St. Paul's Episcopal Church   Poughkeepsie, NY 12601


MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"

 
The Week of April 20-April 26, 2020
  

  
 
On the road again   
The opening line of our Collect this Sunday is: "O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread..." This is a most familiar phrase and it is reminiscent of our own experience of Holy Communion when we pause at the Communion rail and think about what Communion means to us.
bible.jpg
This week's readings
It is not only when we are thinking of it that Communion's meaning registers with us. Sometimes it hits us out of the blue. Sometimes we hear a phrase or have a thought and we recognize that Jesus makes himself known in all kinds of circumstances and situations.
Our Gospel Sunday is the story of the Road to Emmaus. We witness what took place, how much had to happen, before  the travelers realized they were walking on the road with Jesus himself. For us it's pretty easy. We believe Jesus is with us all the time. The challenge is to find him in our hearts and minds, in our decisions and our behavior.
 

 
To be redirected to the Lectionary Page and get a digital copy of the readings 
 
 
Acts 2:14a,36-41; Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35 
   
  
 
 
T he full readings are published 
at the end of this newsletter
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Sunday sermon
 
 
Thomas and his questions
Sermon 2 easter a 4 19 20
Acts2:14a,22-32;Ps16;Pet1:3-9;Jn20:19-31
I'd like our zoom audience at this Second Sunday of Easter service let us know if they read the brief comments in Wednesday's Messenger newsletter about "Our helpful friend Thomas." How many read it? A show of hands so I can see them, please. OK thank you. That lets me know how much I should refer to it and how much I should present it anew.
Because Thomas is our advocate for understanding. In this instance and in one not long before today's Gospel Thomas asks questions we are glad he asked. And for his effort what has Thomas gotten? Joshing, at best, criticism at worst. And the nickname 'Doubting Thomas.' Let us think a little bit about all we know about facts and truth and belief.
Before we do, though, let's consider nicknames. I have a pair of stories, one funny and one sad. The sad one is simple: a boy in my grade school class had a last name that started with the letters St. Another classmate I remember very well decided that his name, therefore should be Stinky. I cringe when I remember how hard that was for him and how I did nothing to interfere with the teasing. Yuck!
The other story is amusing. When Molly and I were in Germany we met a lot of folks from the United Kingdom. There was a handful from Wales. One of our Welsh congregants told us that in Wales there were so many people named Jones that they were known as Jones the plumber or Jones the teacher. Because so many clergy were named Jones I wouldn't be called Jones the preacher. Rather, because I always told a joke I would be known as Jones the joke. Not joker. Joke.
I enjoyed my reputation as an amusing story teller. That's not what happens every time someone inherits a nickname.
In her meditation on this reading Wednesday Bishop Mary Glasspool pointed out that the actual word from the Greek that was applied to Thomas was not "doubter," per se, but rather it was better translated as "not believing."
Bishop Mary suggested that perhaps Thomas should have been nicknamed "honest" Thomas, since he had laid down his requirements for belief. She offers some other options for nicknames but it is this feature of Thomas where he asks for more information that makes him so useful to us in this reading and in the other reading I referred to in which Jesus says, "You know the way to where I am going..." and Thomas blurts out, "Lord, we do not know the way."
But there are other interesting aspects to this Gospel we hear every year on the Second Sunday of Easter. One is that we do not know if Thomas actually sticks his fingers in the nail holes in Jesus' hands and the gash left by the spear in his side. Instead we recognize that Thomas is immediately converted. His requirement for more information has been met and he declares "My Lord and my God," with no reference to actually touching Jesus wounds.
This is deserving of very close examination as we weigh the strength of our own faith. What does it take us, what do we need, to believe in Jesus like Thomas did? Does a lifetime of church and Sunday School do the job? Does answered prayer? Would seeing the wounds in Jesus body help? How about the knowledge that nothing, not one thing, Jesus said or did in the Bible offends us, but rather it lifts up other people, heals them.
Our faith is acquired by way of experience and the sensation that Jesus knew us and knows us personally, intimately, and, if I may, impossibly.  It brings to mind the expression, applicable in this realm, that the truth is bigger than the facts. We love it for its ambiguity and lack of earthly foundation and for our certainty and confidence.
That's what Thomas evidently had upon realizing that Jesus had presented the proof he demanded uncritically, openly, willingly.
And that is the second aspect of this reading we can really wrap our arms around: Jesus will give us what we need, what we ask for, in order that we come to believe. Jesus is not hiding himself from us; he's right there in the Bible making it as plain as he did in his three short years of earthly ministry. When we read the record of his life week by week we recognize that he is as steady and reliable in his incredible goodness as we can imagine. Even more so, actually.
It's slightly difficult to to look at Jesus' final remark to Thomas in today's Gospel and not feel like he was chiding him somewhat. Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
Every time I look at the reading I respond "Ouch!" and then I talk myself out of it. Jesus didn't criticize Thomas when he was making a public viewing of his wounds for Thomas. He did say to him, "do not be faithless, but believe," which is more a corrective than a criticism. Thomas was not a doubter. He simply lacked faith. He wanted to acquire it, clearly. Jesus was giving Thomas a path to the answer for which he was looking.
Jesus gives us the answers, also. When we ask Jesus to help us with a problem and we somehow manage to set aside our notions of how we think things ought to be, consideration of what Jesus would like to help us do suddenly appears in our consciousness. It looms before us like an image on a big spiritual radar screen. The answers Jesus gives are not obscure or unattainable, they are not esoteric and they are not onerous. They are evident when we seek to do his will, and that usually requires identifying our own willfulness and setting it aside. (Which incidentally is a miracle we can ask Jesus to help us with any time of day or night.)
This is what we were pointing toward when we asked for help in our collect this morning:
Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith."
 
Amen
 
 
A sermon preached on zoom on the Second Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2020,
by The Rev. Tyler Jones, Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie NY


PARISH  NEWS
  
A Deacon's job is never done--
Julett Butler can testify to that
 
It's probably safe to say that when Julett Butler was ordained a deacon and assigned to St. Paul's Church she had no idea of what the future of her parish ministry would look like. This is true for any ordained person, even those active their whole lives in their church. But for Julett the surprises just keep coming.
 
For example, with the expected retirement of Father Tyler and the departure for a time from the church of both Tyler and Molly, new volunteers had to be located for our Food Pantry. Julett agreed to replace Father Tyler as Executive Director with the understanding that other volunteers played key parts, that she wouldn't be alone in this enterprise.
 
Then came the corona crisis. Julett joined the volunteers when she could, but she also kept an eye out for the special needs of the Food Pantry. When she was informed that the Food Pantry had a need for a volume of hand sanitizer she went to work. She contacted Deputy Commissioner of the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral Health and Director of Dutchess County Community Services Jacqueline Johnson for help. Julett wrote a request letter, stating, " St. Paul's operates a Food Pantry that has served the City for over 20 years.  Currently we are serving families impacted by the Corona Virus and are invested in God's work in Poughkeepsie...
 
"We are in dire need of hand sanitizer for our volunteers.  St. Paul's is not a wealthy parish, yet we are service oriented as our faith directs us.   I have seen the large bottles of NYS Clean sanitizer at the Pougkeepsie Journal Building and I am wondering how I might secure some for the St. Paul's crew...so we can continue to be safe and present for our needy families."
 
The response is obvious in the photo. Julett and Adrian Goldson picked up the cases of gallons and small bottles of hand sanitizer Monday. And that's not all of it. Two gallons of the donation from the County are not in the photo; one gallon is in the narthex and one is in the sacristy to help parishioners and Altar Guild members keep their hands germ-free.
 
Bobbie Gordon heard about Julett's efforts in other areas. She wrote acknowledging Julett's efforts at bringing more donations of food and funding to the Food Pantry had paid off.
 
Bobbie wrote, " Thanks for all you are doing for St. Paul's and the Food Pantry." As one of the team that counts the funds from collections each week Bobbie knew what Julett had been up to. "We deposited $1110 in the Food Pantry account today." This was a direct result of Julett being in touch with people who want to help the Food Pantry with donations.
 
We'll mark the anniversary of Julett's ordination as a deacon likely in one of our Sunday zoom services, since we're not gathering at the church yet. But Deacon Julett's faithful service, all the while holding down a full time job, is wonderful to observe and a credit to her faith and to her commitment to St. Paul's.
                                   

 
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
     
 
  2 Jerry Bissessar 
14 Mahalia Samuels 
25 Jahman Birks
  3 Adam Bissessar  
16 Elizabeth Misner 
29 Grace Porter  
  6 Angelina Bissessar
     Joyce Herman 
19 Donna Robinson Zajkowski
 
30 Michael Curtis
     E. James Schneider 
  7 Kira Curtis 
20 Earl Boyer  

10 Madison Haley Hickman 
21 Madison Goldson 

13 Brianna Bryant
23 Alice Darien
    Adam Mazzuto 
 
                                              



Please keep those on our parish prayer list in your minds and in your 
 
prayers, especially at this time of separation and isolation.

Intercessions
APRIL 2020
 
Our prayers are asked for:
 
Peggy;The Bedrossian family; Seth;Lori; The Laken family; All parishioners; Kairos
 
International, Catherine, Michelle, Yamily; G.J., Joe; Lois, Matthew, Lillian; Lynita,
 
Perry, Melius family, Sasha; Stacey, Linda, Phil, Jody; Tucker family, Branch family,
 
Atkinson family; Ibadan Dicese, All Saints Anglican Church, Oni family; Donna;
 
Alison, McGhan, Sterling, Unah, Avonel, Kim, Santos family, Madeline, Bramble,
 
Charlie, Cynthia, Gencia, Val, Joanne, Janet, Corkey, Pelaez, Josephs-Clarke
 
family, Dixon family, Paulette, Jarah, Mertlyn; Adam, Paul, Andrew & family, Douglas
 
family, Annie, Ron, Dave, Liz; Jill, Lana, Andrew, Susan; Schneider family, all in  
 
need; Susie; Sherry












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St. Paul's Episcopal Church-Poughkeepsie
 
   

'In Service to God & You'

Our food pantry volunteers are in active service at St. Paul's these days. We give thanks to them and thanks to God for their willingness to help our by helping others.

The readings for the Third Sunday of Easter



Third Sunday of Easter - Year A
 
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles [2:14a, 36-41]
 
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: "Therefore let
the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and
Messiah, this Jesus whom you cruci fi ed." Now when they heard this, they were cut to
the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away,
everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testi fi ed with many other
arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand
persons were added.
 
The Word of the Lord
 
Psalm 116:1-3, 10 -17
 
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of
my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever
I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *
"O Lord, I pray you, save my life."
10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *
is the death of his servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the Lord's house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
 
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter [1:17-23]
 
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their
deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were
ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable
things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb
without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but
was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust
in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope
are set on God. Now that you have puri fi ed your souls by your obedience to the truth
so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You
have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living
and enduring word of God.
 
The Word of the Lord
 
The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Luke [24:13 -35]
 
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about
seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had
happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went
with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What
are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking
sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only
stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in
these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of
Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and
cruci fi ed him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides
all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women
of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they
did not fi nd his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a
vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to
the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he
said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these
things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the
prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they
came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going
on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening
and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the
table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their
eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They
said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us
on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up
and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered
together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to
Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made
known to them in the breaking of the bread.
 
The Gospel of the Lord
 


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