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The Episcopal Church
of the Resurrection
1433 NW R.D. Mize Road, Blue Springs, MO
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Weekly e-mail
Saturday, May 1, 2021
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Fifth Sunday
of Easter
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 8:00 am
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 am
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Resurrection will host in-person services. COVID precautions will be observed with a face mask required. All services also live-streamed.
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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED
A big THANK YOU to all who completed our Feasibility Study survey to gage interest in constructing an addition to the church building in order to relocate the stairs and add a wheelchair lift.
The Vestry will review the results and comments at the May meeting and determine whether to move forward and any next steps.
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ONCE EVERY 4 TO 6 WEEKS
During the pandemic two church volunteers have cooked a meal twice a month on Mondays in the church's kitchen for 60 homeless people as part of the Uplift mission. The Scotts have then delivered the prepared meals to Uplift in downtown Kansas City by 4:30 pm.
We have the recipes and will help you get started if you are interested in helping. It takes about 3 hours and you can be reimbursed for the food you buy.
If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Rich Conn or Annie Scott.
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RETURNING TO IN-PERSON FELLOWSHIP
As restrictions lessen, and the COVID infection continues to decrease, and more of us receive our vaccinations, I am very hopeful that we can begin returning to fellowship events at the church.
This will be discussed at our May Vestry meeting. What we have learned over the last year and how we have made changes to our everyday lives still has an impact for us going forward. The use of face coverings and social distancing in certain situations will still be guidelines for all of us to follow. Since following the guidelines that were established over the last year plus, I for one have not had a cold, the flu, or any of my usual annual cold/flu related insults. Now, this may just be happenstance, but I do believe that it has been in-part because of the practices through this last year.
I encourage us to complete the vaccination process and increase the confidence for seeing us all in person at church and the many other places that we have missed so much.
PARISH PRAYER LIFE
Keeping up with the Parish Prayer List is a wonderful way to minister to those who need our prayers. I invite you to log on to our parish webpage: www.episcopal-bluesprings.org and find the link to the current prayer list on the main banner. To add prayers to this list please click on the ECOR Prayer List: ECORPrayers@att.net
SPIRITUAL RECOVERY DURING AND AFTER COVID AND THE WORLD PANDEMIC
This last year of isolation and separation from so many of the things that we have taken for granted in our physical and spiritual lives has taken a toll on our spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Many have learned to cope, and many others have suffered greatly. I specifically reach out to God for our children and young adults who thrive on fellowship with each other in school and all the usual activities of their lives. Below are some considerations to help us as we continue dealing with the aftermath of pandemic. These words come from the brothers and sisters of the Ignatian Way.
1. Pray.
God is listening. I firmly believe that God is with us, as close as we are to ourselves, and even closer. When I pray, I wait for God to reply, not always knowing how God will reply, but trusting that God will. When I pray for others, such as my mother who lives in another state, I know that they are with me in the time of prayer, as much as if they were in the same room. In God’s presence, we are all united.
2. Stay connected.
I was recently in a self-quarantine for 14 days after my husband fell ill with flu-like symptoms after we returned from Europe. (We are all healthy now.) I found that staying connected through video programs like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet, or texting or phone calls, were all great ways to stay in relationship with others beyond my quarantine. Human beings are social and need connection.
3. Reach out.
Not ill or self-quarantined? See what the neighbors need. We can still practice social distancing by starting a group chat with the people on our block. When I could not go out, a friend of mine dropped some flowers and a bottle of wine at our house. Social distancing does not mean the end of service.
4. Be grateful.
There is always something for which to be grateful. Always. As I write this, both of my adult children are home with us, and healthy. I am grateful for the shared conversation, the shared meals, and for everyone’s health. Gratitude gives us perspective.
5. Slow down.
I have often wished I had more time for contemplation. Be careful what I wish for! In all seriousness, however, more time to contemplate and watch the sun rise or look at a beautiful tree through my backyard window brings me a sense of peace. Baking bread takes more time than buying it but helps me to stay in the moment while also nurturing others. Perhaps slowing down is a hidden gift.
6. Engage in meaningful work.
Monks have always known this: we need a balance of work, prayer, and leisure in life. I am a teacher so have been putting energy into teaching my university students through remote platforms, holding office hours, and finding creative new ways to help my students to grow and learn. Even for those who are retired or otherwise not employed, tasks like baking, minor household projects that have been put off, or organizing photos into albums can be meaningful work.
7. Love.
Love is contagious. Love, St. Ignatius says, is shown in deeds, not only in words. But it also helps to tell the people whom we love, that we love them. How do you want to share love today?
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you
That with your saints I may praise you
For ever and ever. Amen.
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BEGINS NEXT WEEK
We will begin the RenewalWorks program at Church of the Resurrection on Monday, May 2 with the publication of a link to complete an on-line survey. The survey will also be available in hard copy for those not using the internet.
Through an anonymous online evaluation of each parishioner, and a series of workshop discussions, the RenewalWorks process helps churches (and the individuals in them) refocus on spiritual growth and identify ways that God is calling them to grow.
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Lectors and Acolytes Needed |
PLEASE SIGN-UP TODAY
As more people are vaccinated and we continue to follow COVID health guidelines, we are asking for volunteers to read scripture and serve at the altar.
If you are currently a lector and/or eucharistic minister and would like to return to reading, please contact Diane Gerlach at 816-896-2875.
If you would like to be an acolyte, please contact Lisa Twitty at 913-485-7150
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Monday Matters (April 26, 2021)
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BY FR. JAY SIDEBOTHAM +
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. -Psalm 29
A Prayer for Church Musicians and Artists:
O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled forevermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Final stanza of hymn: Fairest Lord Jesus
All fairest beauty,
Heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer,
Fairer, or dearer,
Than Thou my Savior art to me.
First two stanzas of hymn: For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the Love which from our birth over and around us lies: Christ, our God, to Thee we raise,
This our Sacrifice of Praise.
For the beauty of each hour, Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale, and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light: Christ, our God, to Thee we raise, This our Sacrifice of Praise.
Beauty
I like my routines. Truth be told, I’m a little nutty about them. Family can attest. I wake up same time every morning. Set my phone for duration of morning devotions. Then a certain amount of time for exercise. Then a walk for another fixed period of time, no more, no less, timed exactly for the top of the hour newscast, which I watch for a prescribed amount of time. Then on to tasks of day, with both a full and an abridged to-do list, ready for things to be crossed off. I sometimes add things to the list that I’ve already done so I can cross them off. Nutty. Even and especially in COVID, it has been important for me to observe rituals, rigidly keeping this rhythm.
Unless, as happened last week, I’m on my fixed period of walking along the shore and up ahead, in the early morning light, I see a crowd gathered. As I near this group, I see that they are focused on about half a dozen dolphins, literally about six feet from water’s edge, as close to the shore as I’ve ever seen. It is simply beautiful. I stand and watch. I walk back and forth with the dolphins, joined by some other folks. Not much else mattered in those moments. Time kind of stopped. Well constructed morning routine became irrelevant. Beauty and grace interrupted daily ritual.
The church where I serve these days is observing the Easter season by focusing on the beauty of holiness. Members of the congregation engaged with creative activity (music, art, poetry, architecture, liturgy) share how those explorations bring them in closer touch with God. After a year of COVID, it feels meet and right to focus on the lovely and loving ways God’s holy presence can still shine through. Of course, we add to those artistic endeavors the celebration of the beauty of creation. We just observed Earth Day, which tells us that we are surrounded by the results of the divine intention to create beauty. As the psalmist says, the earth is filled with God’s love.
I noted recently that Christ Church Cranbrook includes “Sharing Beauty” in its 4-fold vision statement. That comes from Strategic Planning conversations where a team identified the unique ability for art and music to mediate differences and distances (such as urban Detroit and suburban Bloomfield Hills), but also its unique power to speak the gospel.
The goals of the Cranbrook Project are to:
- Enhance cooperation between different religious, ethnic, racial and economic communities in Metropolitan Detroit;
- Encourage collaboration between activists, artists, academics, and members of the interfaith community in Southeastern Michigan;
- Foster greater social engagement and responsibility through Jazz, Contemporary Art, and the environment;
- Support Christ Church Cranbrook as a beacon for community engagement, leadership, and care for the wider community.
And all of it has to do with beauty.
Undergirding all of this is the beauty of God’s love. Grace, a rich word, suggests unmerited favor. It also suggests beauty. Isaiah puts it this way: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isa. 52:7) So we gather, even in COVID-tide, called by the refrain throughout the psalms which invites us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Newsflash: There is much in our world that is not beautiful. Our reflection on beauty does not deny that harsh reality. But maybe this week in the rhythms and rituals of our lives, we can take the time and make the space, allowing beauty to interrupt, giving thanks for where we see it, recognizing it as reflection of God’s nature, in the process allowing us to build bridges where there is division.
Here’s a thought: each day this week, take a few minutes to savor a work of art, or listen to a piece of music, or get out in nature where God’s creativity interrupts. Let it lead you to worship. Let it bring you joy.
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