St. Paul's Episcopal Church Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"
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The Week of July 13-18, 2021 |
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Jesus’ Compassion
Jesus is called Emmanuel which means “God-with-us” (see Matthew 1: 22-23). The great paradox of Jesus’ life is that he, whose words and actions are in no way influenced by human blame or praise but are completely dependent on God’s will, is more “with” us than any other human being.
Jesus’ compassion, his deep feeling-with us, is possible because his life is guided not by human respect but only by the love of his heavenly Father. Indeed, Jesus is free to love us because he is not dependent on our love.
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To be redirected to the Lectionary Page and get a digital copy of the readings
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2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Psalm 89:20-37;
Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
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The Sunday Sermon
Mark 6: 14-29
One of the celebrated persons in the history of psychiatry and psychoanalysis is a German man named Carl Gustav Jung. Amongst his theories Jung believed that within all of us there is a dark side, or in his words, a shadow side. And it is from this dark side, in Jung’s thinking, that qualities such as jealousy, anger, selfishness, violence and other dark behaviors emerge.
If you grew up in the nineteen forties, or if you watch a lot of Turner Classic movies, you have seen in some of the magnificent black and white motion pictures of that day what is called cinema noir. Those movies, through excellent camera work, brought to the screen intriguing dark plots reflecting in one way or another, violence, anger, revenge, jealousy and the like. They kept us on the edge of our seats as the plot evolved out of the shadows. And you may recall names like Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorrie, Lauren Becall, Humphry Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Orson Welles, and others who were outstanding in the darkness of cinema noir.
As I read this morning’s gospel, I was reminded of Jung’s concept of the shadowed side of us, and I was also reminded of the use of darkness and all the intrigue that is brought to us in cinema noir. And I asked myself, how did the brightness of a birthday party turn into the darkness of murder? How did joy and jubilation dissolve into revenge and retaliation? After all, the gospel began innocently enough with some casual commentary about Jesus’ identity, and then it quickly moved to a flashback about the death of John the Baptist. John had confronted Herod regarding his divorce and his marriage to his second wife, to whom biblically he wasn’t really free to marry. Herod encouraged by his new wife, who did not like John meddling in their marital business, had John arrested.
I met in college one of the nicest guys who fell in love with a lovely gal in our sophomore English class. I thought she was great, but his father did not approve of her because she had given birth to a baby out of wedlock. Despite his father’s objection, he continued to see her; and planned to marry her as soon as he graduated. A week before the marriage his father went to see the young lady and offered her a great deal of money and begged her not to marry his son. I was told that she showed him the door. The following day the police knocked on her door. And when her mother opened the door, they announced that they had been told that there was marijuana in the home. They had a warrant to search the house. Allegedly they found some cannabis under a couch pillow. Mother and daughter were arrested, and suffered the humiliation of spending a night in jail. No one in that family had ever used drugs, and no one was able to determine how the marijuana appeared under the couch pillow. However, my friend had a pretty good idea. Oh, I neglected to tell you that his father was an NYPD detective.
When we don’t like someone, we are capable of going to any means to hurt or destroy that person. And as Jung would put it, “That shadowy place that exists within all of us takes over. “ We see it in this morning’s gospel. The guests were relaxing and enjoying themselves at the birthday party, when in came Herod’s daughter to entertain them with her dancing. So pleased was Herod with his daughter, and perhaps a little tipsy from the wine, so pleased was he that he told her that he would give her anything she wanted. She talked with her mother, seeking her advice, and from her mother’s dark side she directs her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Herod was grieved by her request. Yet he ordered one of his soldiers to take off the Baptist’s head and bring it to him on a platter.
What a sad gospel is put before us this morning. This is a story from Scripture of serious human failure that we should continually attempt to avoid in our own lives; and if we learn of a dark plot being considered, we should do what we can to bring it out of the shadows and into the light.
I celebrate the courage of those women that came out and brought to light the dark behavior of a man who had been revered by all of us for decades. Of course I’m talking about the behavior of a man recently released from prison, Bill Cosby. And who can forget the power that an assistant football coach at Penn State had over innocent boys. He may not have murdered them, but in the darkness he did kill something very precious within them, and that would be trust. And there are other examples; but I think you get the point and frankly I’d rather not continue to dwell in the darkness.
This morning’s gospel is one that I find quite distasteful. It reminds me and it should remind all of us of that dark side that dwells within us. I would end this homily by reminding us of something very important. We are all children of God, and by virtue of that status we are called to, we are empowered to bring not deception and darkness, but light, trust, joy and love to the world through the gifts God has given us.
--Fr. C. Allan Ford
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NORMA WILLIAMS SURPRISE PARTY! |
Norma wishes to thank friends and members of the St. Paul's Church for their love and generous support at her surprise party this past Friday. It was truly a surprise for her and all had a great time!
We here at St. Paul's are thankful for her service to our Church and community. We wish her and family well as she moves to be closer to her daughter.
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IN-PERSON SUNDAY SERVICES
As more and more people are getting vaccinated against COVID 19 the Bishop has eased some of the restrictions that have affected our worship. Given this the Vestry has decided that all services (10:00am), except for the second Sunday of the month, will be in person and will include singing. We also hope to be able to broadcast the in person service live on our YouTube channel.
At our last Vestry meeting we changed our church mask policy to be that vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks.
For unvaccinated individuals, the mask rule remains that anytime you are moving from your pew that you have your mask on. When you are seated you may take off your mask if you choose to do so. If you are singing please put on your mask. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe.
The second Sunday of the month will be on Zoom (see below for Zoom link). This allows us to have the coffee hour discussions and to retain those parishioners who are able to only be with us remotely.
We hope to see you on Zoom on Sunday and in person whenever you can make it in.
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ZOOM CHURCH LINK FOR ALL SERVICES
All services except for the second Sunday (on Zoom) of the month, will be in person at 10:00am and will include singing.
Our Zoom connections remain the same and are
Meeting ID: 823 3911 5280
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,82339115280# US (New York)
+13017158592,,82339115280# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL
We now have a YouTube channel.
To get there PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
or search on YouTube for St. Paul's Poughkeepsie.
We hope to put copies of all of our online services there.
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A NOTE FROM THE TREASURY TEAM
Total deposits for the past week - $686 ($151 for the Food Pantry). Many thanks to all who have been generously supporting the Food Pantry.
A reminder - Please remember to either mail in your pledge or drop it off through the mail slot any day during the week. The correct address is: 161 Mansion St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
ST. PAUL’S THANKS YOU!!!
--Bobbie Gordon
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SUMMER YOUTH CONFERENCE 2021
The 2021 Summer Youth Conference will be held August 15-21 at the Incarnation Center, Ivoryton CT. It is a spiritual retreat for those 12-18 years old.
The cost for the program is $325.00 and more information can be found on the flyer.
--Pete Bedrossian,
SpirItual Life Committee
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The Church Club of New York
________________________________________________________________
You Are Invited!
Holy Woman
Adelaide Teague Case: Teacher and Theologian
with Historian and Archivist
Jean Ballard Terepka
Monday, July 19
6:30pm
via ZOOM
About the Program
Join us on Monday, July 19 at 6:30pm for an exploration of the life, ideas and lasting contributions of Adelaide Teague Case (1887-1948),
theologian and educator.
In 1941, the Episcopal Theological School (ETS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, convinced Case to leave a comfortable teaching position at Teachers' College at Columbia University to join the ETS faculty as
Professor of Christian Education.
Adelaide Case was the first full-time, female faculty member at the rank of Professor. “She was a true believer in Christ and you saw him living in
and through her,” is an oft-repeated accolade.
Case believed that the point of practicing the Christian faith was
to make a difference in the world. As an advocate for peace, she
believed that Christianity had a special vocation to call people into
transformed, reconciled relationships for the sake of the
wholeness of the human family. She is said to have discovered
these things not in theology or educational theory, but in a life of common prayer and faithful eucharistic practice.
Particular attention will be paid to Case’s intellectual and spiritual formation at St. Michael’s Church here in New York City.
July 19 is Case’s commemoration day in Holy Women, Holy Men.
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Adelaide Teague Case
There is no cost to attend this event, but we hope you will consider making a suggested donation of $20 to support the
Church Club's mission and outreach.
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About the Speaker
Jean Ballard Terepka
Jean Ballard Terepka is the current president of National Episcopal Historians and Archivists. She has been Archivist at St. Michael’s Church for fifteen years. In her presentation, she will draw extensively on previously unpublished material from St. Michael’s archives.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Wednesday, September 22
6:30pm via Zoom
This Band of Sisterhood: Black Women Bishops on Race,
Faith, and the Church
with Author Westina Matthews, PhD
The Church Club of New York
Executive Director: Susan Ridgeway
Phone: (212) 828-7418
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Rectors of Color: Examining the Missed Opportunities of Deployment
Tuesday, July 20, starting at 7 p.m.
Register in advance for this webinar:
Click here or on the image above to view the recording of the
"Equal Education Denied: The Legacy of Segregated Housing"
webinar from May 25.
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Click here or on the image above to view the recording of the
"Systemic Racism and Medical Apartheid"
webinar from June 8.
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Click here or on the image above to view the recording of the
"Reaching for a Better Tomorrow:
The Work of Hudson Link Working for Higher Education in Prison"
webinar from June 22.
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--The Rev. Dcn. Julett Butler
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_4 Julett Butler
_7 Janet Quade
11 Ginny Gates
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13 Sharon Sherow
17 Oluinayemisi Roseline Oni
20 Kaylee Curtis
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22 Ruthie A. Hodge
27 Faith Mincy
28 Michael Babb
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Please keep those on our parish prayer list in your minds and in your prayers, especially at this time of separation and isolation.
Intercessions
JULY 2021
Our prayers are asked for:
Tish; Mary Ann; Tommy; Carol; Chris; Sandra; George, Norm; Janett; Kay, Katherine, Renate; Food Pantry Volunteers, victims of Human/Sex Trafficking; Burton family; Lillian, Matthew, Sasha; Joe, G.J., Aleta, Plain family, Melius family; Ibadan Diocese, All Saints' Church, Oni family; Gary, Legend; Rhonda, Joe, Ann, all Teachers, Parents, Students, Theodore, John, Paul, Kathy; Sharon Greene, Owen, Agnes, Norma; McLauren family; Graham family; Wood family; Braxton family; Lori, Steven, Jim, Seth; Phil; All essential workers; Beryl & Glen, Vincent family; George; Daniel Mizell and family; Fr. Allan and family; St. Paul's Vestry; Darien family; Sherow family; Edna Clarke, Michelle, Kathy B.; Carola and Violet; Whitman, Medical Reserve Corp. of Dutchess County, The Laken family; All Parishioners; Kairos International, Catherine, Michelle, Yamily; Matthew, Lillian; Lynita, Perry, Melius family, Sasha; Stacey; Tucker family, Branch family, Atkinson family; 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, Ron, Dave, Liz; Jill, Lana, Andrew, Susan; Schneider family, all in need; Susie; Sherry, Claudia
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Please "Like" our page to stay up to date with all services and events.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Poughkeepsie
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'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 us by helping others. |
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THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
JULY 13-18, 2021
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TUE__ 13
WED _ 14
THU__ 15
SUN___ 11
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10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
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Food Pantry & Thrift Shop
Food Pantry & Thrift Shop;
Food Pantry & Thrift Shop;
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Rite II
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YOUR NEWS BELONGS IN ST. PAUL'S MESSENGER
Help us get the word out by submitting news of parish activities. Send submittals to stpaulpk@verizon.net or call 845 452 8440
Give us a call today!
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church 161 Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
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