Episcopal Church 
of the Resurrection
1433 NW R.D. Mize Road
Blue Springs, Missouri 64015
(816) 228-4220
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Weekly e-mail Update
Friday, October 2, 2020
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Come to Church this Sunday
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020
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Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 8:00 am
- Service in-person only (not broadcast)
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 am
- Service in-person and also broadcast on-line
Social distancing and masks required
Virtual Coffee Hour at Noon on Zoom
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MAKE PLANS NOW.
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Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 10
On Saturday, October 10, Resurrection will celebrate the "Blessing of the Animals" starting at 10:00 am in the church parking lot. This event has a long tradition in our church and follows the actions of St. Francis of Assisi. Any pet is appropriate for blessings, from spiders to horses and all creatures in between. Even a child's "stuffed pet" is welcome for blessings. This celebration will also recognize the loss of a pet companion who is remembered and missed. Please invite others via Facebook and other media as this is a community event.
Thank you to our yard helpers
Thanks to everyone who helped clean up the church's grounds last weekend! It looks beautiful and we are so appreciative for your hard work.
Men's Fellowship meetings suspended until further notice
Until everyone feels more comfortable meeting as a group. we will continue to postpone the Men's Fellowship meetings for the foreseeable future in light of COVID guidelines.
Lay liturgical ministers still needed
We are looking to grow our ministry of broadcasting the daily office by using liturgical leaders who would be willing to lead Morning, Noon Day and Evening Prayer. If you are interested in serving in this ministry please contact me!
Altar Flowers
You may sign-up for altar flowers on the flower chart located on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Write-in your name and a dedication on the date you desire. Contact Elaine Gilligan if you are attending church virtually and would like to contribute. The cost for altar flowers is $35 per week.
Heartland Cursillo Zoom Ultreya is October 9
Parish Bonfire Party and Cookout on October 17
Join fellow parishioners at the home of John and Joyce Biggs, 30404 Pink Hill Rd; Grain Valley, on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 5:30 pm for a bonfire picnic and cookout. Enjoy hot dogs, s'mores and hot drinks! Please bring lawn chairs, flashlights and blankets. Sign-up in the Narthex or contact Janet Woodward 816-564-4000.
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BACK FROM MICHIGAN.
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Many thanks for all the prayers for my brother Bill. I give thanks every day for all of you and all you do in Christ's service. Bill is currently in the hospital with pneumonia, and I cautiously visited him in the evening each day (fewer people and after visiting hours). My priest uniform provided me some perks! We did get a chance to take a day to travel around parts of lower Michigan to see the fall colors and do a little fishing. Bill caught several good sized bass, and the priest-brother caught none. Goes to show ya that clergy have no better luck than the heathens.
As we enter this fall season, I pray all of us can put aside the commotion that exists around to truly take in the beauty of God's creation. My time with my brother not only reminds me of the great values to be with family, it also reminds me of the importance for reflecting on all the good things in our lives. May we take the time to reflect on God's gifts to us, and give thanks.
Ok, enough sermonizing! I hope to see you at church this Sunday, either online or in person. We will resume our regular service and Daily Office schedules this coming Sunday and through the week. Blessings dear friends.
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Monday Matters - RenewalWorks
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FROM REV. JAY SIDEBOTHAM +.
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Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass.
He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
Jürgen Moltmann from "The Source of Life: The Holy Spirit and the Theology of Life."
The ultimate reason for our hope is not to be found at all in what we want, wish for and wait for; the ultimate reason is that we are wanted and wished for and waited for. What is it that awaits us? Does anything await us at all, or are we alone? Whenever we base our hope on trust in the divine mystery, we feel deep down in our hearts: there is someone who is waiting for you, who is hoping for you, who believes in you. We are waited for as the prodigal son in the parable is waited for by his father. We are accepted and received, as a mother takes her children into her arms and comforts them. God is our last hope because we are God's first love."
Trust
Trust is on my mind these days. Apparently, I'm not alone in wondering who to trust, as we grapple with considerable coincident crises, crises of health, economics, racial division and inequity, climate change. Science, politicians, media, election processes, institutional religion, law enforcement are all being questioned, against the background noise of what some call fake news, untruths and alternative facts. We never know what's around the corner, but Covid-tide is a season of heightened anxiety fueled by uncertainty about what, who and how we can trust.
That has led me to think about all the ways that scripture calls us to trust. Easier said than done. (One of my college friends signed his religion papers with the acronym: SOKOP. Sounds okay on paper). The psalms, in a number of places, offer a variation of the following verse: Put not your trust in rulers or in any child of earth, for there is no help in them. (Psalm 146:3) Maybe you're thinking about trust these days as well. Apparently, a lot of people are. If so, join me in working through a few questions: 1. Where do you draw strength? Asked another way: What are reliable sources of nourishment and sustenance for the journey? We live in a world offering lots of spiritual junk food, easy to swallow but not what we really need, not ultimately sustaining. We give our hearts to that which does not satisfy our hearts. It's especially tough when so many Christian leaders reveal the hypocrisy of the church, nothing new under the sun. As one of those church leaders, when I hear the reasonable, verifiable complaint that the church is just filled with hypocrites, all I can say is, "Guilty as charged." Then I revert to the prayer that both sustains and frightens me: "Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me." (Psalm 69:7) What would it mean to draw strength from the God who calls us into relationship? 2. Where do you place your hope? Asked another way: In whom do you place hope? The old hymn affirms: We may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. In many ways, we find ourselves in the midst of storms. Life these days feels like those small glass snow domes that get all shook up. We're waiting for things to settle. Hoping. Jurgen Moltmann based his theology on hope. In a paper called The Spirit of Hope: Theology For A World In Peril, Moltmann wrote (pre-covid): "Terrorist violence, social and economic inequality, and most especially the looming crisis of climate change all contribute to a cultural moment of profound despair." Moltmann reminds us that Christian faith has much to say in response to a despairing world. In "the eternal yes of the living God," we affirm the goodness and ongoing purpose of our fragile humanity. What would it mean to embrace the text of the hymn (#665 in the 1982 Hymnal) "All my hope on God is founded," music written by Herbert Howells after the death of his 9 year-old son? 3. Where do you give your heart? Asked another way: What's love got to do with it? As our Presiding Bishop reminds us, it all boils down to love. If it isn't about love, it isn't about God. Ultimately our trust is an expression of the heart, an expression of love. As in any committed relationship, love is based on the trust that partners seek the best for each other. They seek to honor each other, with all they are and have. More Moltmann: "God's love empowers us to love life and resist a culture of death." What would it mean, in a vindictive season, to let love be our guide in some new and deeper way this week, not giving into fear or fretting but figuring out some way to make it all about love? As people of faith, we are called to "trust in the Lord with all our hearts, leaning not on our own understanding, confident that God will direct our paths." (A riff on Proverbs 3:5,6) In case you haven't picked it up already, I'm finding that challenging. It's presumptuous of me to suggest a solution, as I navigate a cloud of unknowing. But here's the answer I've decided to go with. I'm going to literally and figuratively take a deep breath and trust that the God of love has the whole world in his hands. And I'm going to try to remember that a life of hope is not always easy. Even more Moltmann: "Faith, wherever it develops into hope, causes not rest but unrest, not patience but impatience. It does not calm the unquiet heart, but is itself this unquiet heart in man. Those who hope in Christ can no longer put up with reality as it is, but begin to suffer under it, to contradict it. Peace with God means conflict with the world." Said another way: All manner of things shall be well, but we may be in for rough sledding before we get there. On that cheery note, amidst it all, I trust you will know blessing and peace this week. Thanks for thinking this through with me.
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In-person worship guidelines
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SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIRED.
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The logistics and requirements we must follow as we
 worship in church together are as follows:
- Upon entry, ushers will ask if you have any symptoms of illness including fever, chills, coughing and any history of recent illness. It is very important that you DO NOT attend church if you feel ill or know that you have been exposed to COVID or any other serious illness.
- Ushers will check your name against a directory roster and newcomers and visitors will be asked to provide their names and phone numbers upon entry. There will be no guest book or prayer sheet to sign.
- Masks will be required at all times while in the church building.
- Hand sanitizer, facial tissue and some masks will be provided.
- Seating will be in every other pew and social distancing at least 6 feet apart. Families may sit together. Additional seating is available in the undercroft where an overflow of congregates can watch lthe service broadcast live. The priest will go to the undercroft to offer communion to those gathered there.
- Congregational singing will not be allowed (but you may hum with your mask on!)
- There will be no hymnals in the pews for use.
- Those who have their own Books of Common Prayer or can access it on their electronic devices are encouraged to bring them to church for personal use.
- Prayer books will be provided and will be located in the back pews. After the service, prayer books should be placed in the big basket located in the narthex when leaving.
- Bulletins will not be recycled. Please take them home or deposit them in the trash.
- Communion of both kinds will be available in individual chalices and distributed by the priest. Please discard these used chalice packets in the trash when leaving.
- Thank you for your offering. Please leave your gift in the offering plate at the back of the nave.
- Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!!
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