St. Brendan the Navigator Episcopal Church
Our Mission: "To Love, Praise, Welcome and Serve"
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Worship this Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Pastor Elaine Hewes, presiding
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But he was speaking of the temple of his body. (John 2:21)
The Temple in His Bones (c) Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com
Scripture readings for this Sunday (Notes are below):
The bulletin can be found here.
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Join us in-person or online. Click below for the Zoom link.
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All services and meetings will be held both in-person and via Zoom unless otherwise designated.
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8:30 a.m. Worship & Music Ministry meeting (Zoom)
4:30 p.m. Meditation/Silent Prayer (Zoom)
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9:00 a.m. Pastoral Care Ministry meeting (Zoom)
10:30 a.m. Bible Study – C.S. Lewis and The Screwtape Letters
12:30 p.m. Outreach Ministry meeting (Zoom)
4:00 p.m. Lenten Vespers – John Arrison, reflector
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10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with The Rev. Jennifer Reece, presiding
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Sermon given by Pastor Elaine Hewes on February 25th.
Click below for the recording. A text copy is available here.
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Judy Miller: Carlotta and I are grateful for all the prayers and cards from the St. Brendan's community. They are helping her throughout this journey. She is making remarkable although slow progress and hopefully will come back to New Hampshire sometime in March. Thanks to everyone at St. Brendan's.
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Sharing the Fruits of our Practicing
During this Lenten season, as we are focusing ourselves on the theme “Practicing Makes Possible,” it has occurred to me that we might find ways of sharing our experiences, of telling one another where our practicing has led us, or what it has opened our eyes to see and our hearts to know. (Those insights or learnings we might call the “fruits” of our practicing so to speak.)
So, for instance, this Lent I have been practicing writing my daily journal entries in verse form instead of prose. Now, just because these journal entries look like poems doesn’t mean they’re poems. But it’s been surprising to me how writing my journal entries in poetic form has actually allowed some new images and unexpected insights to find their way to the page. (As I have been practicing writing in my journal in this new form, I have also been surprised by how many of my journal entries speak of resisting despair. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m pondering inside myself until it finds its way to paper.)
So I share two of these journal entries with you here, hoping they will encourage you to share some of the fruits of your practicing with the St. Brendan community. (You can do so by sending your sharing to Barbara and Miriam for the “Navigator” under our Lenten theme “Practicing Makes Possible.”)
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Baking bread is also a way to resist despair.
To take all the disparate ingredients
And mix them together,
Kneading them until they are one tangible,
Visceral, edible loaf (or braid)
Is to be a baker,
A maker,
A creator,
A partaker of life.
It is to open a bakery called “Eden”
With a sign on the door that says,
“Open.”
~~~~~~~~~~
To trust there moves
In and around and through everything
Some presence beyond our understanding -
Some presence with the power
To lift heads,
To bring a “gasp,”
To evoke imagination,
To open hearts,
To create music,
To extend a hand,
To raise a green shoot from the ashes,
Is to participate in the mystery.
It is to be an alchemist of every moment,
A lover of earthworms,
A collector of stars.
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As you can see, the fruits of our practicing don’t need to be perfect or meet some level of excellence. Their reason for being is simply to help us see or know something we didn’t know we already knew. What are you coming to know you didn’t know you already knew? Won’t you share something of that knowing with us? It would be a blessing.
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Giving our Priorities Shape (GPS) Action Items
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Ukraine
As Ukraine enters its third year of defending itself from Russia’s invasion and dealing with wavering support from the United States, many are wondering what can be done to show continued support.
Health+Right is an international organization offering support in Ukraine since 2005. Since the invasion, they have adapted their support effort to the new and changing needs. Below are links to two videos: the first is an interview with a Ukrainian employee who describes how her job transitioned as the war started, and the second is about a woman who received the help she and her daughters needed to function with the invasion going on around her. Over 6 million displaced persons in Ukraine are seeking support and solace.
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Razom, meaning "together in Ukrainian, is an organization we have linked to in past issues of the Navigator. It has provided support through many programs that seek to strengthen the healthcare system and deliver life-saving aid to first responders, firefighters, and at-risk communities.
Consider learning more about these organizations and offering your support.
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"Faith in Action"
We are invited during Lent to deepen our faith through various Lenten “disciplines” or practices, traditionally Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. These next couple of weeks, consider the discipline or practice of Centering Prayer. What might happen if we set aside a period each day for prayer? Whether this is new to you or a very familiar practice, Cynthia Bourgeault has just made a very helpful video about Centering Prayer which would be an excellent way to start and also a very useful way to continue for those of us who are still trying to get the hang of it. Click below to watch her video.
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Time to take the Leap
It’s Leap Day and a reminder that a whole extra day has been added to this year. That’s a whole extra day to do some of the things you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t had the time. I decided to spend some time researching cleaning products that are the least toxic. Ones that don’t have PFAS chemicals and other toxins to pollute our groundwater and ones that come in the least amount of plastic. I came up with two I’d like to share with you.
One is Hydrogen Peroxide. This seemingly innocuous liquid that has been used as a teeth whitener and as a way of cleaning wounds (neither recommended) turns out to be a powerful household cleaner. Pour some into a spray bottle diluted with water and see how it will polish up the basin of your sink and make your bathroom fixtures shine. It can disinfect many bacteria, and research shows it can also kill Covid! That’s pretty good for something that is purported to be safe enough to use on your teeth! To learn more about using hydrogen peroxide as a cleaner, you can do a Google search or click here to read an article on the Homes and Gardens website.
I’ve also looked into shampoos and washing solutions that don’t come in plastic bottles. The food co-op sells bars of soap that will lather up into a nice shampoo. No plastic bottles to dispose of! It is also possible to dispense with non-biodegradable laundry soap containers. A box of powdered detergent or the increasingly popular laundry detergent sheets will keep your cloth impeccable without adding plastic to the waste stream.
If you are giving something up for Lent, consider giving up plastic! Try using your extra day this year to go out into the world without bringing back any plastic. Although it seems nearly impossible to eliminate all plastic from our lives, every little bit counts. Good luck!
Ann van Buren, Earthkeeper
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Bishop Brown's Lenten Message
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Join Bishop Brown on a journey of collective action and reflection this Lent. Inspired by Anne Patchett's novel, Tom Lake, Bishop Brown's message resonates with our global challenges, urging us to work for the common good. Click below to watch his inspiring message.
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Meg Graham was our reflector for our Vespers service this past Wednesday.
Click below for a recording of the service. A text copy of Meg's reflection is available here.
Click here to listen to the recording Meg mentioned: A Prayer attributed to King Henry VI.
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Vespers continues this Wednesday, March 6 at 4:00 p.m. in-person and over Zoom. Join us for prayer, music, and a reflection.
Our Lenten theme this year is "Practicing makes possible..." Our reflectors/preachers will speak about how "practicing" has been helpful in their lives (and their faith). Our speaker this Wednesday is John Arrison.
Click here for the bulletin for this service.
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Education & Spiritual Development Ministry
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"Let your . . .love surround us, Lord . . ."
Psalm 33:22
Join us for Meditation/Silent Prayer
every Monday at 4:30 p.m. by Zoom
Readings, poems, and prayers are shared before a period of silence.
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Bible Study
Our Lenten Bible Study will continue on Wednesday at 10:30 with the study of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and readings from the Sunday liturgies of Lent. It is both in-person and on Zoom.
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Colleen Spangler – 3
Marge Anderson – 12
Pete Dane – 11
Stephen Hayward – 11
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Billy Love – 14
Seth Wrightington – 14
Marjorie Haley – 20
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Starting March 2nd and continuing during March, The Blue Hill Library will host two art shows featuring portraits by local artists. Jackie Wilson of Deer Isle will exhibit pencil portrait sketches in a show titled Portraits in the library’s Roland Howard Room. Blue Hill artist Fabiola Zambon’s show, Shades of Blue Hill, will feature paintings of people she has encountered around the town of Blue Hill and will be in the library’s Britton Gallery.
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New member of Simmering Pot clean up crew, Julie and Stewart's dog, Jasmin.
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We pray for those in special need:
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Barbara
Sally
Carlotta
Megan
Avery
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Bishop Thomas Brown
Naomi
Carol Simanton
Billy Nutter
Theo
Robert B. Tobin
Anne Burton
Hewit
Pat and Dave
Mary Ann and Terry
Nishah
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David Morrish
Corbin
Rebecca
Pam B.
Susan Wade
Jase
Jaxson
Heather Corey
Stephen Gill
Brent Was
Bill Scaife
Stewart and Julie
Gary and Wellesley
Mary Blanco
Mary Lawrence Hicks and family
Max
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Skip Greenlaw
Bob Budd
Nancy
Peter Brown
Heather Callister
Nick
Seth
Linda Shepard and family
Julie and Tom
Mary Ann Shaw
Lindsay Bowker
Nancy Boothby
Marcia Scott
Tony Stoneburner
Carol Stoneburner
Nancy Stearns
Isabelle H.
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We pray, also, for those who love and care for them.
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We continue to hold in prayer those in our community who have recently lost loved ones; among them are the Verhey, Greene, Adams, Pease, and Leach families.
We pray for those struggling with addiction and mental illness and their caregivers.
We pray for all those receiving care through Neighbor Care and for all the relocated residents of the Island Nursing Home and their families.
We pray for the victims of gun violence -- in our cities and towns, in our schools, in our places of worship, and in our homes.
We pray for the victims of the violence of armed conflicts around the world. We pray for those made refugees by the violence of armed conflicts. We pray for the victims of terrorist attacks everywhere.
We pray for all who suffer the effects of domestic violence and the violence of bullying in our schools and workplaces.
We pray for our nation, our president and vice-president, and all elected and appointed leaders.
We pray for all peacemakers and all those who work for justice; may we be found in their ranks.
We pray for all those serving in the armed forces of our country.
We pray for Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Hosam, Bishop of Jerusalem; Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Thomas, our Bishop; for the members of our Vestry; and for all our members, whose ministries are varied and far-reaching.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for St. Andrew's, Millinocket, and for our Assisting Bishops,
Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown (VT) and Bishop Rob Hirschfeld (NH).
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Church of the Province of Uganda.
On the Island and Peninsula, we pray for the Calvary Chapel, Deer Isle.
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Third Sunday in Lent
The ultimate saving action of God, in the dying and rising of Jesus, was preceded by a series of salvation events in the history of Israel. Today, in that series of events, we reach the most important of the Old Testament actions of God, the time of the Exodus when Israel is definitively established as the chosen people and God makes the Covenant with the people at Mount Sinai. God’s salvation of Israel requires a response by the people which is described in the Decalogue (Ten Commandments). Note that the grounds for these commandments are stated at the beginning, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
In the second reading, Paul speaks of the true wisdom which brings salvation. Rather than human wisdom, God places before us what seems to be foolish, the crucifixion of Jesus. In the dying and rising of Jesus, God showed that the divine power is greater than any human power or wisdom.
The Gospel reading is John’s account of Jesus cleansing the Temple. That event may be taken as an image of Christ cleansing us from sin in Baptism. We are the continuation of the ancient people of God who were saved in the Exodus and given the Commandments. In the dying and rising of Jesus, salvation has been extended to all people. Through Baptism, we have become part of Jesus’ Body and have died and are being raised with him. We use this time of Lent to recall all that God is doing for us in Jesus and to prepare for the renewal of our redemption at Easter.
The Rite Light: Reflections on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2009 by Michael W. Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York
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Office Hours: Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Pastor Elaine Hewes
Tel: 207-479-5651
Emergency Contacts:
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Allen Downs, Warden
(207) 348-2560
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George Pazuniak, Warden
Tel: 207-359-8576
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Dan Reardon-Treasurer
Jack Beaudoin-Clerk
Meg Graham
Marilyn Verhey
Beth Carter
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ST. BRENDAN THE NAVIGATOR EPISCOPAL CHURCH, P.O. Box 305, 627 NORTH DEER ISLE ROAD, DEER ISLE, ME 04627
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