St. Paul's Episcopal Church Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
MESSENGER
"Making friends while serving God"
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What Does 'The Earth Is the Lord's' Mean in Psalm 24?
God founding and establishing the Earth through such a careful degree of meticulousness is so inspiring and comforting. It reveals more about God’s passion and love for the Earth. The Earth is His masterpiece and like an artist, He crafts it and maintains what is His.
Glory Dy Christianity.com Contributing Writer
2021 28 Apr
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"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." (Psalm 24:1-2)
The earth belongs to the Lord and the Lord alone and He created it. This statement is in every Christian’s mind and as Christians, we are expected to praise God for creating the world and also creating us. Such praising is constantly being done by King David.
In Psalm 24:1-3, David praises God the Father and acknowledges that God owns the world, and the world belongs to God. It is a beautifully crafted Psalm.
David puts emphasis on God’s ownership and spanned ownership in these verses. The verses are divided into three — with three different emphases, themes, and meanings. Let’s analyze each verse of this passage further.
1. The Earth Is the Lord’s
And everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:10).
The first verse pronounces God’s ownership to the world followed by the second line that supports the first statement of God’s ownership and expounds the span of God’s dominion.
The first verse is the boldest among the three verses. It is a strong statement that puts emphasis on the fact that God owns everything - the earth and every single tangible and intangible thing.
The verse has two themes: ownership and belonging. In terms of ownership, it talks about how God owns the earth, and yet in terms of belonging it talks about how we belong to God because God first loved us.
This idea of owning the earth and its belonging to Him are very touching themes for us to know and have — since God owns and has dominion, He takes such devotion and care of it.
2. For He Founded it on the Seas
The second verse is more specific. David’s praise recalls God creating the heavens the earth, which we all know was the beginning of all things on Earth:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day (Genesis 1:1-2, 26-31).
David also specifies both seas and waters and emphasizes the expanse of creation. Additionally, he mentions the words “establish” and “founded,” which are the two themes of this verse.
Establishing and founding are two words that are beyond creation. Establishing means setting up a system or organization while founding means planning the beginning of something.
These two actions mean that God did not just decide in one day to create the earth, but He planned for it and also made a system of organization. That is why the Earth works as it does — it was well-designed.
God founding and establishing the Earth through such a careful degree of meticulousness is so inspiring and comforting. It reveals more about God’s passion and love for the Earth. The Earth is His masterpiece and like an artist, He crafts it and maintains His masterpiece.
3. Who May Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?
The third verse talks about the fact that no one can reach the level of the Lord. He owns the world, and no one can be like Him. Everything belongs to Him and only Him.
This last verse puts emphasis on who is worthy to be like God and concludes that no one is. It is a pressing and lucid statement that only God owns the world.
The theme of the last verse is the worth of God’s ownership of this world. It tells us that we are not worthy of Him, yet He made us and even took care of us and made us the tenants to the things that belong to Him.
It also tells us that God is so powerful and more powerful than any other being in this world. No one can surpass His power. Because He made the earth, it belongs to its power.
It also talks about assurance. We are assured that there is a God, God the Father, who is guiding us in this world that He owns.
David is bold in praising God. This reminds us that we should be bold ourselves by acknowledging that God owns the world and because He owns it, we should take care of it with all our means possible.
A Prayer for the Earth
Dear Creator God, on this Earth Day and all days, let me always be in awe of Your wonderful works of creation. I don’t want to take the details of the world You created for me for granted. Everything around me is wonderfully complex and splendid. You, Lord, are both an Engineer and an Artist that built a world to perfectly sustain life. But you didn’t stop there. You also made immense details that please all of our senses as well. There are beautiful things to see, sounds to hear, textures to feel, yummy food to taste, and even delightful aromas to bring us enjoyment. Thank you for the details of life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (by Jennifer Heeren)
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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 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24;
Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14
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The Sunday Sermon
Mark 6:7-13
When I was a kid, there was a man who faithfully stood out in front of our neighborhood subway station selling chestnuts in the wintertime and peanuts in summer. Ben was his name, and he didn’t make a lot of money. People getting off the subway didn’t mind spoiling their dinners a bit by eating some of Ben’s hot chestnuts or salty peanuts. Ben lived very modestly in the basement in one of the tenements in my South Bronx community. The leather in his shoes was badly cracked; the heels were run over. The fingers of his gloves were worn out, exposing his fingertips to the brutal cold. When you touched his fingers on a winter’s day, because of the constant exposure to freezing temperatures they were as hard as a rock.
People were drawn to him, and I’ll tell you why. If you bought some chestnuts or peanuts from him, he would not only give you a big smile with your purchase, he would also have some words for you. He would hand you your little package of goodies and say, “Don’t you forget to thank God for the many blessings God has given you.” Or he might say, “Remember that there are people going hungry today. Maybe say a prayer for them.” He would never let you go without reminding you of your Christian obligation to praise God and to remember your brothers and sisters who were in need.
On Sundays we would never see his cart, because on Sundays Ben was in church. You could see him early Sunday morning striding through the neighborhood in an ill- fitting, well-worn suit that was probably given to him. He wore the same shoes he wore during the week, but with a bit of a shine, perhaps produced by Vaseline. And he had a Bible, always a Bible under his arm. He attended one of those churches that use tambourines and drums in their worship, obviously a church that preached the importance of bringing the gospel of Christ to the world. That is why I am moved to say, this morning’s gospel reminds me of Ben.
It talks about a major change in the work of Jesus. In this morning’s gospel, Jesus begins to send his disciples out to bring the message of the good news to the world. It is a significant change in his style of ministry, because up to this point in time, Jesus has been inviting people to come; to come into his presence, to come hear him preach, to come listen to him teach. He has been inviting people to learn about his gospel. Now for the first time he is telling his disciples to go, to go out into the world and bring to the world the lessons they have learned from him. It was time for his disciples to go. So, the man went. He stood next to the subway station offering people food for their stomach, and also he fed them the gospel to nourish their souls. This morning’s gospel reminds me so much of Ben.
There is a highly significant point being made in this gospel. The task of the Christian Church, that which makes it credible, is recognized in this new paradigm. The model through which the Kingdom is to finally be brought to fruition involves our emulating the twelve and carrying the healing, good news into the world. Jesus left this important work for you and me to do.
Have you heard about of a man who happened to stumble into a Quaker meeting? He sat down and waited and waited and waited. After close to an hour of silence, in frustration he finally turned to the person next to him and asked when the service was to begin. The person he was addressing responded with these words, “When we leave.” It brings to mind the very last words of our Liturgy. You remember those words spoken by our deacon; “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
You and I know there are so many times when we come to church to feel good, to be lifted by a good message, to be lifted by the music, the fellowship, the joy of it all. As we embrace all of these things, we must not forget that we come to be nourished, so that Christ may send us out when the preaching and teaching and the fellowshipping is done, to bring the message of the gospel to the world.
He always had a smile and a spiritual thought for you. Again, this morning’s gospel reminds me so very, very much of Ben. Jesus ordered the twelve to take “nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts.” In other words, he wanted them to travel light. How true it is that all kinds of things can weigh us down and get in the way of our doing the work of Christ. And I speak not only of material things, like money. I would remind you also of other things that can get in our way, other agendas that crowd our minds, other agendas like personal goals that distract us from the work of the gospel, other agendas like emotional conflicts, other agendas like resentments towards other people or situations, they may fill our minds and keep us away from that which we promised to do at Baptism.
With much regret I report to you that in my 56 years of ministry, I have known so many people who have left the church because of a resentment towards another member of the congregation or because the church did or did not use incense. In my years of ministry, I have known people to discontinue involvement in outreach programs of the parish because of personality differences or because the program was not structured to their liking. I have known people who have discontinued membership in their church because they have had an opportunity for a promotion in their place of business, but it required their working on Sundays.
People, this morning’s gospel is trying to teach us to keep it simple, to travel lightly. This way our minds are on the task, and not on the distractions brought about through our excess baggage. Good old Ben, he didn’t have much, a room in a tenement basement, a broad and inviting smile, a Bible through which he learned about the gospel of Christ and a church that helped him to recognize his primary task of taking that gospel into the world.
In the autumn of my sixteenth year, while at his post at the subway station, Ben had a heart attack. He was taken to Lincoln Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He had no money, so the community took up a purse to bury him. Many, many people crowded into that little storefront church he attended. The crowd was so large that we spilled onto the sidewalk outside and stood in the rain. We celebrated that man who did his part to bring the gospel to the world. And the preacher used as his text a portion of this morning’s gospel, “And he called the twelve.” But he changed it just a bit. He said, “…and he called Ben.” My brothers and sisters let us remember, the service begins when we leave this place.
--Fr. C. Allan Ford
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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 - $2975 ($160 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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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF DUTCHESS COUNTY
“Together – We can dream it, We can build it, We can achieve it!”
Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County is still serving our community and partnering with us at St. Paul’s Food Pantry. I attended an 8:30 am breakfast meeting on 7/6/2021 and was able to pick up the bags of food donations they collect for the food pantry for the first time in a long time. Thanks to our team of volunteers here and Christ Church. The ReStore is opened during business hours with help unloading your donations from 10:30 – 3:30 pm only. The program is do so well, that they are no longer accepting applications for the Homeownership program until 2022, because their inventory of houses is equal to applications. They are collecting recycled cans at the entrance of the store, so stop by and donate your cans. We at St. Paul’s have been collecting cans and bottle to help the cause; let me know if you have recycled items to donate.
The new site at 9 Mall Plaza, 1822 South Road, in Wappingers Fall is beautiful. If you know someone who is interested in volunteering, donating, or purchasing household items please call Jen Radicone at 845-297-7610; she will connect you to the right person. Most of all volunteers are always needed. If you, your friends, or community groups can help out please call.
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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; Frank Burnett, 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; Liz, Martha; Eileen; the Butler, Richards and Barrett families; 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 6-11, 2021
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TUE__ 6
WED _ 7
THU __ 8
SAT _ 10
SUN___ 11
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10:00am
6:00pm
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
________________
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Food Pantry & Thrift Shop
Spiritual Life/Formation
Food Pantry & Thrift Shop;
Food Pantry & Thrift Shop;
_____
Building & Grounds
Zoom - Rite II, Ante Communion
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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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