lenten in car nat us 2009

8/14/2019 Lenten in Car Nat Us 2009

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Father John Walsteds Sermon, SundayMarch 29, 2009

As we look toward Palm Sunday and HolyWeek, the lessons prepare us to contem-plate those mighty acts whereby God hasgiven us life and immortality. It is not a

preparation that seems all that attractive atfirst.

The Old Testament lesson tells us whatthe result is going to be - a new covenantof converted and transformed hearts. Andwhat will transform our hearts? It will bethe knowledge that God has forgiven andforgotten all our shortcomings and mis-takes, and all the wrongs that we did onpurpose. The old covenant was based onlaw and punishment. The new covenant

will be based on hearts transformed byforgiveness.

The Epistle and Gospel lessons tell us howwe get to the new covenant - and here'swhere things start to seem a little unat-tractive. We get to the new covenantthrough voluntarily submitting to unjustsuffering. That's what Jesus did. After theagony in the Garden of Gethsemane, theinnocent Jesus submitted to the humilia-tion and torture of crucifixion.

And that changed everything. The Romanshad the power to put people to death withthe maximum pain. That's how they terri-fied the peoples they conquered. God inJesus undermined and overturned thatpower by submitting to the horrible deaththey could inflict and then by demonstrat-ing that death is not the last word.

We no longer have to fear death. The re-lationship God established with us in bap-tism is indissoluble. That relationship will

LENT 2009

NEWS INTHELIFEOF ST. PAULSMEMORIALCHURCH

NEWSLETTER DATE : 03/20/2009VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1

THE INCARNATUS

SPECIALPOINTSOF

INTEREST :

Father Walsteds sermon

Lent 5

Upcoming Events

Changes by ChristopherStill

Lenten Prayers

INSIDETHISISSUE :

Upcoming events 2

MY LENTEN JOURNEY 3

FATHER WALSTED S

SERMON

1

Announcements 4

survive our death, and we will be with God. Andif we don't have to fear death, then we don't haveto fear anything.

And if we don't have to fear anything, then wedon't have to be defensive and angry and tryingto get as much as we can for ourselves. Because

there's nothing to fear, we can be generous andpatient and self-forgetful. We can receive God'sforgiveness as the gift it is. And when God's for-giveness has transformed our hearts, we'll under-stand that we don't have to hold onto grudgesand resentments. We can forgive one another.

That's the glorious result - a new, undying rela-tionship with God, a relationship based on love,not on law, on desire, not on compulsion, a rela-tionship where wrongs are forgiven, not pun-ished.

And the way Jesus got to that glorious result wasby suffering as an innocent victim. That's howJesus could say in John's Gospel that the verymoment of His humiliating death is hour of theSon of man's glorification and the moment whenthe world is judged and the ruler of the worldcast out. The suffering of the innocent victimturns everything completely upside down.

The suffering of the innocent victim still turnsthings upside down. What ended centuries oflegalized racial discrimination in less than a gen-eration? It was non-violent civil disobedience--

that is, people voluntarily submitted to the penal-ties for disobeying unjust laws. The innocentsuffering shocked the conscience of the nationand led to changes no one could have imagined inthe days of Jim Crow.

This is the pattern Jesus left us. It isn't easy. Infact it's against everything we're formed to thinkis smart. But who has built an enduring marriagewithout learning the power of an apology? Athome, on the street, and at work, in matters

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Thursday April 9th

Maundy Thursday, 7:30pm

The Lord Jesus, after he had supped with his disciples and

had washed their feet, said to them, "Do you know what I,

your Lord and Master, have done to you?Friday April 10th

Good Friday liturgy, 7:30pm

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your

holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Saturday April 11th

Great Vigil Of Easter, 7:30pm

This is the Passover of the Lord, in which by hearing his

Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share in his vic-

tory over death.

Sunday April 12th

Easter Day Mass, 10:15am

Alleluia Christ is Risen The Lord is Risen indeed Alleluia!!!

May 2nd and May 9th

Flea Market Fundraiser at St. Pauls-see Suzanne Ainslie or

Stephanie Woodley for details

PAGE 2 THE INCARNATUS

For the Parish

Almighty and everliving God, ruler of allthings in heaven

and earth, hear our prayers for this parish

family. Strengthen

the faithful, arouse the careless, and re-

store the penitent.

Grant us all things necessary for our com-

mon life, and bring

us all to be of one heart and mind within

your holy Church;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

For Guidance

O God, by whom the meek are guided injudgment, and

light riseth up in darkness for the godly:

Grant us, in all

our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to

UPCOMING MASSES

AND EVENTS

LENTEN PRAYERSFOROURPARISH

ask what thou

wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of

wisdom may save

us from all false choices, and that in thy

light we may see

light, and in thy straight path may not

stumble; through

Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

For Quiet Confidence

O God of peace,who hast taught us thatin returning and

rest we shall be saved, in quietness and

confidence shall be

our strength: By the might ofthy Spirit

lift us, we praythee,to thy presence, where we may be still and

know that thou

art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Sunday April 5th

Palm Sunday, 10:15amBlessed is the King

who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace

in heaven and glory in the highest.

Sunday April 5th

3:304:30pm Holy hour order for evening

silent meditation.


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Well here we are again almost at theend of our lenten journey. We arealways on a journey in our separatelives with family friends and career.

However every year the church invitesus to go on a corporate one with ourfellow sisters and brothers in thechurch universal. We are invited to

the observance of a holy Lent, by self-

examination and repentance; by prayer,

fasting, and self-denial; and by reading

and Meditating on God's holy Word.

And, to make a right beginning of re-

pentance, BCP1979

This is a season of change, a time ofletting go, and of taking on. It mightbe the change of attitude or habit, ofletting go of grudges, or of ways ofthinking. And replacing them, takingon new healthier ones.

Jesus began his Fast of 40 days andnights, what we would call the firstLent, By this example of the Son ofGod, taking the time to be alone withGod the Father, his Father, our Father.To strengthen the connection betweenthem and become focused on what he

was called to do is one of the mostpowerful examples he left us Withoutgoing through this spiritual exercise,Jesus would not have been able tocomplete his mission. Not just his pas-sion but the daily struggle of preachingto the crowds, healing the sick, andteaching the Gospel to Gods peopleand his Disciples. After all this was achange for him, he went from living athome with his mother and working as acarpenter, to the life of his public min-

istry.

So theres that word change again, notalways a welcomed word in peopleslives. Some people fear it others wel-come it. Sometimes we become soroutine in the different aspects of ourlives we do not even realize it. Nowon a personal note I am not good with

PAGE 3VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1

My Lenten JourneyChanges by Christopher Still

change, although I am getting better.And there has been a lot of change inmy life. For example I no longerhave my immediate family and have

even lost some close friends. But outof this has come other families offriends. When I was diagnosed withdiabetes, which was a huge changethat I struggled with in my eatinghabits, being a junk food junkie thatwas tough. However I made itthrough these changes, by the Graceof God with prayer and thanksgiving.The biggest change in my life, which Ihave to admit is still happening with alot of work on the Holy Spirits part,

is learning to let go and let God. Toget out of Gods way, and allow himto lead me on my journey. To listento that small voice and trust that eve-rything will be ok. My Mother toldme just before she died, Christo-pher you allow your self to be guidedby others, and not trusting yourself tolisten to what your heart is telling youor what God is telling you. I,thought about this for quite a whileand began to realize just how often Ido get in Gods way, and from thatpoint have been working on letting goand letting God.

Here at St. Pauls we as a communityhave gone through and are goingthrough Changes. From the suddenretirement of Father Blasingame, whom

we wish well on his Journey during thistime in his life, To condensing to oneservice at 10:15 so the 8:00 oclockcongregation has been coming to the10:15, which is a whole different ser-vice with music. We have had differentclergy; first two visits from the Dio-cese and then Mother Rhoda whom wewish a speedy recovery and then FatherWalsted who is with us now, both oldfriends of the parish. We have a mid-week service of Evening Prayer on

Thursdays at 7:30 pm. Mid- week ser-vice used to be on Tuesday and stationsduring Lent were on Wednesdays butnow are on Thursdays. Which is aslight change. The liturgy of the Masshas gone through some changes withdifferent prayers, and every so often themusic for the mass setting changes. Butwe are a strong group and have cometogether working through the power ofthe Holy Spirit. I believe we will travelthis journey together, some of us un-comfortable with changes and others okwith it. But together, Loving, caringand supporting each other, is a beautifulthing to watch and be a part of and tosee the Holy Spirit in action, working inall of us carrying out Gods will andChrists teachings of love and commu-nity. God bless us all as we continue onthis journey of change, in this Holy sea-son of Lent and beyond.

Your Brother in Christ

Christopher Still


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225 St. Pauls AveStaten Island, New York 10304

Phone: 718/273-9572Email: [email protected]

NEWSINTHELIFEOF

ST. PAUL SMEMORIAL

CHURCH

everyone knew was not goodfor anyone involved was letto go on for years and years.I guess it seemed easier andmaybe even kinder to let it

go on without dealing withwhat was happening. How-ever, avoiding reality hardlyever turns out well. Let's justsay I know that from experi-ence.

The people of this parish andthe lay leadership, as well asyour former rector and nodoubt the bishops, probablyall feel that others have letthem down, and, in different

ways, they're all correct. Ittook a long time to get intothis, and it will take sometime to rebuild. I know youare starting to do that, and Iapplaud your efforts. Let memake a few suggestions alongthe way.

Fr. Walsted Sermon continued

from page 1

large and small, Jesus' patternof submitting to unnecessary

or unjust suffering leads toforgiveness and reconciliation.It is very powerful. It changedthe world, and every time wepractice it, the world is againtransformed.

One way of talking aboutwhat has happened to St.Paul's it to say that you have alot to forgive. These arethings that are very difficult tospeak about, and it's probably

not my place. Neverthelessthese things are on my heartafter more than 30 years ofknowing you.

You have a lot to forgive.There has certainly been afailure of leadership here, andthere has been a failure ofoversight. A situation that

When a parish is in decline,there are always complaints.People see a negative situa-tion, and it's easy to saynegative things. Now that

you're trying to move in adifferent direction, it's timeto change those habits.

If there's something nice tosay to someone in the parish,say it. Don't make things up,but if you have an apprecia-tive thought about somethingsomeone said or did, be sureyou tell that person. Say it inperson, or, even more pow-erfully, write a little note.

Second, try not to say nega-tive things, especially inmeetings. I can tell you fromexperience that there's noth-ing more disheartening thana rancorous Vestry or com-mittee meeting. Please filterwhat you say so the groupcan stay focused on finding

WWW.STPAULSCHURCH.BLOGSPOT.COM

creative solutions togetherrather than on complainingAbout what is not working.

And be generous. Be gener-ous with your time. Be gen-

erous with your efforts onbehalf of St. Paul's. Be gener-ous in your estimations ofother people. And, ofcourse, be generous withyour money. You mightwant to invite Fr. Keuchersome time to say more aboutthat. So if you're appreciativeor grateful for something,please express it. A littlenote is a very powerful way

to do it. Then filter what yousay so you are helping tobuild up the group. And begenerous. If you do all thesethings, first it will help St.Paul's rebuild, and second, toparaphrase the slogan of theMen's Wearhouse, you'll likethe way you're acting. I guar-antee it.

Coffee Hour hosts needed:this is a special time on a Sundaymorning of fellowship with eachother after Mass. Time to catch upwith one another and to take care of

church business some times. It isalso a time for hospitality, Volun-teers are needed to host coffee hourplease speak with Christopher Stillon Sunday morning or place yourname on the sign up sheet located inthe parish house on the bulletin

board thank you.

Parish Clean up Day: Thisyear The parish clean up day isscheduled for Saturday April 4th

from 10:00am to 3:00 pm. it is a

time to come together and prepareGods house for Holy Week. Thereare Palms to be striped, floors to beswept and mopped furniture to bedusted and silver tobe polished.Coffee & tea will be served and

Lunch will be provided. Please feelfree to bring cleaning suppliesbrooms mops rags etc. even if youcan come for a little bit of time itwill be appreciated.

Community News-If you haveany news you would like to sharewith the parish family, please feelfree to let us know and we will placeit in the community news section youcan give it to Christopher Still onSunday morning or email him [email protected] put in the Re:St. Pauls news. Also if you wouldlike to help with the news letterplease let us know feel free to submitany poems, or writings you may like

to share in the news letter.Garden Clean Up Day: Isscheduled for April 18th followingMass. Rain date TBA

Announcements
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

lenten in car nat us 2009

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