Holy Eucharist Rite II, Sunday, August 16
Live-streamed at 10 a.m.
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Holy Eucharist Rite I, Sunday, August 16
In person worship at 8 a.m.
Open to thirty-five Parishioners (no registration required)
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Worship Notes
- August 16, Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Fr. Ben Hankinson, officiating
Kevin Babb, Eucharistic Minister
Henry H. Evans, Organist
- Coffee Hour via Zoom, following the 10 a.m. service.
- Communion will be distributed on the back lawn of the church from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m.
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Worship Information: Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost
- The Old Testament - Isaiah 56:1,6-8
- Psalm 67
- The Epistle - Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
- The Holy Gospel - Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
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The Holy Gospel | Matthew 15: 21-28
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
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Make Your Offering Online
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Feast Day: Saint Mary the Virgin, Saturday, August 15, 9 a.m.
On August 15, the parish will celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin. Mary, the mother of Christ, has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Christian church. The Gospel of Luke contains a “Song of Praise” that was sung by Mary when her cousin Elizabeth recognized her as the mother of the Lord (Luke 1:43). Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist when her cousin Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, came to see her:
- “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy’” (Luke 1:41-44).
“Mary’s Song of Praise” is also called “The Magnificat” because its opening line in Latin is: “Magnificat anima mea Dominum,” “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
Up to 35 worshippers may attend this service in person. It will also be live-streamed. The service leaflet will be available on Facebook and the parish website under "sermons."
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Schedule for the Week of August 16
- Evening Prayer, Sunday, 7 p.m.
- Compline, Monday, 7 p.m.
- Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer w/Reflection, Tuesday, 12:05 p.m.
- Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer w/Reflection, Wednesday, 12:05 p.m.
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Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer w/Reflection,Thursday, 12:05 p.m.
- Rector's Chat, Thursday, is suspended until further notice.
- Vestry Meeting, Thursday, 6:30 (Zoom and in person)
- Friday, 9 a.m. - Morning Prayer with Great Litany
- Saturday, 7 p.m. – Compline
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Today, the church commemorates the witness of one of our own, an Episcopal seminarian who laid down his life in love for his neighbor and in the pursuit of justice. Jonathan Myrick Daniels left seminary to answer the call to serve those in need in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Among his many other efforts, Jonathan pulled aside sixteen-year-old Ruby Sales moments before a man was to open fire upon her. Daniels, shielding her from the assault, was killed instantly.
Daniels, writing about his experiences in Selma, said, “The doctrine of the creeds, the enacted faith of the sacraments, were the essential preconditions of the experience itself. The faith with which I went to Selma has not changed: it has grown...I began to know in my bones and sinews that I had been truly baptized into the Lord’s death and resurrection...with them, the black men and white men, with all life, in him whose Name is above all the names that the races and nations shout...We are indelibly and unspeakably one.”
Earlier this week, I wrapped up a series of reflections on the various promises that we make in the Baptismal Covenant, begun in light of the growing need for conversations about justice and equality. To rightly focus our attention on such things as Christians though, we must first rightly focus ourselves, our souls and bodies, on the knowledge and love of God and of his Son, Jesus Christ. It is only from that foundation, from deep and living roots which draw on the power of the Cross and the hope which we have in the Resurrection, that we may even begin truly to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).
It is our Christian identity, found most clearly in Baptism, which is the essential precondition for any action we might take. Regardless of how noble the aim may be, our vocation, our calling as people of God, is not merely to be agents of social and societal changes. They are not the end, in and of themselves, but they may be a means to the end of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When we denounce the evils of this life and work to overcome them, whether they be racism, human trafficking, poverty, you name it, we cannot put forward any solution that does not name sin for what it is and proclaim Jesus Christ the ultimate answer. And when we talk of justice and peace, it is not only the present moment of which we speak, for though today’s justice and peace will pass away, there is yet the God-given abundant life of Baptism and a share in the eternal triumph over all sin by the Lord.
As we seek to be renewed in thought, word, and deed, we ought also to seek justice and equality. You and I will not fix the problems of this world nor will we effect any lasting change if we begin anywhere other than our identity in Christ. When we do, our work is not merely our own but a witness which draws on more than the finite resources of ourselves. By the infinite grace which God seeks to bestow upon us and upon all of his creation, may our strivings for the well-being of others be a good and holy thing in the service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Looking Ahead
As we set our eyes on the fall, we are in the process of gearing back up in various places of our life together. This week saw the reintroduction of Midday Moments taking on a new format of incorporating reflections within the context of Noonday Prayer. These will be Tuesday through Thursday each week, beginning at approximately 12:05 p.m. Next week you will find a reintroduction to more of the Daily Offices so that we might continue to steep ourselves in prayer and in the Word of God.
While the schedule is subject to change, the current plan is as follows:
- Sunday, 7 p.m. - Evening Prayer
- Monday, 7 p.m. - Compline
- Tuesday,12:05 p.m. - Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer with Reflection
- Wednesday,12:05 p.m. - Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer with Reflection
- Thursday, 12:05 p.m. - Midday Moment: Noonday Prayer with Reflection
- Friday, 9 a.m. - Morning Prayer with Great Litany
- Saturday, 7 p.m. – Compline
Please note that while efforts will be made to live-stream many of these offerings, some services will be recorded in advance and posted to the church’s website and Facebook page.
Stay tuned in coming weeks for more information as we plan for fall studies, events, and upcoming Holy Days.
-Fr. Ben
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St. Andrew’s Book Fair Raises $2,647
The three-day August sale was a huge success for a COVID fundraiser and has set the pattern for November’s indoor sale.
Cooler-than-normal August temperatures and conscientious shoppers who wore masks and maintained social distancing were much appreciated. Patrons were grateful to shop for books again, and a number of them added generous donations to their payments.
Look for an announcement on an upcoming outdoor sale in September. Meanwhile, thanks go to all the great volunteers who made the Summer COVID Book Fair a wonderful success and especially to Mike and Cindy Reinhardt.
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“Bloody Mary”
I’ve recently read a biography of Thomas Cranmer which I found in St. Andrew’s library. There’s some good stuff on its shelves and this book by Oxford historian Diarmaid MacCulloch is a real gem.
Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to 1555, was a central figure in the early history of the Anglican Church and responsible for its foundational text, The Book of Common Prayer, all of which MacCulloch traces and analyzes in meticulous detail. Cranmer came to a bad end in 1556 during the brief reign (1553-1558) of Mary I, the daughter of Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Henry’s desire for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine (which Cranmer helped to engineer) had resulted in the English church’s break from Rome. Mary had remained loyal to Rome and, when she ascended the throne, restored England to Roman Catholicism. Cranmer was deposed as Archbishop of Canterbury and burned at the stake as a heretic. Close to 300 others shared his gruesome fate.
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Thus was born the image of “Bloody Mary,” a monster in English and Anglican memory. It is a living part of British popular culture. An example is a lurid “London Dungeons” exhibit in 2010, entitled “Killer Queen: Bloody Mary,” in which visitors were entertained by the smell of burning flesh. A TV advertisement for the exhibit showed the face of Mary morphing into that of a shrieking zombie. But, like Richard III, that other ogre of British history, she has found defenders. A recent example is Alexander Samson of University College London.
In a recent article in the BBC History Magazine, Samson argued that Mary was a highly accomplished ruler, perhaps the best of the Tudor dynasty. She rose at dawn and, following prayer and attendance at mass, worked on the business of governing until midnight and did so intelligently and effectively. Mary provided a model of dedicated and conscientious service for her half-sister and successor, Elizabeth. Yes, she presided over the killing of many religious dissidents, but in that she was hardly alone among 16th century European rulers. During the reign of Elizabeth, who reversed Mary’s re-establishment of Roman Catholicism, over 200 “papists” were done to death including her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, although admittedly over a much longer span of time and with considerable political provocation.
Although the concentrated burnings of “heretics” along with her marriage to Philip II of Spain undermined her popularity, her restoration of Catholicism was, according to Sampson, initially welcomed by a majority of England’s population.
In ill-health, perhaps as the result of uterine cancer, Mary died in 1558 during a flu epidemic, having failed to produce an heir with her ardently Roman Catholic husband. Had she done so, who knows what the long-term results would have been. Would Anglicanism have survived?
The history of Tudor England is not in my area of expertise, so I won’t speculate. I can say with some confidence, though, that vodka, tomato juice, tabasco and Worcestershire sauces make a fine drink (celery sprig optional).
- Jim Weingartner
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UTO Ingathering: August 9 to 16
The United Thank Offering fall ingathering will take place from August 9 to August 16.
UTO envelopes are available in the Narthex. Parishioners wishing to contribute may also send checks to the office payable to St. Andrew’s with UTO in the memo line. Online contributions can also be made via the parish website.
The Blue Box Prayer
Almighty God, I give you praise for blessing me in many ways.
Create in me a grateful heart and with this gift a blessing start.
Amen.
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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 Editor, Marianne Cavanaugh
Newsletter Editor and Designer, Marian Smithson
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