REFLECT: Sometimes it is better to be loving than to be fair. Giving little kids extra strikes or letting them stand closer to the pitcher in family ball games is not fair to the older players, but it is loving. Doing a sibling’s chores while he is sick, is not fair, but it is loving. Giving up what you want to do on a Saturday afternoon to take care of a younger sibling is not fair, but it is loving. And, paying the workers who only worked one hour the same amount you paid the workers who worked all day, is not fair, but it is loving.

 

Our understanding of fairness, however, does not seem to have priority in the kingdom of heaven where grace is the rule not the exception.Grace reveals the goodness of God. Wages reveal human effort. Grace seeks unity and inclusion. Wages make distinctions and separate. The tragedy of a wage based life is that it blinds us to the presence of grace, the life of God, in our own life. It can make us resentful of grace, goodness, and beauty in the life of another. Yet we sometimes trust a wage based life more than we trust grace. In so doing we deny ourselves and others the life God wants to give. So how might we begin to move from a wage based life to the vineyard of grace?

Stop comparing yourself and your life to others and you will create room for grace to emerge. Refuse to compete in such a way that someone must lose for you to win. Trust that in God’s world there is enough for everyone. Let go of expectations based on what you think you or others deserve. Give God the freedom to pay whatever is right knowing that God’s ways are not your ways. Make no judgments of yourself or others. That is the way of grace, the way of God.

PRAY: Dear God, like the vineyard owner, your grace is abundant and generously distributed. Open our hearts to accept your love and grace so we may let go of comparisons, competition, expectations, and judgments. Let our lives be God-filled instead of wage-focused. In turn may we help others, both friends and strangers alike, do the same. Amen.

Adapted from: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayers.php?id=160

8:00am* Holy Eucharist-YOUTUBE

10:00am** SMC Indoor Service-Rev. David; CCI Indoor Service-Rev. Veronika

4:30pm Beginner/Chair Yoga Zoom Class-Rev. Amanda

6:00pm All-Levels Yoga Zoom Class-Rev. Amanda

12:00pm Noonday Prayer-ZOOM

2:00pm Bible Study-ZOOM

For SMC services: email Admin@StMartinsRadnor.org or call the office at 610-688-4830

For CCI services: email GuardianAngel720@hotmail.com or call the office at 610-688-1110.

St. Martin's Sunday School is focusing on the Beatitudes this fall—so be ready for counting our blessings. Last Sunday we began our journey by imagining we are packing our bags to take a long hike with the crowd that is following Jesus. He is doing such amazing things for people that nobody else cared about! Love and justice are central to Jesus' teaching and we are going to hang onto every word as his faithful followers. The children will be offered an opportunity after each week's discussion to construct a Midrash scene of something from scripture discussion. They can create with Lego style building blocks. With our digital world, other ways to depict scenes will also be encouraged so children and teens can use Minecraft, other building materials like clay, computer graphics, or even paper and colored pencils to capture their interpretations.

Sunday School is for children, teens, and adults. It begins at 10:00 am each Sunday on Zoom (details are below with a new Meeting ID number). If you have any questions or suggestions please contact Deb Parker by emailing StMartinsRadnor@gmail.com.

Here are the Zoom details:

10:00 AM Sundays

or call: 1-646-558-8656

Meeting ID: 977 8051 9998

Although many children are not physically in classrooms they still need school supplies and Episcopal Community Services (ECS) is running their annual back to school program. This year's program will support children participating in the Philadelphia School District's social distance learning at 7 centers around the city. You can support the effort by using this link to Amazon Back to School Wish-list. Select the items you want to donate and then have them shipped directly to ECS. 

Another option is to donate $15.00 for a "Kits for Kidz" which is a kit filled with basic learning supplies. Visit www.ECSPHILLY.org/donate and type “Kits for Kidz” in the “Comments” section to submit your donation. We hope to have 300 kits to share with the children.

Rev. Veronika will be joining the prayer group for noonday prayer every Wednesday at 12:00 PM via Zoom.

If you are unable to join us at noon, you are encouraged to pray independently and participate by using the Online Book of Common Prayer - https://www.bcponline.org/DailyOffice/noonday.html.

If you would like to test using your phone, tablet, or computer to call into a Zoom meeting, please contact Rev. Veronika at 610-596-1589 for assistance.

Here are the Zoom details:

12:00 PM Wednesdays

or Call: 1-646-558-8656

Meeting ID: 928 7196 7908

C.S. Lewis writes about the meaning behind these timeless poetic verses that we call "Psalms." They are a loosely edited anthology of writings that were primarily meant to be sung. We will start to look at some of the types of Psalms with C.S. Lewis as a guide. The group will explore their significance in our daily lives. These ancient passages are particularly appropriate today, and they remind us of their power to illuminate moments of grace even in the midst of great turmoil. Each week stands alone so you are invited to join the Bible Discussion any Thursday at 2 pm on Zoom. Contact Deb Parker at stmartinsradnor@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to test Zoom.

Here are the Zoom details:

or Call: 1-646-558-8656

Meeting ID: 938 4282 6315

Yoga returns! On Tuesdays, Rev. Amanda Eiman will lead two different Zoom sessions. At 4:30 PM is beginner/chair Yoga and then at 6:00 PM is all-levels Yoga - something for everyone!

Here are the Zoom details

(the same for both sessions):

4:30 PM Beginners/Chair Yoga

6:00 PM All-Levels Yoga

or call: 1 646 558 8656

Meeting ID: 249 829 9928

Passcode: Garrison

You are cordially invited to attend a Diocesan Webinar hosted by The Global Mission Commission on Wednesday, September 23rd, from 7:00pm-8:30pm. The discussion will be about keeping global relationships during the pandemic. Panelists representing missions in Cuba, Guatemala and Jerusalem will lead the discussion with opportunities for others to join the conversation about reaching out to our global partners. Please use this link for more information and to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reaching-out-to-our-global-partners-tickets-120017921835.

Contact Pam Faber if you have any questions.

Here are the links to this week's YouTube video additions:

Seeing Youth Succeed: Find out how this program for teens enables them to discern and build confidence in their futures with an empowering curriculum and a cohort of peers.

For more information or to register for these FREE events, please visit https://ecsphilly.org/news-events/events/behind-the-scenes-at-episcopal-community-services/

From social distancing, sanitizing, hand-washing, and staying-at-home, new "norms" are in full effect. Here is a St. Martin's summary:

Sunday's Readings can be found on the Worship page at St. Martin's website.