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This Week’s Newsletter
April 15, 2024
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Message from the Rector
April 15, 2024
Jesus himself stood among [his disciples] and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you fright-ened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. And he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:36b-43, 46-48
In the days following Jesus’s crucifixion, the disciples were unsurprisingly distraught, disappointed, disillu-sioned, and worried what was going to happen next. Were the authorities after them to have them crucified next? This week’s Gospel lesson takes place as part of one of the post-Resurrection story of the appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It occurs on the evening of the Day of the Resurrection on a road a few miles outside Jerusalem. They told Jesus, “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” They were hoping that Jesus would change the state of the world and topple the status quo. They had hoped that Jesus would reclaim their promised land from heavy-handed rule of the Romans. They had hoped that the new way of life that he preached would save them. They had hoped that he really was the Messiah. Their hopes were dashed when he was crucified.
Have you ever been in that place when life hit you with something that completely dashed your hopes, crushed your dreams, and left you distraught, bereft, and wondering how you were going to go on living?
All of us can, I’m sure, think of an event or a time in our lives when this has been the case, but the gospel gives us hope. Jesus’s comforting words can help us out of the pits of life’s disappointments. He told his disappointed disciples, “Peace be with you.” Be at peace because everything is going to be all right. Why are you frightened? Why are you doubting? It is I, standing right in front of you? “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Jesus was real and very much alive for them; he even ate grilled fish with them. He also enlightened them in the scriptures, by reminding them that everything that had taken place was part of God’s plan and needed to happen, so that God’s glory may be revealed and his plan for humanity accomplished. The change that God intended had already begun, but the disciples just couldn’t see it yet. Then Jesus told them to proclaim “repentance and forgiveness of sins…in [the name of the Messiah] to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
God frequently works his greatest miracles in the midst of suffering, despair, and disappointment. When we want to get stressed about the disappointing, scary, fearful, or horrendous things we see going on in the world, know that God’s got a plan. We may not see any of it right now, but God’s glory will, in the fullness of time, be revealed and his plan accomplished. That’s how we can survive when life does disappoint us. We are witnesses that Jesus the Christ is alive every day of our lives. Our story of how he is alive for us is exactly what Jesus told us to do—to proclaim his message to the ends of the earth. That gives hope to others who may have lost their hope.
Our testimony of how we were once in doubt and disillusioned, and how God turned things around is our evidence; it is our proof. We must tell our story of how Jesus Christ comes into our own rooms and spaces, opens the scriptures to us, breaks bread with us, and fills us with his peace. We must share how God is constantly made real for us, whether it is in our daily lives or here at the Eucharistic table. We have to help others see that God is real for them too. We have to help them see that the resurrected Christ is real and present in their lives too. God loves me, and he loves you too. God feeds me, and he will feed you too. How do we do that? We can start by showing love to the people who need to be loved. We can start by respecting ourselves and each other as children of God. We can start by feeding someone who asks for bread. We can start by making the real Christ real through our deeds and actions.
The encounter with Jesus was a powerful moment: the travelers were together on the road, then the scriptures were opened up to them, then they shared a meal in which the risen Christ was revealed to them, then they shared the good news with others. That models what we do as Christians.
We encounter Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. The scriptures are opened to us in hearing the word and in the preaching. Then we are sent out into the world in the name of Christ to spread the message of how God meets all of us on the roads of our this lives. Our hearts should be burning within us because we have seen the Lord, as he meets us on our personal journeys.
Collect for the Presence of Christ (BCP, p. 124)
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know thee as thou art revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of thy love. Amen.
Click here to read Fr. Whitmire’s full sermon.
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Reflections on This Week’s Lectionary | |
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Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter
O God, whose blessed Son did manifest himself to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open, we pray thee, the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Acts 3:12-19 (Click to read the passage)
You might have heard of Christians “sharing their testimonies,” either in a church setting or with friends and family outside of church. Usually, a testimony refers to the personal story and experiences that have led one to the Christian faith. In other words, it’s a telling of the truth as one person has personally experienced it. In this passage, Peter is giving a kind of testimony by reminding those who are listening of the story of Jesus’ life.
It’s important to note that passages from Scripture like this one have been used throughout history as a way to blame Jews for the death of Christ and as justification for violence or discrimination against Jewish communities. Peter, though, would have considered himself a Jew, a fellow member of the group of “Israelites” whom he addresses. This passage then is best understood as part of a community’s internal dialogue about a big and controversial event—the death and resurrection of Jesus—that has just happened in their midst.
- Would you say that you have a testimony? If you were invited to offer your testimony at church, what would you want to say or share?
- What are some groups that you belong to with whom you can have “insider” conversations? How do you think those conversations sound to an “outsider”?
Psalm 4 (Click to read the psalm)
Nobody likes being ignored. Perhaps that’s the reason that giving someone the “silent treatment” is seen as such a brutal response: “Not only do I disagree, I won’t even acknowledge that you exist,” it says. Here, the psalmist says to God, “Please don’t ignore me, I need you to hear me.” The psalmist speaks with the confidence of one who has great faith in God’s promises, so much so that they are affirming those truths for others and urging them to put their faith in God too. At the same time, the psalmist urges God to make good on those promises by providing for them, keeping them safe, and hearing their prayers.
- Where or with whom do you “dwell in safety?”
- What do you need God to know about you?
- How do we know that God hears our prayers? What should we do when it feels hard or even impossible to trust that God is listening to us?
1 John 3:1-7 (Click to read the passage)
Over and over in Scripture, we hear the relationship between God and human beings being compared to a parent-child relationship. This metaphor demonstrates how the inspired word of Scripture uses language and examples that we can understand as a way to help us understand the nature of God and ourselves. For many, the love and care shown by a parent for their child helps us to glimpse something about God. This passage also reminds us that children often inherit (through either nature or nurture) traits of their parents. Likewise, we as Christians strive to inherit traits of our God: to purify ourselves, to have no sin, and to be righteous.
- What traits did you inherit from the people who raised you?
- How does Scripture help you on your journey of faith? How does it challenge you?
- What metaphors would you use to describe your relationship with God?
Luke 24:36b-48 (Click to read the passage)
Even though some people love them, I’ve never been much for ghost stories. If ghosts are real, I think they must know to steer clear of me! That said, I can understand why the disciples would have assumed that they were seeing a ghost when Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection. After all, what would the alternative be? They had just seen Jesus arrested, crucified, and buried. It couldn’t possibly be him standing in front of them…right?
When Jesus shows them the wounds in his hands and feet, the text tells us that, “in their joy they were disbelieving.” I love this turn of phrase, which captures so well the desire of the disciples to believe that Jesus is alive once again combined with their skepticism that such a thing is possible. Jesus shows them that it’s really true by expressing that most human of needs: hunger. As he eats the piece of fish that they give him, he affirms to the disciples that he is not just with them in spirit again, but in body, too.
- Jesus’ resurrection is at the very heart of the Christian faith. Why do you think it is so important that Jesus rose from the dead not only in spirit but in body too?
- If you were in the room, how do you think you would have reacted? What emotions might you have felt – fear, anger, joy, something else?
The Episcopal Church: Bible Study - Easter 3B - April 14, 2024
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Events this Week
(Easter 3)
Live streams can be viewed at the times indicated below
and anytime thereafter.
Wednesday, April 17
(Easter Feria)
7:00 PM - Low Mass
Click here to view on Facebook Live.
Friday, April 19
(Easter Feria)
9:30 AM - Morning Prayer
Sunday, April 21
(Fourth Sunday of Easter - Youth Sunday)
8:00 AM - Said Mass
(in person only)
9:30 AM - La Misa en Español
Haga clic aquí para ver por YouTube.
11:00 AM - High Mass
Click here to view on YouTube.
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Youth Sunday
This Sunday
Plus!
Youth Fellowship Hour
after the 11:00 Mass
in the Upper Parish Hall
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2024 Calendar of
Combined Masses
On the following Sundays,
one bilingual mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM.
July 28 (“Mass on the Grass”)
October 6 (“Mass on the Grass”; Blessing of the Animals)
November 3 (All Saints Sunday & Titular Feast)
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Download the parish prayer lists below. | | |
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As a church family, we pray for each other and our needs, and share in celebrating our joys. Please pray for those on our parish prayer lists. You may click on the links below to download the lists.
Weekly Prayer List
Those with immediate concerns.
Monthly Prayer List
Those who request our prayers long-term.
List of those who have died recently
Pray for the souls of the faithful departed.
May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
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Note: The Weekly Prayer List can get extremely lengthy if names stay on for a long time. If you see the name of someone whom you know that has recovered or died, please notify Ms. Marion Brown or Fr. Whitmire, so that we may give thanks or condolences and remove them off the list. Persons with ongoing concerns can be moved to the Monthly List. | |
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Please take note of the envelopes contained in the boxes. In addition to the pledge envelopes, there are envelopes for contributions for various holy days and special occasions, as well as envelopes to help the parish with certain operating expenses (e.g., heating fuel & maintenance). These envelopes are not intended for your regular pledge, but rather for an extra contribution of any amount. The first envelope in the box says, “Initial Offering.” This contribution helps defray the cost for providing the envelopes (around $450 per year). Please put in a few dollars.
Three ways to give:
Bring your contributions with you to Church.
Mail in your envelopes.
Give online.
Pledges received in March
(envelopes + online)
$9,308
Pledges and other contributions to All Saints can be made online. Contributions go to the General Operating Fund can be made through the church management website (called OnRealm) or by using the “Donate” page on the church website. Donations to General Operations will take you directly to the donation window. Select from the pull-down menu (e.g. Envelope Pledges, Ascension, Birthday Gift, Improvement & Maintenance), then select the amount and frequency. Contributions may be made by e-check (preferred) or by credit/debit card, and are automatically credited to your church record within one or two business days.
You may also use the “Donate” page to make contri-butions for worship items, flowers, and mass dedications. This is a two-step process. First fill out the form indicating what you are donating, the event you are commemorating, and when you would like an acknowledgement of the donation to appear in the bulletin. You must click submit first, and that information will be sent to the church office. After you submit, you will be redirected to a donation window where you can make your payment. If you didn't sign in already, there is a link in the top-right corner so you can do so.
Click here to be redirected to the Donate page.
Click here to be directed to OnRealm to sign in, or register and create a password. If you have any questions or trouble signing in, please send us an e-mail or call the church for assistance.
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Give Thanks to God and Celebrate Life!
At All Saints we love celebrating birthdays. After each Mass, we bless anyone who is celebrating their birthday or anniversary. There are several ways you can give thanks to God for blessing you with another year of life or marriage by making a gift for flowers, bread and wine, altar candles, or candles for the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. You can even have a mass dedicated in your honor!
Another way you should thank God for your birthday is by making a birthday donation; there is a special envelope in your pledge boxes for a birthday gift and a gift can be made online. But how much should you give?
Beginning in January, we are starting a new All Saints tradition of thanking God for every year of life by giving one dollar ($1) for every year as your birthday gift. In other words, if you’re turning 2, give $2; if you’re tuning 21, give $21; if you’re turning 65, give $65. Get the idea?
The great thing is that everyone in the church can participate--kids and adults! Everyone has a birthday!!!
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St. Alphege, Archbishop & Martyr
April 19
Archbishop and “the First Martyr of Canterbury.” He was born in 953 and became a monk in the Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucester, England, asking after a few years to become a hermit. He received permission for this vocation and retired to a small hut near Somerset, England.
In 984 Alphege assumed the role of abbot of the abbey of Bath, founded by St. Dunstan and by his own efforts. Many of his disciples from Somerset joined him at Bath. In that same year, Alphege succeeded Ethelwold as bishop of Winchester. He served there for two decades, famed for his care of the poor and for his own austere life. King Aethelred the Unready used his abilities in 994, sending him to mediate with invading Danes. The Danish chieftain Anlaf converted to Christianity as a result of his meetings with Alphege, although he and the other chief, Swein, demanded tribute from the Anglo-Saxons of the region. Anlaf vowed never to lead his troops against Britain again. In 1005 Alphege became the successor to Aleric as the archbishop of Canterbury, receiving the pallium in Rome from Pope John XVIII.
He returned to England in time to be captured by the Danes pillaging the southern regions. The Danes besieged Canterbury and took Alphege captive. The ransom for his release was about three thousand pounds and went unpaid. Alphege refused to give the Danes that much, an act which infuriated them. He was hit with an ax and then beaten to death. Revered as a martyr, Alphege’s remains were placed in St. Paul’s Church in London. The body, moved to Canterbury in 1023, was discovered to be incorrupt in 1105. Relics of St. Alphege are also in Bath, Glastonbury, Ramsey, Reading, Durham, Yorkminster and in Westminster Abbey. His emblem is an ax, and he is depicted in his pontifical vestments or as a shepherd defending his flock.
https://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=1918
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LIVING OUT OUR MISSION
Articles, photos, and videos about
how All Saints is living out its mission.
The mission of All Saints Church is to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord by our participation in the Eucharist, our fellowship in oneness and diversity, by respect for each other, and through outreach into the community.
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If you have an interesting story, photo, or video that features an example of living out All Saints' mission, please e-mail it to Fr. Whitmire by 6 PM on Sunday.
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Church of the Resurrection, Richmond Hill
150th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, April 27
4 PM
Click the image below to download the flyer.
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Click the image above to download the schedule. |
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All Saints Episcopal Church
85-45 96th Street
Woodhaven, New York 11421-1727
(718) 849-2352
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