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credit: Life Magazine, December 1994, p. 60
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Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 6, 2020 at 9 a.m.
Join us on Facebook at 9 a.m. to watch our live service. You can watch on our website as well.
Missed last Sunday's sermon, want to read it, or re-watch the service?
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COLLECT FOR THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Please click the link below to jump to the desired section.
Organ Notes - 1694, An Organ, and the Divine Plan - A Philadelphia Story
Health Links - Racial Justice, Gun Safety, Domestic Violence, Food Security
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SPECIAL WORSHIP AT 10 A.M. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
We return to our 10 a.m. Sunday worship schedule on September 13 with a recorded, festive Eucharist.
It features many of our households, of all ages, as well as an anthem and hymns offered by our choir. There will be a Blessing of Backpacks and electronic devices! It will post on Facebook and our website at 10 a.m. on September 13. Don't miss it!
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ORGAN NOTES: 1694, An Organ, and the Divine Plan - A Philadelphia Story
By Linnea Wren
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| | | The Cave of Kelpius | |
The millennium did not arrive in 1694. For Johannes Kelpius (1673-1708), who had come to Pennsylvania with a small group to await the reign of Christ on earth, the disappointment was sharp. "I went with joy into this desert, as into a garden of roses," he wrote in 1697, "and I knew not at that time, that it was the furnace of affliction in which the Lord was about to purify and to prove me."
Kelpius was a German theologian who believed in the imminent establishment of the Kingdom of God. Together with a group of forty men and women, he left behind the decadence of Europe to found a colony in Pennsylvania along the banks of the Wissahickon River. Upon his arrival, Kelpius carved a solitary cave-like cell into the hillside for himself; his followers built a communal living hall.
The German pietists at Wissahickon, also known as the "Society of the Woman in the Wilderness," identified themselves as the woman in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, who escaped into the wilderness to await her Bridegroom, Christ. Despite their disappointment that the year 1694 fizzled out quietly, they continued to believe that the "Coming of Christ was near at Hand." Through a discipline of celibacy, contemplative solitude, and observation of heavenly signs from their crude observatory, they readied themselves for the unfolding of the divine plan.
Simultaneously, they made efforts to prepare others for the appearance of Christ and his kingdom, now reset to the year 1700. They held public religious services twice a day. The services were nondenominational, bilingual in German and English, and decidedly musical.
The musicality of the Wissahickon brethren was deeply felt. Most had grown up in the Lutheran tradition. Martin Luther had himself been a music lover. He had played the lute and flute, sung in a tenor voice and composed music. In his liturgical reforms, he had accorded strong importance to community singing. For Luther, music was an assertion of faith, a ritual commentary on biblical texts, and a form of sociability.
Music functioned in all these ways for the Wissahickonians. In addition, music was a means of evangelizing by drawing visitors to services. Skilled choristers and musicians, the brethren energized their services with music performed on instruments brought from Europe. These included stringed instruments, woodwinds, trumpets, kettle-drums, and small keyboard instruments (possibly a virginal and two clavichords). And they had an organ, the first known organ on the eastern sea coast. This was a very small positiv organ. It was a one-manual pipe organ, probably containing no more than three or four stops, and built to be more or less mobile. The Wissahickonian musicians traveled with their voices, instruments and even their organ to the sanctuaries of other religious groups in order to enliven their festive occasions.
Kelpius died in 1706. His community was already dispersing. His settlement has become a Philadelphia suburb; his organ has disappeared. But he left behind a treatise on prayer, a hymnbook, and the beginning of an organ legacy that has flourished in Philadelphia and far beyond.
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WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY STARTS SEPTEMBER 23
What Links the Old Testament and the New Testament?
The Apocrypha
 Join Wednesday Bible Study as we spend this year reading and learning about the Apocrypha. Classes begin on September 23, 10 a.m. -11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., and meet weekly into May. They will be offered through Zoom and possibly in person as well on the Church patio or Upper Parish Hall.
The Apocrypha is a group of religious writings by Jewish authors from the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament, about 300 BCE to 100 CE. They reflect the influence of Greek philosophy on life in Israel and tell the history of the Jewish people during this time. It's a fabulous link between the Old and New Testaments. Jesus would have known these books; in fact, his Sermon on the Mount includes some of these perspectives. Intense Messianic expectation grew out of this period as did the role of the Pharisees. New Testament authors refer to the Apocrypha with amazing frequency. Considered canonical only by the Catholic Church, it nonetheless provides wonderful insight and context.
Classes rely on group participation and are not lecture-style which makes for lively discussion. The atmosphere is warm, lively, and non-judgmental. The companion text, "Shorter Books of the Apocrypha" by J.C. Dancy is free to those taking the class. If you're interested in taking this year-long class but have not registered yet, please contact the instructor, Tracy Rubin. Give it a try!
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LAST LECTIO DIVINA ON SEPTEMBER 16
The summer program Lectio Divina ends on Wednesday, September 16. Read more about Lectio Divina here. If you wish to join before, please email Heidi. Thank you, Heidi and Claudia, for convening this group which has nourished the faith of those who have taken part.
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MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST VESTRY MEETING
Click here to read the Vestry minutes from the August 25 meeting. Read minutes from 2018-2020 here.
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THANK YOU FROM S-SAFE
Click here to a read a thank you from the Rev. Tim Crellin of St. Stephen's and B-SAFE.
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BELOVED SPACES TAKING A BREAK
Beloved Spaces will be taking a break, with plans to return later in the fall. Please email Nick or Ali with ideas for new editions. Thank you for your support!
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POCKET PRAYER SHAWL
The Knitting Ministry is knitting and mailing pocket prayer shawls. If you or someone you know needs one, please email the office.
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VIRTUAL INTERFAITH MINI-WALK FOR HUNGER
With need greater than ever, join Temple Beth David of Westwood and other religious organizations for the 11th Interfaith Mini-Walk for Hunger. The virtual walk will raise funds and awareness for Project Bread, a major supplier of food, supplies, education, and advocacy in the Boston-area.
Read more about the Mini-Walk here.
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Please email the office with your prayers for inclusion in Sunday worship.
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SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBORS AND COMMUNITY
Christ Church has deep ties to these organizations that continue to offer services and support to those in need during the pandemic. Donations in any amount are truly appreciated. It is one way to keep loving our neighbor as Jesus teaches.
MANNA continues their expanded mission to be a place of solace, peace, and nourishment for those who have nowhere else to go just now. Donate online here. Scroll down on the options drop-down menu to Monday Lunch.
The Needham Community Council is keeping the Food Pantry open and will continue to provide food supplies to Needham residents. Click here to learn how you can donate.
Circle of Hope is offering contactless emergency deliveries to partner shelters. Click here to link directly Emergency Response Wish List.
B-Safe continues to offer virtual and financial support to the young people it serves and their communities. Donate to the SSYP Pandemic Relief fund here.
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Health Links: Racial Justice, Gun Safety, Domestic Violence and Food Security
RACIAL JUSTICE
GUN SAFETY
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
FOOD SECURITY
Sign up to shop at the Food Pantry here
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Monday, September 7
Office closed in honor Labor Day.
8:00 a.m. Men's Prayer Group (via Zoom, email Stan for the invitation)
11:00 a.m. Staff meeting
7:00 p.m. Finance Committee is NOT meeting.
Wednesday, September 9
7:00 p.m. Lectio Divina (via Zoom, email Heidi for the invitation)
10:00 a.m. Recorded Festive Eucharist, with Anthems, Hymns, School Blessing on FaceBook
11:00 a.m. Coffee hour (via Zoom, link in Friday's email)
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