the shell - st. james' episcopal church · the shell march, 2014 st. james episcopal church...
TRANSCRIPT
The Shell March, 2014
St. James Episcopal Church 1307 North Main St.
Mount Airy, MD 21771 301.829.0325 www.stjamesmtairy.org
A Holy Lent ...
Every year on Ash Wednesday this day I am struck by the strange contradiction that we read the
Gospel lesson in which Jesus tells us not to disfigure our faces when we fast, and then we disfigure
our faces with ashes to begin our Lenten fast.
One thing we need to bear in mind, though, as we remember Jesus’ words and prepare ourselves for
a holy Lent, and that is that Jesus’ teaching is not about actions, it is about motives. The problem he
wants to address, after all, is not fasting, but making a show of it – trying to impress others by a
visible display of holiness. “Look at me! I’m fasting and you’re not.”
This was certainly not the problem when our ancestors created the ashes ritual in around the eighth
century to mark the beginning of Lent. For them, the ashes on the forehead were a sign of solidari-
ty, not of being set apart, because, after all, everyone in their community, indeed, everyone in the
world they knew was fasting.
But things are as different for us now from that time as the eighth century was different from Je-
sus’ day. Lenten fasting is seldom practiced anymore, even among those who do bear the ashen cross
on their forehead, and Ash Wednesday and Lent are not a part of the tradition of every Christian
denomination. Without a clear, common practice, you must decide for yourself how to live into Jesus’
teaching. Wash the ashes off when you leave church, or wear them as a personal reminder, or even
as an evangelical tool – for the ashes can be a spur not to boasting, but to real conversation about
your faith with other people.
Whatever you decide to do, though, don’t forget the fast. Jesus is all for fasting as a spiritual dis-
cipline as long as it is that, and not an exercise in self-aggrandizement.
So why do we fast? Lent, we are told in the Book of Common Prayer, is a time set aside for self-
examination and repentance, prayer, fasting and self-denial, and reading and meditating on scrip-
ture. At the time Christians began to observe Lent, it was one fast in a year-long cycle of fasting
and feasting – the greatest fast, to be sure, in preparation for the greatest feast, but fasting was
once a regular part of people’s lives, and understood to be part of the rhythm of the year, the self
discipline that enabled us to fully enjoy the feasts that followed.
(continued)
Page 2 The Shell, March, 2014
Nowadays, not only is fasting unusual, and self-denial countercultural, but neither do we celebrate
the feasts as thoroughly as our ancestors did. Western Christians tend to celebrate New Years’ Eve
and Super Bowl Sunday with more abandon than we celebrate Easter, and we lack the stamina to
keep up the Easter celebration for the entire fifty days.
So let me say a couple of things about fasting. Our ancestors knew that there were lots of degrees
of fasting, and they all had value. They observed meat fasts, cheese fasts, oil fasts – starvation, you
see, wasn’t the goal. In fasting, you give up something you are entitled to enjoy, to remind yourself
that both the enjoyment and the thing you enjoy are gifts from God, and to help you enjoy it more
fully when the fast is over.
So, two things to bear in mind as you construct a Lenten discipline for yourself this year. On the one
hand, think about giving up, for a while, something that you want to appreciate more fully as a gift
from God – something you take for granted, say, or something you want to better understand how it
fits in your life. It could be food, to be sure, but it could also be something you do – driving, or chat-
ting, or sleeping in. And you don’t have to give it up altogether – just reconsider and reshape its
place in your life.
And second, remember that we fast from things that we are entitled to the free enjoyment of. So
take some time this Lent to consider whether all of the things you have the free enjoyment of you
are actually entitled to enjoy. And if you discover that in some ways you are taking more than your
share, or enjoying things the enjoyment of which belongs by right to others, then maybe, as you
leave behind your Lenten discipline for the richness of the Easter celebration, you might consider
giving those unmerited pleasures up for Easter so that others may enjoy them fully.
Blessings,
- Bill +
The Shell, March, 2014 Page 3
Saint James’ Sunday School Happenings...
Sundays: 9:30 — 10:15 a.m. Lower Level Classrooms
We pray for the ministry of A is for Africa, that their workers may have strong hearts and ample support
for the work they do, and that the children they serve may grow up healthy and wise…
It was a joy to hear the children singing This Little Light of Mine during worship recently. They
continue to enjoy their opening sessions each Sunday with “Mr. Jon”. How special it is that our older
youth take an active role in participating in 10:30 a.m. worship every 4th Sunday. A special note.…...
Katie McKeever and Marie Pellicier have been recruiting and training new acolytes and organizing the
monthly schedules. Job well done by all!
We are now focusing on our Lenten outreach project: A is for Africa. How fortunate we were to
have a recent visit from Rick & Mary Anne Smith who shared pictures and stories about their recent
trip to Africa and how our last year’s mite box donations were put to use. Our students filled out
pen pal papers, which will be taken to Africa and returned to us with messages from the Matimu stu-
dents. How exciting!
Our Sunday School students had an opportunity to meet our new interim rector, The Rev. Dr. Wil-
liam Doggett, on his first Sunday at St. James’. He blessed the mite boxes made by the students
when they presented them at the altar during worship. By now each child/family should have a mite
box to fill with coins during Lent.
We thank the Thrift Shop for so generously keeping our Sunday School in mind with wonderful do-
nations. We recently received a puppet stage as well as many amazing puppets. Such fun!
Our dedicated volunteer Sunday School teachers include:
Allison Griffin (Bible Stories for Preschoolers coordinator) Betsy Davis (Kindergarten - 1st Grade) Robin Kaizer and Cathy Schell (2nd - 3rd Grades) Yvette Allen (4th - 5th Grades), Joan Fader (Middle School) Peter Sabonis (High School) Jon Fader (Music) Nancy Nanavaty (Group Activities)
For information about our Sunday School program, please speak with one of our teachers or contact
Joan Fader (301-798-2576) [email protected]
Page 4 The Shell, March, 2014
Thrift Shop News ...
No need for a four leaf clover
No need to search for the Pot of Gold
ST. JAMES’THRIFT SHOP HAS WHAT YOU NEED!
Clothing * Shoes* House wares
Knick Knacks* Linens* Curtains* Books * Bedding *Dishes* Crafts*Purses* Ties* Accessories*
Picture Frames* Photo albums * Books * Movies & SO much more!
We’re not just affordable, we’re THRIFTY !
March 1-31st
50% OFF
ANY ITEM! One coupon per customer * No cash Value * Not available on sale items
The Shell, March, 2014 Page 5
Saint James’ Nursery School News ...
Registration for next year has started and was open to the public on
February 10th.
The school is excited to learn that they were approved for a Walmart
Grant of 1,500, which will be used for purchase of math materials for the
classroom.
The school was open for President's day to make up for a missed day due to a
day off from snow.
Internet service will eventually be available at the annex building. This will
help with communication via email for teachers and the opportunity for com-
puter use for the students.
Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know ...
Our Sunday School students are full of questions. Some of them get answered in the
course of the class, but others get put on hold, perhaps to ask the Rector, or to ask a
parent, or perhaps to be forgotten about, at least for a while. The Sunday School
teachers have questions too, about the lessons they are teaching or about things the
students bring up. And, no doubt, you have questions too – things you never learned in
Sunday School, or have long since forgotten, or questions that have only come up
recently in your life. And maybe, if it’s something you think you really ought to know
already, you may be shy about asking.
Well, hesitate no more. St. James’ Church is starting the Question Box. Any religious
questions, no matter how big or small, can be put in the box, and we will do our best to
answer them. Questions that might be of interest to many people will be answered in a
column in The Shell. Other questions will be answered on the website, in Sunday School
classes, or even, if appropriate, in a sermon. And if Bill can’t answer your questions, he
will find someone who can. So if you have always wondered about the strange clothes
that ministers wear or why King David got away with being such a cheesehead, or why
the 40 days of Lent last for 46 days, fill out a form and drop it in the question box
which will be found on the table near the entrances.
Page 6 The Shell, March, 2014
The Book Fair is Coming !!!
St. James’ Nursery School’s yearly Scholastic Book Fair Event
will be on March 19th – 21st. The fair will be open from
9:00 am-3:00 pm on Wednesday and Thursday and from
9:00 am – 1:00 on Friday at the St. James’ Episcopal Church
sanctuary, located at 1307 North Main Street in Mt. Airy. We
will be having three drawings for special book baskets. Raffle
tickets are earned by making book purchases. There will be many
preschool and adult books available to purchase. We invite
everyone in the community to this event.
For more information please contact Pat Castle, our school’s
Director, at 301.829.0014.
The Shell, March, 2014 Page 7
March Birthdays !!!
2 Amber Peters
3 Jennifer Hartung
4 Timothy Staley
5 Neil Hidey
David Peters
7 Stanley Allen
8 Paul Christensen
14 Sam Grimes, Jr.
Jim Mullen
16 Stewart Burlew
Bryce McClanahan
17 Jim Mauro
18 McKenna Henyon
Ashleigh Inglesby
Ryan Staley
19 Danielle Inglesby
20 Albert Hadermann
Wanda Meinschein
21 Brian Hartman
24 Amanda Meinschein
27 Stephen Batdorff
Danny Rockwell
28 Laura Suckling
31 Carolyn Etzler
March Wedding Anniversaries !!!
3/30/74 Bob & Karen Larrimore
March Memorials: In memory of ...
Charles Burlew, Sr., Hene Johnson, & Edna Steel
on their March birthdays
