The Episcopal Church
of the Resurrection
1433 NW R.D. Mize Road, Blue Springs, MO
Weekly e-mail
March 13, 2021
Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 14, 2021

Holy Eucharist Rite I at 8:00 am

Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 am
Resurrection will host in-person services this Sunday. COVID precautions will be observed with a face mask required. All services also live-streamed.
Holy Week & Easter Services
Service Schedule
(in-person and live streamed)

Palm Sunday: Blessing of the Palms - 8:00 and 10:30 am
Holy Monday: Morning Prayer online only at 10:00 am
Holy Tuesday: Morning Prayer online only at 10:00 am
Holy Wednesday: Tenebrae at 7:00 pm
Maundy Thursday: Service only at 7:00 pm (no agape meal)
Good Friday: Stations of the Cross at 12:00 pm Noon; Veneration of the cross and Holy Communion at 7:00 pm
Holy Saturday: The Great Vigil of Easter at 7:00 pm
Easter Sunday: ONE SERVICE only at 9:30 am

No fellowship hour following services due to COVID.
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The Diocese of West Missouri will offer live-stream services from the Cathedral visit https://www.diowestmo.org/ for times and schedule.
Easter Flowers
BEAUTIFY OUR WORSHIP SPACE

Help decorate and beautify our worship space by contributing to the Easter Flower Fund.

Please note Easter Flowers on the memo line of your check or on an envelope with your donation. Your name will be included in the bulletin on Easter Day!
 
Ecumenical Lenten Services
WEDNESDAY AT 7:00 PM

Attend in-person at:
The First Christian Church
701 NW 15 St.
Blue Springs, MO 64015

or watch on-line with FaceBook Live, YouTube or Zoom

The theme this year is

"The Benefit of Community"

Each participating church will share the message on one given Wednesday.

6:00 pm  Share supper together at home as a family
6:45 pm  Log-in to Facebook, YouTube, or ZOOM
7:00 pm  Service starts, live streaming begins  

2/24  Pastor Cliff Caton; First Christian Church
3/03 Father David Lynch; Episcopal Church of the Resurrection
3/10  Pastor Sarah Pierce; All Saints Lutheran Church
3/17  Good Shepherd Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
3/24  Pastor Andrew Florio; Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church
 

Click here for Zoom  Meeting ID: 968 0661 8122    Passcode: 895606
From Father David +
O LORD MAKE ME “HUMBLE”

I commend this essay from: Brannon Deibert SEO Editor reprinted below.

What Is the Meaning of Humility? Why Should We Be Humble?
How do we define humble? Humility is mentioned many times in the Bible as a righteous trait to manifest in our lives. Let's explore the biblical meaning of being humble and how we can achieve this noble characteristic.

We stumble into the word humility a lot in the Bible. But how do we define humble? What exactly is humility? And why is it important? 

What Is Humility? 
Humility is often characterized as genuine gratitude and a lack of arrogance, a modest view of one’s self. However, the biblical definition of humility goes beyond this. Humility is a critical and continuous emphasis of godliness in the Bible, as we are called upon to be humble followers of Christ and trust in the wisdom and salvation of God. Let us be humble before our creator for the gift of life we have been given.

Biblical humility is grounded in the nature of God. The Father descends to help the poor and afflicted; the incarnate Son manifests humility from birth until His crucifixion. The coupled usage of "meek" and "humble in heart" in Matthew 11:29 emphasizes Christ's humility before humankind, whom he came to serve, and His submission before God. Humility and meekness are often interrelated as both are righteous traits for serving the will of God.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” 
Proverbs 3:5
The profound Bible verse of Proverbs 3:5 is an excellent summation of the biblical meaning of humility. To be humble, we must have faith that God will lead us in the best way to live and what to avoid in temptation. We are to put complete trust in the Lord and not deceive ourselves with vanity or lust. We should lean on the understanding, wisdom, and divinity of God to show us the righteous path through prayer, meditation, fasting, and other faithful practices. In order to do this, we must have the initial requirement of humility to open our hearts and withdraw from the arrogance of our ego. 

"Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life." Proverbs 22:4
Proverbs gives us a deeper look into the biblical meaning of humility as we are given a direct explanation. "Humility is the fear of the Lord," provides a very precise definition. Not only does being humble consist of trusting God and following his will, but furthermore fearing the consequences of neglecting His commands for truth, love, work ethic, mercy, and beyond. Humility is recognizing the magnificent power of God and the potential retribution He will condemn upon us if we do not aim our purpose towards righteousness.

Define Humility
Merriam-Webster simply defines humility as "freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble." For further depth into this definition, let's look at the three senses in which humble is defined: (1) not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive; (2) reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission; a humble apology; (3) ranking low in a hierarchy or scale; not costly or luxurious

Importance of Humility
The importance of humility is directly related to the deadly consequences of pride. Pride separates us from God as we do not acknowledge and appreciate the eternal sovereignty of our Lord. Therefore, the importance of humility is seen in the deep gratitude we hold in proper recognition of God's divinity and love for us. Humility's importance is also found in recognizing our flawed nature as humans on earth and our susceptibility to sin if not vigilant against temptation. "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." ~ 1 Peter 5:8

Humility is frequently mentioned in scripture as it relates to our salvation in Jesus Christ. Christi Given gives a great summary of the significance of being humble in our relationship with God:
  1. To enter God’s presence we must come humbly to the throne: 1 Peter 5:6.
  2. God says the meek shall inherit the earth: Matthew 5:5.
  3. The proud are cast down and will be humbled: James 4:10.
  4. When we are humbled or even when we suffer, we need to remember we will ultimately reign with Christ: 2 Timothy 2:12.
  5. Jesus even humbled Himself, therefore we should also have the mind of humility: Philippians 2:5-11.
 
Humility in the Bible
- Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:3-11

- But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6

- For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Luke 14:11

- Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

- Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

- When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

- Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12

- If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Christian Quotes about Humility
"You can have no greater sign of confirmed pride than when you think you are humble enough." - William Law

"I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master." - John Newton

“Do not allow the spark of discord and enmity to smolder. The longer you wait, the more the enemy tries to cause confusion among you. Be watchful, so that he does not mock you. Humility destroys all of his schemes.” - St. Macarius of Optina

"A humble man is never rash, hasty or perturbed, never has any hot and volatile thoughts, but at all times remains calm. Even if heaven were to fall and cleave to the earth, the humble man would not be dismayed. Not every quiet man is humble, but every humble man is quiet. There is no humble man who is not self-constrained; but you will find many who are self-constrained without being humble. This is also what the meek humble Lord meant when He said, ‘Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’ [Matt 11:29] For the humble man is always at rest, because there is nothing which can agitate or shake his mind." - St. Isaac the Syrian

"The only hope of salvation from the delusions and the heresies, the innovations and the traps of wicked people and of the devil is prayer, repentance and humility." - Elder Joseph the Hesychast
Renewal Works - Monday Matters
FROM FR. JAY SIDEBOTHAM +
Column dated March 8, 2021

A Prayer for the Human Family, The Book of Common Prayer: O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ Lord. Amen.
 
Humility connects us. Humility reminds us how we are all so dependent on each other. It reminds us of all the many factors that come into play. Humility frees us from the prison of me, to the freedom of we.
-Desmond Tutu
 
True humility doesn’t consist of thinking ill of yourself but of not thinking of yourself much differently from the way you’d be apt to think of anybody else. It is the capacity for being no more and no less pleased when you play your own hand well than when your opponents do.
-Frederick Buechner

On humility

One of the challenges in thinking about humility: As soon as we become aware of it, or aspire to it, or hope to see it in ourselves, we’ve probably lost any chance of exhibiting it. We become proud of being humble. But let’s give it a go.

We’re learning in our work with churches that the spiritual vitality of congregations has a whole lot to do with the leader’s heart. We have often referred to the work of Jim Collins, who in 2005 wrote a monograph to accompany his book Good to Great. This text was intended for the social sector and non-profit organizations in particular. In it he highlights essential leadership qualities. Effective leaders in these organizations combine deep personal humility with intense professional will. So let’s focus on that deep personal humility piece.

Last week, Nicholas Kristof wrote a column about how we talk with people with whom we disagree. He too recognizes the need for humility by citing a new book by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton. The book, in Kristof’s words, is a paean to intellectual humility. He notes the ways we all come at life with our biases, including the “I’m not biased” bias, by which we believe we are more objective than others. Kristof says that left and right often see the world, indignantly, through a tidy moral prism. But the world is messier than that, which argues for intellectual humility. According to Dr. Grant, what wins people over is “listening, asking questions and appealing to their values, not your own.”

Interesting stuff, but what does this have to do with discipleship?

In case you haven’t noticed, the world we live in is kind of divided, maybe more so than in the past. Those divisions can be found across the dinner table, in the next pew, in the residence down the hall or down the street , in the adjacent cubicle or window on our zoom conference call, in the halls of our nation’s capital. How do we faithfully move beyond “I’m right and you’re wrong?”

In his book, Jesus and the Disinherited (which I’m reading as part of our work with the impressive and unsettling Sacred Ground series created by the Presiding Bishop’s office), the author Howard Thurman speaks about how people respond to opposition and oppression. For the most part, they either resist (causing a big dust up), or they don’t resist (lapsing into toxic passivity). He says that there is a third way, the way of Jesus.

It is the way of love. It is the way of deep personal humility modeled by our Lord and Savior. It is Jesus listening to Nicodemus’ late-night questions. It is Jesus engaging in conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, someone he had no business being with. It is Jesus going to lunch with Zacchaeus, a crook and bit of a creep. It is Jesus saying and showing that true greatness comes in service. It is Jesus washing the feet of disciples. It is Jesus on the cross amidst an argument between thieves hanging on either side of him, speaking forgiveness to torturers and executioners. It is meant to be our way, too.

If Lent is a season for spiritual practice, how about this week practicing humility, especially in interaction with people who disagree with you, people you think are wrong? Listen to them. Pray for them. Throw in a prayer for yourself, that you might be freed from biases that cloud vision. Pray for a world broken in so many ways. Pray for the whole human family, using the prayer in the column on the left.

That is what all this talk about Jim Collins and Nicholas Kristof and Adam Grant and Howard Thurman has to do with discipleship. In a world in need of healing, where divisions are sharp, Jesus offers another way forward, thank God.