resources dwindle. We confess that many of us have taken too much, and not considered the needs of future generations.
We have become consumers. We have turned a blind eye to greed. We confess our hunger for more, and our failure to appreciate what we already have. We live in a time of unparalleled luxury, and we are sorry that we have not been more grateful.
The poor are left behind, even in this age of plenty. Human rights are pushed aside for profit. Wealth accumulates for the rich while the poorest still do not have what they need. We confess our apathy to injustice, and our haste in judging others.
This is not who you made us to be. We have not been good caretakers of your garden Earth. We have not loved our neighbors. Forgive us, creator God.
Forgive us. Renew us. Inspire us. Amen.
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To download the "Lenten Environmental Calendar (Less Plastic for Lent)" click on the image below.
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A bill goes before Fresno City Council on Thursday, March 21 at 3PM making it a crime to give money or anything else to someone who is asking for help by the side of the road. Both the receiver and the giver would be cited.
A bill of this nature must be stopped—it dehumanizes our houseless brothers and sisters. Furthermore, such a bill criminalizes seeking help, being homeless, and the generous and caring acts of decent, loving people in our community. Please remember, those in need of help are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters—they are us!
A law of this nature helps no one and hurts and humiliates everyone involved. This is NOT a solution to the challenges confronting our houseless population in the Fresno area. We need to be investing more time, money, and resources in mental health care, crisis intervention, education, job training, social work services, affordable housing, health care, basic needs support, community advocacy, etc. if we want to address the foundation of the problem behind this bill’s motivation. We can’t simply make (nor should we want to make) our houseless brothers and sisters “vanish” from the community. We need to invest in cultivating their well-being, not criminalize the means by which some survive.
Generosity and compassion are not a crime! Asking others for help is not a crime! Please pray that this bill is defeated. Please pray that our city leaders will seek out better and more meaningful solutions to our community’s challenges. We must respect the dignity of every human being—this proposed bill invites shame and oppression, not compassion and decency.
I will speak against the bill at City Council. I hope others will join me!
Dean Ryan+
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HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SCHEDULE
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We invite you to join us for an amazing Holy Week and Easter at the Cathedral. To view the complete schedule, please click on the image below.
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Flowers for St. James Easter Services are made possible by the generous donations of our Cathedral family. This is a wonderful way to make the Cathedral look festive as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and to dedicate a gift in thanksgiving or in memory of someone. The deadline is Wednesday, April 10th by noon to be included in the Easter Program.
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The next scheduled date for Baptisms at St. James will be Saturday, April 20th at 7:45PM during the Easter Vigil Service. Baptisms at the Easter Vigil is one of the most ancient and sacred traditions of the Christian Church. Parents/Guardians who are interested in their child being baptized or adults seeking baptism are asked to attend a Baptism Preparation Class, Sunday, April 7th at 12:00PM. To sign-up please email
Dean Ryan.
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YOUTH GATHERING AT BULLDOG BOWL
Saturday, March 30th + 12:30PM to 3:30PM
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Calling all the youth of St. James . . . .
We invite all the junior high and high school age youth of the Cathedral and their friends to Bulldog Bowl on the campus of Fresno State, Saturday, March 30th, 12:30PM to 3:30PM. Pizza lunch and bowling will be provided by the Cathedral--it is free to participate.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 27th by emailing
If you have any questions, please speak to either Dean Ryan, Pete Cabbiness, or Kourinthia Burton.
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WEDNESDAY LENTEN SUPPER AND STUDY:
Learning to Walk in the Dark
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Barbara Brown Taylor’s book,
Learning to Walk in the Dark, is the foundation of our Lenten Study at St. James. Remaining Wednesdays in Lent, March 27, and April 10, 17. (Note: No meeting on Wednesday April 3rd) The Study begins with a light supper at 6:45PM and the program begins at 7:00PM. Prior to the Study, at 6:00PM in the Chapel, a celebration of Holy Eucharist will be offered.
Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Learning to Walk in the Dark explores our contemporary uneasy relationship with darkness.
All are welcome at any and all sessions.
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LENTEN WEDNESDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE
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+ 12:15PM – Eucharist
+ 5:45PM – Evening Prayer
+ 6:00PM – Eucharist
+ 6:45PM – Lenten Supper and Study concludes with Compline
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By the end of Lent, we would like to reduce the number of programs printed by 20%.
There is a real easy solution to us achieving our goal; digital programs!
Did you know every week by Friday, on the
St. James website, a digital version (PDF) of the service program is available for download. The digital service programs are also in color and include the "Gold Sheet."
We are strongly encouraging our St. James Family to download the Sunday service program onto their mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Kindle, etc.) in an effort to minimize our environmental footprint. A download link is available each week in the
Midweek Missive under the "This Sunday" section. In addition, the Sunday program can be downloaded by visiting:
https://stjamesfresno.org/programs/
If you try out the digital program in March during Sundays, please show your device to one of the clergy and we will enter your name into a drawing on Sunday, March 31 for a $25 Starbucks card.
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Thanks to the generosity of the St. James community, our Food Bank guests are now enjoying peanut butter, oatmeal, and jelly.
Throughout Lent, we are asking our Cathedral Congregation to bring Bisquick. Thank you!
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PILGRIMAGE OF HOPE:
A March for Immigrant Rights from Fresno to Sacramento
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In the winter of 2017, the clergy and lay leaders began to dream of a pilgrimage...one where we, along with other faith communities and friends, would walk the diocese, engaging in formation and prayer along the way regarding the needs and concerns of our immigrant brothers and sisters. Now we are ready to make this dream a reality.
Beginning May 4th, following Eucharist and a blessing at St James Cathedral in Fresno, pilgrims will begin their walk to Sacramento where they will converge with other faith communities, immigrants and concerned citizens on May 20th at the state capital to celebrate the gifts and contributions that our immigrant brothers and sisters bring to our communities, and to champion and advocate for immigrant rights.
This will involve sixteen consecutive days of walking, praying, and reflecting. At stops along the way, walkers will gather with the local faith community to share the purpose of the walk, learn about local concerns of immigrants and pray together.
We invite you to join us in any way you are able:
Additionally, we ask you to consider making a financial contribution to help us make this pilgrimage possible. We are keeping our costs to a minimum, but do have some necessities to provide for our walkers and supporters: food, water, support for drivers who will travel with us, and educational and liturgical materials/resources for each hospitality stop in the evening.
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If you have any feedback, comments, or questions for the Midweek Missive Editors, please
email us
. Submissions to the Midweek Missive are welcomed and must be submitted to
midweek@stjamesfresno.org
by Tuesday at noon.
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