St. Paul's Episcopal Church   Poughkeepsie, NY 12601


MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"

 
Holy Week, 2020--Maundy Thursday
  


Celebrating Holy Week in private   
 
A blessed Holy Week to you all! We face some challenges this week as we consider the events of this momentous week and remember our experiences of Holy Week in other times.
 
In light of the restrictions and relative isolation we are all living under this week we will publish three editions of the electronic newsletter, St. Paul's Messenger. This edition is focused on Maundy Thursday. Tomorrow's edition will address Good Friday and Thursday's edition will be the Easter edition.
 
Each of the three editions of the Messenger will contain the Bible readings for the appointed day: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.
 
Our Facebook Live services will be held weekdays. The Easter service will be on zoom so more can participate.

 
 
 
 
Maundy Thursday    
 
Maundy Thursday is the day during Holy Week which most folks associate with Jesus' washing of the feet of his disciples. This act of humble service captures dramatically the lessons Jesus has been teaching throughout his earthly ministry. As we know, the disciples are not exactly delighted to learn they need to become servants of their colleagues, the very individuals they with whom have been vying  for priority and position, once Jesus is gone. But then there's Jesus, with a basin, a pitcher of water and a towel, right in front of them. And he wants to WHAT?
bible.jpg
This week's readings
 
Jesus has a wonderful way of getting his point across. To some extent in the past we have recognized how awkward this was for the disciples. At our foot washing services at St. Paul's maybe half of the congregation comes forward to have their feet washed. Maybe.
 
But we know Jesus was serious. He wanted us to demonstrate our love of our neighbor even though it was awkward, status-shattering, uncomfortably intimate. And so we do. We try in other ways to help people. Perhaps they haven't been walking on dusty and rocky ground with only sandals between their feet and the dirt. But we feed the hungry. We try to help meet that most human need.
 
Remember, too, as we contemplate a Maundy Thursday without basins and pitchers and towels that there was a lot more going on that night. There was the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. There was the institution of the Holy Communion.
 
It was, and is, a night to remember.
 

 The full Maundy Thursday readings are published 
at the end of this newsletter


   PARISH  NEWS
 
Support St. Paul's Food Pantry
Help Needed Now More than Ever
 
At this stressful time, with more people out of work as a result of the corona virus business closures, more people are coming to St. Paul's Food Pantry in need of food for themselves and their children. So it logically follows that more donations are needed for the pantry to keep up with supplies to meet the demand.
 
The safest way for you to provide food essentials during these "stay at home" days is to send a check to St. Paul's with a note that the money is to be used to buy food. Your donation will help pay for what the pantry buys from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the coop with the lowest prices to be found. Plus every week a volunteer buys 40 or more loaves of sandwich bread. Freihofer's Bakery Outlet is now closed, and the cost of bread at the grocery stores is double what we were paying before.
 
Also, our volunteers need supplies to help keep them safe as they prepare bags of food for our clients. As I write this, there is a need for hand sanitizers.
 
Please do what you can to help our neighbors in need, now more than ever. 
                        --Molly Jones


FROM THE TREASURY TEAM 
Thanks to all who are remembering to send in their weekly or monthly pledge payments to St. Paul's. We were able to deposit $2100 yesterday. 
We count on Mondays so please remember to either mail or drop your pledge in the mail slot so that it will be there for counting. Most importantly please stay well. Blessings to all.                                                  --St. Paul's Treasury Team     

I will never desert you
 
 
SERMON: Palm Sunday A 4 5 20 
Mt21:1-11;Ps118:1-2,19-29;Isa50:4 -9a;
Ps31:9-16;Phil2:5-11;Mt26:4-27:66
This year at St. Paul's we set aside our long-standing practice of focusing on Palm Sunday only on this day. We have contended over the years that there were plenty of oportunities for folks to come to church and observe the special services of Holy Week. In fact previously we have encouraged parishioners to attend the Holy Week services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We considered it sort of a mandate: if you're going to delight in Palm Sunday by itself, you have to commit to attending Holy Week services, especially Good Friday. In those times the Passion of Christ was saved for Good Friday.
Not this year. This year I asked a few people and I was urged to include the Passion on this day, on Palm Sunday. As I have explored the readings for this service and discussed the options with people I have recognized a powerful parallel between our experience of the corona virus pandemic and Christ's Passion. It is the reverse of a joyful celebration, which is how we ordinarily experience Palm Sunday at St. Paul's. It bears the grim and tragic signs and burdens of our faith.
Certainly we acknowledge Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the joyful reception he received. But since we will not be meeting Thursday evening for foot washing and using the public Maundy Thursday liturgy, and we will not be holding three services on Good Friday, including the Stations of the Cross, we need to address the events that precede Easter today. With sadness we turn to Good Friday and leave this day in memory.
We will have online services of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and I will continue with evening services on the other weekdays using the Ante Communion portions of our usual Eucharistic service. We will use the Ante Communion form rather than Evening Prayer in light of the special nature, the special holiness of Holy Week. But today we pass by those days and concentrate instead on the Passion of Christ. We do this knowing the key elements and the result all too well. In this sense it is another image of dire certainty like the viral cloud under which we are all living these days. We know it is terrible. It is tragic in the classic sense: it could have been avoided or at least mitigated.
When we examine the elements of the passion, the twenty or so key scenes in this lengthy and harrowing narrative, we come away with an even better, and ever better sense of why it is we need a savior and why we need a savior willing to die for us. If staying alive in his earthly body had mattered any more to Jesus he might have capitulated to the demands of the religious authorities and the governor, denied specifically his heavenly heritage and destiny and gone on to live a life we might call normal, compromised, yes, but alive. But no.
We saw Jesus in his Passion three times ask God to rewrite the story. God did not. And neither did Jesus say, well, I'm going to deny my mission, my purpose, so I can enjoy a comfortable life. No, he accepted his fate as sealed. In his earthly life never did we see Jesus bring violence down on those who persecuted and abused him. The miracles he performed never killed anyone or even harmed another. They were always healing, revivifying, and to the glory of God. Even though he knew all his disciples would desert him, and he told them so, he kept the course to the end. And he told them, in shock after he had told them they would desert him, "I will never desert you." In gentle, peaceful language he questioned the mob that Judas brought to seize him, asking, "Have you come out with swords and clubs, as though I were a bandit?" Jesus gave his tormentors every opportunity to mend their ways, even Judas.
Jesus demonstrated in his life and especially in his Passion the clarity of vision and of purpose he needed to save humankind. He knew all about our capabilities and our shortcomings, yet he put his life on the line for us and showed us how to live our lives as he lived his. Sometimes we do pretty well, following his example. Sometimes not so much. But always we have the example of Jesus to consider, to invoke as we argue with ourselves about our choices in life. Jesus showed us how to live with utter integrity, every step of the way. Most of us have batting averages well below 500; perhaps good for a slugger, otherwise, well, just average. It is the evidence of our effort to emulate Christ.
Our savior and his way of living is that bright light toward which we aim, knowing our record will never shine as beautifully as his. It is our constant reminder of the one who died for us, not in comfort and privilege, not in ease or agility, but in pain, in suffering, to show us the way.
And, to some degree following Jesus probably differs for each of us. We are living into "that way" as we endure this viral pandemic. We realize we are at risk, in harm's way, incapable of stopping it on our own. We turn to our faith, our relationship with God and with Jesus and we pray for miracles of scientific discovery, of erasure and suppression of the corona virus. We pray for health care workers from hospital janitors to doctors, people who are putting their lives on the line, that society might have the best possible chance of defeating the virus or at least minimizing its toll.
The lesson of the Passion is that even the son of God was not immune from the effects of the troubles and sins of the world. He suffered because of them, even though he committed none of those sins, caused none of those troubles. We find ourselves in that position sometimes. Like now.
His example informs us that withstanding temptations and facing one's fate does not always have a happy ending, but it is the way to live our lives in accord with Jesus' teaching.
The temptations that we have to resist in these pandemic days are not horrendous, but they can be soul crushing. We want to cry out our indignation at our powerlessness, demand someone take responsibility for the decline in our retirement accounts, insist that we shouldn't be inhibited because others have messed up.
But that's the point of the passion: the big mess that rendered Jesus a victim was the result of people wanting to blame him. The religious authorities wanted to blame him for threatening their authority. The civil authorities definitely blamed him for the unrest among the populace. The people knew if they made the authorities happy by demanding Jesus' crucifixion, things might get better for them.
It sounds insane. I guess it was. Rather than face the facts people headed down the deadly path toward Jesus' crucifixion, not looking back. That's how it unfolded.
But set aside for a minute what we know is coming in a week: God raised Jesus from the dead and thereby reinforced every aspect of Jesus life and teaching for us all. Forget that. Because in his Passion Jesus showed us how to live our earthly lives with all the struggle and confusion and pain it involves, not to mention all the delights and pleasures and joys.
In his Passion and death Jesus showed us that we do not have to blindly suffer the pains of our situation, or lash out demanding satisfaction. Rather, Jesus showed us how to face irrational and fearful people: calmly, with understanding, even a little sympathy. He told Judas, "Do what you must." He told Pilate, when asked if he was God's son, "You say I am." And when he had informed his followers that he knew they would all desert him, and they were crushed, he didn't explain, he didn't demonstrate how this would happen. He said, "I will never desert you."
The expression is that we each have our own crosses to bear. None are as heavy as that of Jesus. But bear them we must. Here we are on Palm Sunday acknowledging that truth, the truth of Jesus, son of God, savior of humankind. The way and the truth and the life. Who will never desert you or me.
May God bless each of us as we bear privately and collectively this corona virus cross. May we feel God's love and presence and may our choices reflect our faith.                 Amen
 
A sermon preached online on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020, by The Rev. Tyler Jones, Rector,
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie NY

                                   

 
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:  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; Alison, Susie












Please " Like" our page to stay up to date with all services and events.
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.

These are the readings for Maundy Thursday. If you wish to see how they fit in the service, turn to page 274 in the Book of Common Prayer. 




Collect
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he
suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood:
Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in
remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy
mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
 
A Reading from the Book of Exodus [12:1-14]
 
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for
you the beginning of months; it shall be the fi rst month of the year for you. Tell the
whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb
for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole
lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in
proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish,
a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it
until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of
Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the
two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb
that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fi re with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fi re, with its
head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning;
anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it:
your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you
shall eat it hurriedly. It is the Passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of
Egypt that night, and I will strike down every fi rstborn in the land of Egypt, both
human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the
Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the
blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of
Egypt. This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a
festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual
ordinance.
 
The Word of the Lord.
 
Psalm 116:1, 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.
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.
 
A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians [11:23 -26]
 
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the
night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In
the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant
in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
 
The Word of the Lord.
 
The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John [13:1-17, 31b -35]
 
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart
from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he
loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of
Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had
given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,
got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then
he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them
with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
"Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You do not know now what
I am doing, but later you will understand." Peter said to him, "You will never wash
my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." Simon
Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said
to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely
clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." For he knew who was to betray him;
for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean." After he had washed their feet, had
put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I
have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord - and you are right, for that is what
I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash
one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have
done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are
messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are
blessed if you do them. Now the Son of Man has been glori fi ed, and God has been
glori fi ed in him. If God has been glori fi ed in him, God will also glorify him in himself
and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You
will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you
cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I
have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you
are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
The Gospel of the Lord


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