Hearing the Word

Fellow Parishioners:

Here we are in February already. While I am writing this before the coming weekend and “Super Bowl” Sunday a good number of you will not be reading this until after the weekend. I know I try to keep the focus of our ministry upon the Gospel and God’s message of Love and I pray that both sides in the coming game will perform their best, (I do love a good game). All I have to say here on Thurs-day when I write this is GO Niners!

We continue to be in the season of Epiphany. It is a time for the faithful to realize or understand anew who Jesus was, is and will be. Wow that is hard. Most of you come to this faith community be-cause you already know who Jesus is. You already know his message and the purpose for his being. You have read the scriptures, heard the Gospel. So what is this season for then? I contend it is for our faith and our understanding and connection to God’s teachings and Word to deepen. In a way different than our prayer and sacrifice in Lent we deepen our knowing of Emmanuel. We see what the incarnation means differently.

We at St. Andrew’s at least since I’ve been here have used the common ending to the readings from the Book of Common Prayer. There are other sources we could be using. I would like to offer up for your contemplation the closing statement added as an option in the book Enriching Our Worship. I’m pretty sure during the past years you have used resources from its pages. The ending phrase “Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people” is one I am particularly fond of as it conveys the sense of what it means to hear the Word you have heard so many times in perhaps a new and inspirational way. It says, “I know you have heard this before, but hear how the Holy Spirit is revealing it to you today – Through today’s ears and circumstances.” As we struggle as a community of faith to keep our scriptures fresh and current I recommend we listen to the readings each week in this light and I would like to hear from you all about how you would feel about us changing the words we read liturgically to this phrase as opposed to “The Word of the Lord.”

The end of this month also brings the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday is on February 26th. This year I will again be distributing Ashes to Go, but will be moving to outside of Safeway in Felton. We will have our Ash Wednesday Service at 5:00 PM that day. I will also be trying something new regarding our Lenten series. Instead of having a Lenten Soup Supper on Tuesday nights we will be having a Lenten Soup luncheon at 1:00 PM on Sundays during Lent – Up to and including Palm Sunday. As we get older many of us don’t like going out at night, the oncoming headlights can make seeing problematic. So we will be moving more of our activities like the Advent and Lenten offerings to Sunday afternoons. I hope to see you all there.

I want to thank you all for a well attended and successful Annual Meeting this past week. I believe we started a good discussion. I want to thank the outgoing Vestry Members again and let you know that Rochelle Kelly has graciously consented to continue as Senior Warden. We all seem to be willing to do what we can to make St. Andrews a viable and on-going place of worship and ministry and even though we may (many of us) be long in the tooth we don’t seem to be frightened of looking for new ways to succeed. I pray we hear what the Spirit is saying to us and that we may travel where she calls us to go.

This is all I have this month. May the Good Lord keep you and yours safe. May God hold you and keep you. Remember the Lord has not stopped revealing him or herself in the World so let’s be mindful and vigilant for the Spirit working in our lives this Epiphany and all the days of our lives.

I remain yours in Christ.
Blessings
Rob+