Amazingly enough, September is drawing to a close already, which means that the program year is in full swing. We have returned to our three-service Sunday schedule of 8:00, 9:00, and 11:00 a.m., and Christian formation opportunities have returned to the 9:50 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. hour. Children and youth activities have resumed, the Church Mouse opens Monday, and we’re well on our way into a rich and wonderful new year. St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that each of us has different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit, and I couldn’t agree more. For a parish our size, Bethesda fosters a dazzling array of ministries, and I encourage you to find your place among all that happens here. If you haven’t already done so, acquaint yourself with our catalogue
(
click here
) that lists and describes in 94 pages all that goes on at Bethesda, arranged by date, from now until January. We keep the catalogue updated, so when you have a question about what’s happening when, you’ll most likely find the answer in the catalogue. So find your place at Bethesda, listen to where God is calling you to be, and join in the activities of this most remarkable family of faith!
Burl +
Associate For Christian Education, Pastoral Care,
a
nd Outreach
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
8:00, 9:00, & 11:00 a.m.
Preacher:
The Rev. Margaret McGhee
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
8:15 a.m. Fellowship Breakfast, Parish Hall West
*9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:50 a.m. Adult Forum, Parish Hall East
10:00 a.m. Fellowship Finger Food, Parish Hall West
10:00 a.m. 3 & 4 Year Old Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. K - 2nd Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. 3rd - 5th Grade Sunday School, Sunday School Hall
10:00 a.m. 6th & 7th Grade Pre- Confirmation Class, Library
10:00 a.m. 8th Grade Confirmation Group, ECW Room
9:50 a.m. 9th - 12th Grade Pilgrimage Group, Youth Room
*#11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Fellowship Breakfast | 8:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. | Parish Hall West
We will have a full hot meal cooked on site, with a rotating menu, for $5 per person. After 10:00 a.m., a simpler fare, fellowship finger foods, will be provided until 1:00 p.m. with no cost to our parishioners.
This week's menu: mini omelettes, bacon, apple sausage, hash browns and biscuits.
Adult Forum:
The Power of Story,
Mother Margaret McGhee
| 9:50 a.m. | Parish Hall East
Our individual stories are powerful, unique only to ourselves, and color the world both as we see it and as we are seen. This morning Mother Margaret McGhee begins a year-long narrative of personal stories that will weave throughout the adult forum offerings, affording us insight into the remarkable faith community that comes together at Bethesda.
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 1:30 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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Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, October 7, 9:00 a.m.
In celebration of the Feast of St. Francis, we invite you to join us at 9:00 a.m. for a service with the Blessing of the Animals. For those who wish, Communion is offered at the end of the 9:00 a.m. service. We encourage you to bring your pets to the service for them to be blessed. Please gather in the Garth with your pets at 8:45 a.m.
Don't forget to bring a bag of pet food or toy to be donated to the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.
Pet Necrology:
Do you have a beloved pet that has died in the past 12 months? If you would like your pet’s name to be remembered at The Blessing of the Animals service, please call April at (561) 655-4555 x112 or e-mail your pet’s name to
april@bbts.org
by noon on Monday, October 1.
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Music at Bethesda
Sunday, October 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Church
Join us for our first Recital and Evensong of the season! Pianist Robin Arrigo will offer a recital at 3:30 p.m. An Evensong with The Bethesda Choir follows at 4:00 p.m. A free-will offering will be received, and a reception will follow in the Parish Hall.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend
.
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Father James' Sabbatical Blog
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You can follow Father James on his sabbatical journey.
Click Here
Subscribe to his Reflections posts for email updates.
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The Way of Love...
Evangelism 101
Saturday, December 15, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Bethesda hosts The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's very own Canon for Evangelism
and Reconciliation.
Join us as we seek, name, and celebrate Jesus' loving presence in the stories of all people and learn how to articulate the power of faith in our own lives tell our own stories. Lunch will be provided. Donations are accepted.
To find out more and to register for this event,
click here
.
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Invitation for Altar Flowers
We invite you to make a contribution in memory of (deceased), in honor of (living), or in thanksgiving for (celebration) your loved ones. Your contribution provides for flowers, plants, and altar adornments necessary for worship services throughout the year. Suggested contribution is $100 per name to be printed in the service leaflet for a desired Sunday.
In order for names to be printed in the Sunday service leaflet, they must be received two weeks prior to the desired Sunday--
click here.
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6:00 to 6:30 p.m. (serving starts at 5:45 p.m.) Community Supper | Parish Hall
The cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12; $25 family max (payable at the door).
This week's menu: chicken, steak and pork bowls, and burritos.
Kindly RSVP
here
or call Ayana at (561) 655-4554.
*In order to properly plan and prepare the supper, we need your reservations by noon on Monday.
FEATURED CLASSES
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Book Study | Guild Room
Over the course of five weeks, join this discussion of Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks’s best-selling novel
People of the Book that follows a rare, sacred manuscript through centuries of exile and war. If you are able please read for tonight, chapters "Wine Stains" and "Hanna: Boston"; pp 145 - 214.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Bethesda at Its Best! | Library
Come one, come all for a behind-the-scenes look at what makes Bethesda the special place that it is. Over a series of four weeks, join the clergy and vestry as we discuss the history, mission, and organization of this remarkable parish and how each of these beautiful threads comes together into a diverse and spirit-filled tapestry.
RECURRING CLASSES
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Little Way | Sunday School Hall
For all K - 5th grade kids with a curiosity for what we do at Bethesda and why. Crafts, cooking, learning games, and playful fellowship will help your little ones learn about Bethesda's traditions and have a little fun along the way.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Bible Study | ECW Room
The Path: A Journey Through the Bible
… praised by biblical scholars,
The Path
is the story of the Bible, excerpted from the New Revised Standard Version so that it is clear and easy to read. Follow the path of God’s love all the way from the beginning to the end, from Adam’s creation to John’s revelation. This book stands alone as a fantastic resource for engaging and learning more about the Bible. To discover what “trails” through God’s grace you want to spend more time on and get to know as your own special way to the heart of God’s Love.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Theology in Film - Bethesda Film Club | Choir Room
This intergenerational group will explore how the religious life is revealed through popular art. This week we look at:
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). If you are able please watch the movie on your own and come ready to discuss.
6:30 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. | Yoga | Parish Hall West
Physical therapist and yoga therapist, Emily Large, invites all adults for an evening of holistic worship through Christian yoga practice. Physical postures, relaxation, breath techniques, and mental focus create a holistic approach for worship as we will reflect on the themes associated with the liturgical calendar. A donation of $10 per class is requested (payable at the door).
CLOSING PRAYER
7:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | Compline | Church
An ancient, brief, and contemplative liturgy of the Christian tradition, compline offers an opportunity to give God thanks for the day behind us and pray for rest and safety in the night ahead. A fitting end to the day, compline offers a peaceful and meditative sacred time in the middle of our often frenetic weeks, as well as a beautiful conclusion to our Wednesday evenings together.
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We pray for...
Angela, Ann, Anna, Austin, Babs, Barbara, Brecken, Brenda, Brittany, Caroline, Carson, Cathy, Charles, David, Dawn, Denise, Donna, Dorothy, Edna, Ellen, Emily, Ethan, Evan, Gloria, Holly, Hunter, Isabelle, Jack, Janie, Jeanne, John, Joy, Karen, Katherine, Kathryn, Katie, Kelley, Kitty, Leah, Lillyana, Lulu, Lynn, Marcia, Mary, Mary Ann, Matthew, Melanie, Michele, Michael, Nancy, Nikki, Pamela, Pat, Peggy, Richard, Ricky, Robbie, Robert, Rosie, Sally, Scott, Shannon, Sharon, Shawn, Siena, Stephen, Sylvia, Taryn, Thomas, Tom, Vincent, Ward,
and those serving our country
...Alex, Benjamin, Christian, Clara, Eric, Harold, Herbert, John, Lorne, Luster, Michael, Sean, and Tommy.
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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 the complaints of the Israelites about food in the Wilderness and the responses of YHWH and Moses to those complaints, and the concluding verses of the Letter of James.
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah (Hebrew meaning “teaching” or “Law”), also known by Christians as the Pentateuch (Greek meaning “Five Books”). Numbers (like the last half of Exodus, and all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy) is set in the time the Israelites were in the Wilderness before entering the Promised Land. If the time in the Wilderness is historical (no archeological evidence has ever been found to support it), this would have been around 1250 BCE.
Most of the book of Numbers was written by the “Priestly Source” during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE) and in the 100 years after the Exile. Today’s reading is one of four stories in the Torah in which the Israelites complained about their food or water or both. (The other three are in Exodus 16, and Numbers 20 and 21.)
In today’s reading, the Israelites complained about the lack of water, vegetables and meat. YHWH became very angry with the people, and Moses lamented to YHWH that his burden in dealing with the Israelites was too great. After Moses’ lament to YHWH, YHWH directed that 70 elders be gathered and YHWH took some of Moses’ “spirit” so this group of 70 could “prophesy” (speak for God). The reading concludes with two other men having prophetic powers – a story reflecting some ambivalence in the Bible about who can speak for God.
In the verses that follow today’s reading, YHWH caused large numbers of quail to fall on the camp of the Israelites to a depth of three feet. The Israelites gorged themselves on the meat and suffered a great plague that killed many of them. (Lesson: Be careful what you ask for; you just might get it!)
J
ames 5:13-20
The authorship of this Epistle is not known, but it has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jesus Follower community in Jerusalem.
This James (sometimes called “James the Just”) is to be distinguished from “James the Great” (the apostle, brother of John, and son of Zebedee) and “James the Less” (apostle and son of Alphaeus).
The letter is addressed to Jewish Jesus Followers and emphasizes the importance of good works and ethical behavior. This emphasis has been understood by some (including Luther) as being opposed to Paul’s position (particularly in Romans) that one is saved by Faith alone.
Today’s reading concludes the letter. It urges Jesus Followers to pray and to sing songs of praise. The author cites the example of Elijah to show the power of prayer – a reference to the story in the Book of Kings in which Elijah defeated the priests of Baal who were the agents of the evil King of Israel, Ahab. The Epistle concludes with an exhortation to bring back sinners from their wanderings.
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