Holy Eucharist Sunday at 10 a.m. via Facebook
|
|
The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen
.
+Lesson I
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
+Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins
+Lesson II
Romans 8:6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh
cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
|
|
+The Holy Gospel | John 11:1-45
The Story of Lazarus
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
|
|
Prayer Schedule
for the week of March 29
(All live via Facebook)
Monday through Friday
- 9:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
- 7:00 p.m. Evening Prayer/Compline
Friday
- 12:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross
|
|
Worshiping at Home
Unlike many other things we view on our screens, we are invited to participate in worship rather than merely watching it. To help us consider how we go about doing that, how our physical practices at home shape our spiritual interactions, I share with you today some thoughts from a friend and fellow priest, Fr. David Halt of St. Matthew’s, Bloomington. He provides some encouragement to his parish about how we might better worship together in the time of social distancing, and I invite us all to take them to heart.
– Fr. Ben
The following is borrowed and (slightly) edited with permission.
So here are some practical tips for maintaining a practice that is Incarnational. These are especially important on Sundays.
1. Be present at the actual time services are being held. This way we can all be together even though separated.
2. Prepare for worship as you would if you were "coming” to church. In addition to whatever prayers you offer before services, take a shower, get dressed, put down the coffee cup. How we physically prepare will have an impact on our spiritual experience. Also, it shows the respect and love we have for our fellow Christians, even if we are not in the same space.
3. If possible, take your device to a location that is different from where you watch TV. If you have a home chapel or a prayer corner, participate in that space. An office or even the dining room is better than the TV room as it will be less distracting.
4. Gather anyone in your home and participate together.
5. I can't stress this enough, do what we do in worship. Don't be passive. Participate! Make the gestures we make in worship. Say the responses. Sing the music. Stand when we stand. Kneel when we kneel as you are able. It might feel strange at first, but it will have a positive effect on both your experience of the "event" and your spiritual life.
6. Make your space as holy as you can and reflective of the church. Light a candle. Burn incense.
7. Make a
Spiritual Communion
. For those who join the service by actively watching, listening, and praying with the Eucharistic celebration, you may utilize the “Act of Communion” section at the normal time of reception (as indicated by Fr. Ben during the service). During Holy Communion, you may also choose to say private prayers of devotion. All others are encouraged to employ the whole form which is longer than time is given during an actual Mass. It may be done at anytime.
8. After the Sunday Mass continue with your own version of the 8th Sacrament: Coffee Hour. Have a meal. Sit down and chat. Don't be in a hurry to get back to Netflix, TV, or even a good book. Continue to be present with anyone who is with you. If you live alone, call a fellow parishioner and talk about the service and life.
9. Be gracious. I am sure that this will take all of us "some getting used to", and mistakes will be made.
10. Pray for each other!
|
|
A Letter from the Parish Treasurer
Dear Parishioners:
Due to the stay-home orders and corona virus crisis, St. Andrew's is unable to collect pledges and donations in the manner it normally does. Although a substantial minority of Parishioners pay their pledge through monthly direct deposits to the Church, the majority prefer to leave their donations in the collection plate. Since the collection plate method is no longer an option, St. Andrew's asks that you mail your donations to the church directly. For security reasons, please do not mail cash--only checks. We will be regularly checking the mailbox and making deposits. We are also working on setting up online donations via our website, and will let everyone know when it is ready.
I want to make it clear that the Church's expenses are only slightly going to decline during this lock-down period. This is because our major expenses (salary/benefits, diocesan tithe, insurance, and utilities) are going to continue unaffected. I expect there will be a slight decrease in utilities, but that is it. I am not aware of any stimulus money being directed to churches, and so we are on our own. That is why it is important that we maintain as normal as possible our pledges and donations. I understand that some of our Parishioners may have been seriously economically damaged by the coronavirus crisis, and I am not intending to "guilt" anyone who does not feel they can maintain their pledge during this difficult time. But for those of you who can, please continue pledging during this period through mailing your checks to Church, or setting up direct deposits.
Thank you, and let me know if you have any questions.
Riley Atwood
Note: Watch for information on online giving through St. Andrew's website!
|
|
New Mini-Magazine Is a Success!
We're glad everyone enjoyed the first issue of
In Touch,
the new parish mini-magazine recently emailed to you. 77% of the parish opened the mailing and several parishioners told us it put a bright spot in their day -- which was our intention.
We will need help to keep future issues interesting. Please send us interesting bits to include as we go forward. Perhaps you are working on an interesting project at home while shut in, reading a really good book, viewing something worthwhile or very entertaining on Netflix or Acorn, checking out online art and music, or making videos that you could share.
Just send your ideas or contributions to info@standrews-edwardsville.com. We'll be glad to hear from you!
Jane, Marian, Marianne
In Touch
Editors
|
|
“It’s Not Your Grandmother’s Altar Guild” (Part I)
Those words appear on the webpage of the National Altar Guild Association of the Episcopal Church. It’s not clear exactly what the author of that statement meant, but if Granny had been a St. Andrew’s Altar Guild member in 1940, she would find our present Guild quite different in operation, and to some extent in purpose. That’s revealed by a slim record book recently discovered in our archives.
Today’s St. Andrew’s Altar Guild is a loosely organized ministry of volunteers that functions under Donna Ireland’s unfailingly competent leadership. Under her watchful eye, its dedicated members work together smoothly and efficiently in the absence of a formal organizational structure.
Eighty years ago, things were very different. Altar Guild bylaws adopted in 1940 outlined a rigidly hierarchical organization with the Rector as ex-officio President, under whom served an array of officers. A “Directress” was appointed by the Rector and apparently served as his executive officer in matters regarding the work of the Altar Guild. A “Sub-Directress” was elected by Guild members to assist her. Also elected by the membership were a Secretary and Treasurer, as well as a “Choir Mother,” whose duties were “to look after the vestments of the choir and to bring to the attention of the Directress the needs of the choir.”
Not only had oversight of the choir been added to what we would consider the normal duties of the Altar Guild, defined in the bylaws as “to prepare for the worship of the church as directed by the Priest,” but its members were also responsible for the cleaning and floral decoration of the sanctuary.
Membership was tightly controlled. Admission to the Guild required the unanimous vote of its members and approval by the Rector. Members were required to attend monthly meetings, which were chaired by the Rector and at which dues, used to purchase supplies, were collected.
What had given rise to this system, how did it work, and how long did it last? Tune in next week for an attempt at answers!
-Jim Weingartner
|
|
More Information on the Recent
Spanish Flu Archives Article!
Cindy Reinhardt has supplied additional interesting information on the “Spanish Flu” pandemic of 1918 and St. Andrew’s to supplement last week’s article. Willis Cleaveland, St. Andrew’s rector when the present church building opened the preceding year, had left for a parish in West Virginia in mid-September. Flu struck shortly thereafter, and laid low H.H. Firth of Carlinville, who had been conducting the few services being held. St. Andrew’s received a new rector in the person of Fr. Thomas Dyke, a former Army chaplain, who would remain until 1924.
Parishioner Louise Travous (Remember her?) came to the rescue of St. Andrew’s 35 church school children who faced Christmas of 1918 without the customary bag of treats, normally distributed at a church holiday event now cancelled. Miss Travous, accompanied by Santa Claus, visited each child’s house to deliver the eagerly awaited goodies. Louise was quite a woman! Thanks to Cindy for these additions to last week's article.
-Jim Weingartner
|
|
Pastoral Care Support for Those in Quarantine and Shut-Ins
For those who need help getting groceries, medicines or other supplies, we are very grateful that five members of the Pastoral Care Ministry have volunteered to pick up and deliver supplies to parishioners:
- Marianne Cavanaugh: 618-550-8321
- Nancy Dickens: 618-292-8036
- Julie Hamilton: 618-656-8177
- Meg Solon: 618-660-6739
- Kay Werner: 618-979-1131
These volunteers will appreciate advance notice of your needs (24-48 hours) so that volunteers can fit the delivery into their schedules.
|
|
The St. Andrew's Week-End Update
, a weekly emailed newsletter, is designed to update parishioners on church activities. Please send news items to Jane Weingartner
by 11 a.m. on Tuesday to have them appear in the following Friday's newsletter.
Newsletter Editor Jane Weingartner
Newsletter & Bulletin Editor Marianne Cavanaugh
Newsletter Design Editor, Marian Smithson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
