THE GABRIEL
Parish Newsletter for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church May 31, 2021
Calendar Reminders
Jun 5 9:30-11:30 am AA Meeting
Jun 6 10:15 AM Sunday worship: In- Person Service, streamed live on FaceBook
June 7 10:00AM and 6:30PM Circle of Prayer, ZOOM
June 9 6:30pm Bible Study, Bsmt Meeting Room
Jun 13 10:15 AM Morning Prayer: In- Person Service, streamed live on FaceBook
Washington Cathedral on line 11:15 am and 7:30 pm daily: https://cathedral.org/worship/
Collect for 2nd Sunday after Pentecost (June 6th)
O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lessons: Genesis 3:8-15; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35
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OUR PARISH PRAYERS:
Intercessor: With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, saying/chanting:
Intercessor: For the peace of the world, for the welfare of the holy Church of God, and for the unity of all peoples,
Cantor:
People:
Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Cantor:
People:
Intercessor: Cantor: People:
Intercessor:
those who live in them,
Cantor:
People:
Intercessor: conserve it, Cantor: People:
Cantor:
People:
Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For Michael our Presiding Bishop, for Jennifer our Bishop, for Mauricio, Bishop Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our President, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority, Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Intercessor:
of our sister diocese in Brasilia; in our diocesan cycle of prayer we pray for All clergy in hospital chaplaincy, including The Rev. Mary Bargiel; and for all clergy and people,
For Jeffersonville, Clark County and for every city and community, and for Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
Intercessor:
suffering. We remember all who have asked us to remember them in prayer, especially Virginia, Beverly, Juanita, Gwen, Mary Sue, Delani, Nan, David & Michele, Patricia, Sonny, John, Fred, Laura and Michael.
For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the
For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the destitute, for
Intercessor:
prisoners and captives, and for all who remember and care for them, Cantor: Let us pray to the Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.
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Intercessor: Cantor: People:
Intercessor: Cantor: People:
Intercessor: reproach, Cantor: People:
For all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For deliverance from all danger, violence, oppression, and degradation, Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That we may end our lives in faith and hope, without suffering and without Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
In the communion of St Paul and all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and
FROM THE GABRIEL TEAM:
ONLINE MORNING PRAYER SERVICES: The next service will begin Sunday,
June 6th at 10:15 am. It will be live and in person at St. Paul’s, and on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/StPaulsJeff/live_videos/
Please join us, during or after the service, and tell others about the service. Also check YouTube for videos of past services: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCynD2CNlCMbJ5YOb1Euce5Q.
THE COVID REPORT from Kim Hedges will not be appearing for the forseeable future due to technology issues. To check the information for yourself, go to the following website: Clark County, Indiana (IN) - COVID Vaccine & Risk Tracker - Covid Act Now
VACCINE REPORT REMINDER: THANK YOU to all who have reported in! To those who have not yet been vaccinated, please remember to let us know when you have been able to receive your vaccination. Our record of those vaccinated is excellent.
MANY THANKS for your continued faithful responses to the need for funds. We all will appreciate your prayers and contributions.
Intercessor:
one another, and all our life, to Christ our God.
People:
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CRITIC OF THE WEEK AWARDS TO BE GIVEN! The parish secretary has noticed (unfortunately, always after publication) that there are increasing numbers of errors in past issues of The Gabriel. The Sr. Warden has agreed to a weekly contest to see who can identify the greatest number of errors in the current newsletter. In addition to mention in the following newsletter, the winner will receive a free seat at the following Sunday morning service, and a free cup of coffee at coffee hour. Please send in your list of errors each week to: stpaulsjeff@gmail.com. ïŠ
PARISH OFFICE HOURS : MTWF 10:00-4:30 and Thurs 10:00 to 1:00 pm.
If you have something you’d like to add to the next newsletter (including a brief update on what you and/or your family have been doing since last we met together), please email the team at stpaulsjeff@gmail.com by Sunday afternoon. Please put “newsletter” in the subject line.
FROM REV.LINNEA STIFLER: Notes from SERMON ON SUNDAY, MAY 30TH
“...acknowledge the Trinity, worship the Unity...”
The first Christians were Jewish, who gave us the great gift of monotheism—the singularity of God.
â— Not “gods” of the river, gods of the forest, gods of the mountains, but One God.
â— Not “gods” that fight with each other, “gods” that are fickle and manipulative, or “gods” that can be appeased by animal sacrifice.
The Shema “Hear O Israel...God is one God” is deep, deep within every son and daughter of Israel.
Then there were the disciples, whose experience of Jesus was so profound, so closely identified with his Father: “I and the Father are one...” This had to change their understanding, yet it didn’t feel threatening. Rather it was invitational, God--accessible.
Besides that were Jesus’ words, words from the prophet Isaiah that he applied to himself: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind...”
And, his words at his last supper with them about “the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth that the Father will send in my name...”
And finally, the experience of Pentecost, the overwhelming sense of the Holy that transcended everything they had ever known...
That may be the biggest take-away from Trinity Sunday—God always “bigger” than our abilities to conceptualize.
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So first “experience” then “seeking understanding’ – “theology,” words about God.
Trying to talk about their experience of God as a Trinity took years and years, lots of disagreement. In the early 4th century there were street riots in Alexandria over the nature of the Trinity.
â— Jesus “mostly human, not really God, but special” --Sort of comprehensible, but a heresy.
â— Jesus “mostly divine, not really human, but special” --Sort of comprehensible, but a heresy.
â— Jesus fully human and fully divine? YES, but how could that be?
Finally it was clarified at the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325), which is why we say the Nicene Creed every Sunday.
So, that is the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity: God: One in Three and Three in One. But there is no way to wrap our finite minds around the Mystery of how this can be. As I heard Father Fedosic attempt to grapple with these questions one Trinity Sunday morning only to finally throw up his hands, saying “It’s a MYSTERY!” and he then sat down.
It is hard for us to imagine street riots over this, yet we still see lots of confusion among Christians. We err in the same way as believers in the first three centuries of the Church: sometimes “operative understanding” takes place, as in:
â— The Three have different jobs, like a company with a CEO for creation, a CEO for Salvation, and a CEO for Sanctification—heresy that was condemned at the councils because it denies the oneness.
â— St. Patrick’s 3-leaf clover—closer?
â— Sometimes I bless using “...the Source, the Well-Spring, and the Living Water...” but this still verges on missing the mark.
â— Different denominations emphasize different aspects of the Trinity: â—‹some, ( like a lot of evangelical churches) are all about Jesus;
â—‹some, (like “Apostolic” or Pentecostal or “Full Gospel”) focus on charismatic experience of the Holy Spirit;
â—‹some (like Episcopalians) feel safest keeping God at a distance as Creator (long ago) or Holy (stained glass and vaulted ceilings) or Rule-maker (who makes sure you use the right colors for the right Church seasons). We get a little nervous about too much talk of Jesus—too much emotional expression.
â— A friend who resisted Christianity because as a feminist she couldn’t abide saying “In the Name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” Yet this might be most helpful of all because it is not about maleness, it’s all about relationship.
Here is what I think: The Trinity is a Dynamic Relational Dance of self-emptying Love.
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This is not original with me. In trying to find an understanding at Nicea, three bishops from eastern Turkey, Cappadocia, suggest this image of a Dance of Relationship:
In Greek perichoresis, each person of the Trinity is pouring self-giving Love into one another-- a creative process, a dynamic movement of Love—most consistent with experience and scripture. This image is meaningful to me, capturing the experience of the nature of God as ever-living, all-life-giving. Love experienced as human personhood, love experienced as spiritual reality. It is the vitality of the Divine Mystery that still gives meaning: the Holy Trinity as a Dance of Love.
What does this mean for us 21st century Christians? Why are we Trinitarian in our creed, that is, in our belief? What is our take-away from Trinity Sunday 2021 at St. Paul’s Church in Jeffersonville, IN?
â—Already named: God can never be contained by what we are capable of conceiving with our human understanding, so whatever we might say about God is never adequate to who God is.
â—That said, 1 John clearly says “God is love. Everything about Jesus clearly shows that God is poured-out, self-giving Love.
â—God loves diversity—God brings about unity. â—”Union with” is what the Trinity is! Unifying diversity.
â—‹The Trinity brings healing of our own personal beings by unifying the parts of our inner selves—psychologists call “integration of person”
â—‹The Trinity brings healing among God’s people by Unifying us in the Body, the Church
â—‹The Trinity brings healing in the world by Unifying us with people different from us, who are equally children of God.
â—‹The trinity ultimately unifies us with God’s Self. We share in the mutuality of the Trinity, that is: loving relationship.
â—‹We participate in the Trinity by loving.
So we say the Nicene Creed. Creed, or in Latin Credo, means “I believe...” Looking at the origin of “believe” in Middle English is more like “belove,” or “give my heart to” or “lovingly put my trust in...”
So let us say the Trinitarian Nicene Creed, but this morning I invite us to change the words slightly by Instead of “I believe in..” let’s say “I lovingly give my heart...to God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth...”
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REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, GIVE THANKS IN ALL
CIRCUMSTANCES,
FOR THAT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOU!
THOUGHT for the DAY:
May you be blessed on this Memorial Day with precious memories of
those who gave their lives in service of all types; with friends and
family who we love and who love us in return; with safety, and with
enough to eat; and with rejoicing in the Love of our Savior, Jesus
Christ (one in Three!)
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