A Message from The Rev. Tina Rathbone

Getting to know others well is one of the biggest gifts of community life. By ‘well’, I mean getting to know others beneath and beyond the often crisp and breezy surface we so often don in public. Sometimes what is revealed through relationship deepened over time is darker and more complex, and sometimes it is brighter and more focused than that narrow part of ourselves we most often choose to share. But always it is deeper, richer and more endlessly moving - because it is real.

Almost always, there is a shyness there too. A reluctance, often but not always wise, to share our depths with others. This came more fully into focus for me when I read the Gospel allotted for yesterday: “No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.” (Luke 8:16) I was sitting with a member of our community when I heard this and I almost gasped. What would it mean for that person, I thought – or for you, or for me - to allow the depth of their true light to shine upon others more often? And what would it mean to those others I wonder? Our strengths and our giftedness lie so close to our weaknesses and our needs that they can be hard to share. But in a community sustained by the Spirit which is Love, it sometimes becomes possible and then - suffused with that same Spirit of Love - we occasionally dare offer the depth of our true light to others. May it be so with us – and with all those we long to share our lives and our love with.

Lectionary Bible Study

resumes this Tuesday

at 7:00 PM on ZOOM

The End of August (by Robert Frost)

I am overtired of the great harvest I myself desired

It's the end of August and I'm tired. The garden is tired. The grass is tired.

Everything is tired. We've all had too much summer.

Bring on the cold. Bring on the frost. Bring on all that death and destruction.

Let's have some quiet and some peace. Let us rest. Give us emptiness

This has always been my favorite time of year - when late summer begins to bleed into autumn. It is a time of change, deliberation, and rest. While there is still plenty to do, the end of the season is in sight and everything starts to slow down. You start to notice the harvest begin to taper off and you begin to decide what to keep and what to put to rest. The mornings are chilly and the afternoons pleasant. No longer is work an endless flurry of activity dripping with sweat. Instead, each action is deliberate and final. Once something is out of the ground, you rest assured that it won't be back in the ground until the new year. Everything - all the tools, seeds, and material - is put back in it's appointed place and you go home each day knowing everything that needed to be done is finally done. Then one day in October or November after you have put the earth to rest, you look up to the sky, give out a sapped but satisfied sigh and say with only a touch of irony "It is finished" and finally go to bed.

It costs about $1,500 to support a baby over the time needed for the child to grow old enough to return to their home. Many years ago we at Grace decided to support babies at the Mampong Babies Home in Ghana

at the rate of $1,500 per year. Your donations help us reach that goal each year. You can bring money or checks to church on Sundays and place in the jar near the Welcome Table or send a check to:

Grace Church,

PO Box 114,

Great Barrington, MA 01230.

Imprinted: Illustrating Race     Through October 30

Norman Rockwell Museum       Stockbridge,MA

This powerful exhibit examines the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture. Over 300 artworks and objects on view of widely circulated illustrated imagery will be on view, produced from the late eighteenth century to today, which have an impact on public perception about race in the United States. The exhibition will explore stereotypical racial representations that have been imprinted upon us through the mass publication of images. It culminates with the creative accomplishments of contemporary artists and publishers who have shifted the cultural narrative through the creation of positive, inclusive imagery emphasizing full agency and equity for all.

Click here for more information

Our reflection this week jumped off of a statement of position that was brought by one of our participants: 

The war we wage against all evil, be it in the heavenly realm or, most obviously, an earthly one, also exists inside our own minds. It is here, I believe, that the ultimate war is waged.

When we do a theological reflection from a position statement like this one we spend a considerable amount of time eliciting our own positions in response to the one offered as a starting place. Many of us agreed that evil is inside of us, a human genetic inheritance if you will, and that we push against it with the opposite force of good, as yin and yang. Our discussion concluded with the following collect:

Dear God, who knows what is in our hearts,

You see the way we wrestle with good and evil.

We thank you for sending your Son to live among us,

We pray that we may follow his example

And spread Your light in the world.

AMEN

To: All the faithful

From: Canon for Communications

Re: Online retreat with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas

Date: September 15, 2022

Strong winds are blowing against us: the winds of white Christian nationalism, the winds of war, the winds of climate change. Like the disciples in their small boat, we may feel “battered by the waves” (Matthew 14:24). Let’s gather to pray for the courage to meet Christ in rough seas, the serenity to trust in Christ’s presence, and the boldness to bear public witness to Christ’s love. Our time together will include silence and guided meditation, presentations and small group conversation, and free time for solitary prayer and a contemplative walk outdoors.

This online retreat will be held the day before Faiths for Climate Justice launches 5 weeks of faith-based climate events (Oct. 2- Nov. 6). Please consider planning or joining an event, so that we can pray for you during our retreat.

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas

An Episcopal priest, author, retreat leader, and climate activist, . (To contact Margaret, email [email protected]).

Register to get Zoom link

STAY CONNECTED @EpiscopalWMA | 413-737-4786 | diocesewma.org

Bishop Doug Fisher established a Compline community in 2020 that continues in faithfulness five nights a week. In addition to the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith and the Very Rev. Jim Munroe, Licensed Lay Worship Leaders will be added for Thursday and Friday evenings. Zoom info is available HERE.

BOOKS AND BREAD

Wednesday, October 12

at 6:00 PM

in person and on Zoom

GREEN

by Dan Tawczynski

Our host for dinner will be Carol Way.

Pennie Curry will lead our discussion.

Our gathering ends at promptly at 9:00PM.

Questions? Please contact Peter Kirchoff.

For Zoom:

Click Here

Meeting ID: 177 160 858

Password: 917937

or call 646 558 8656 US (New York)

All are welcome!

Our Prayer Basket

We welcome you to use our prayer basket.

On Sundays you will find a basket near the Welcome Table with slips of paper available for you to write down prayer requests. Please ask for any prayers that are important to you and those you love. You may identify yourself and those for whom prayers are needed, but names are not necessary or required. These prayers will be offered by our healing ministers both during the service and during the week for a period of one month. Keep an eye out for the basket!!

To listen to Sarah Sieber explaining the operation of the Prayer Basket CLICK HERE

(K. Clausen)

FLOWER DEDICATIONS!

Please place your dedications in an envelope and include the name of the person you wish to honor.

Please note that your $35.00 contribution toward the flower purchase can be sent to the Grace Office or placed in the Offertory Collection.