Lent & Easter 2013 Newsletter

Transcription

1 Newsletter Rector s Message Dear parishioners, We are about to set out once again on the forty-day journey called Lent. For some 260 years, the faithful of St. John s have made the journey of Lent to Easter. While many things have changed over the past 260 years, the focus of Lent has remained constant with its disciplines of prayer, fasting and giving to others. True, folks in 1753 would have had a more austere life with much less of what we call worldly goods. People also led a slower paced life, focussing on family, church and volunteering in the community. While we would not want to go back to their lifestyle, the disciplines of prayer, fasting and giving to others can be a great gift to us in our day and age. Our lifestyle has become so consumer driven. Many people live at a hectic pace with little or no time to pause and reflect on the meaning of their activities. Lent calls us to slow down, to take time to reflect and to pray and to take a good look at our lives and how we are living them, so as to become a more generous, open and joyful person. Lent isn t an end in itself. Lent helps us to repent and to let go of the things that take us away from living for God. Lent leads to Easter, by way of the cross. Easter is our true destination, with the joy of knowing that we live for God and that God loves us unto death itself. The churches of Lunenburg are trying something new this Lent to help nurture and nourish our souls, minds and bodies. We are calling it: Lent in Lunenburg. Every Wednesday, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 13 th, you can attend Holy Eucharist at St. John s at 10am and at 11am, head to Zion Lutheran Hall for a Lenten Café -- enjoy a coffee, fellowship and short prayer service. At 12noon, St. John s holds its popular Lenten Music and Meditation and afterward, you can head to Central United for a bowl of soup or chowder. Lent in Lunenburg provides a wonderful opportunity to share with fellow Christians on the journey of Lent. Before we know it, the forty days of Lent will have passed and Holy Week will be here. I invite you to join us for the various Holy Week Services. Pray friends that this Easter will dawn upon our world with renewed hope and joy. May the journey of Lent bring you and your family to the joy of Easter and may this joy be with us every day. Father Michael

2 Page 2 Music At St John s A note from Barbara.. We ve just completed one of the busiest seasons for music at St. John s Advent and Christmas services, including the Service of Lessons and Carols on December 16 and three Advent Music and Meditation presentations. Musique Royale s collaboration with Paul Halley for A King s Christmas brought many people to St. John s and To Bethlehem with Kings raised $2,300 for local food banks as well as a substantial donation of food items. In January, Edmund Brownless conducted two choir rehearsals and it was a treat for me to play the role of accompanist while the choir enjoyed his helpful hints on vocal production. For the second year in a row, Maritime Concert Opera presented Amahl and the Night Visitors on Epiphany Sunday. This magical opera about a handicapped young boy visited by the three kings included a cast of many young people from the community. Later in January Musique Royale brought Symphony Nova Scotia to St. John s with both community and congregation supporting this event with a healthy attendance. Our parish music budget is reduced in 2013 which means we will need to continue fund raising in the coming months to keep our music programs strong. This annual budget covers such things as the purchase of choral and handbell music, tunings, workshops, dues, guest musicians and miscellaneous items. A fund raising event in March with the handbell choir is focused on a trip to Moncton in May. Funds raised from March s Souper Market will assist the purchase of a moveable carriage frame for our Yamaha piano (for ease of movement on the carpet) and the Sheer Joy of Singing Workshop in April where we invite area choirs (church, community and schools) to join us. We would be delighted to have your support for these events. Sharon and I work with wonderfully committed individuals each week in our choirs and we are always delighted to welcome new members. Rehearsals are typically 2 hours each week with added time spent preparing for special events. The commitment and dedication of our choir members is something I value a great deal. I look forward to the time we spend together in preparing for Sunday worship and tackling new and challenging repertoire. On many occasions a choir is requested at funerals and here we invite assistance from members of the congregation who, while not able to offer the kind of commitment as members of our main choirs, are willing to lend their support and presence. Music and Meditation for Lent begins on Wednesday, February 13 at noon and continues till March 27. We will have seven presentations featuring many friends of our music program. A musical highlight in March will also be the King s College Chapel Choir presentation of J.S. Bach s choral masterwork, The St. John Passion. Once again it is an honour to welcome Paul Halley to St. John s. I hope many of you will be able to experience this very meaningful work. Warm regards, Barbara

3 Page 3 Pennies For Bicycle Ambulances Project February 6, This year 30 new bicycle ambulances will start serving villages in Mozambique thanks to generous donors who gave more than $18,000 through Gifts for Mission, the Anglican Church of Canada's gift guide. Bicycle ambulances are stretchers hitched to the back of bikes, providing faster trips to health clinics. The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is setting up 100 ambulance projects in Mozambique. Each project is community run, provides employment, and connects with other maternal health programs. One such ambulance was a gift from St. James Anglican Church in Ingersoll, Ont. For their outreach Sunday last year, St. James supported local and international causes-and raised $600 for one bike ambulance. So why a bike ambulance? Several St. James members had visited developing countries and seen huge gaps in health care. The Rev. Meghan Evetts, rector of St. James, saw this when visiting Anglican partners in the Diocese of Mthatha, South Africa. Her group visited a slum and saw a small nursing station that only carried painkillers and bandages. Expectant mothers had to walk at least 10 kilometres to the clinic often over rough dirt paths. For the people of St. James, bicycle ambulances were an easy pick: they serve a practical need, help whole communities, and are easy to fix. It seems that PWRDF partners like them too. "Even as we get behind the project, our partners are expanding on it," said Simon Chambers, PWRDF's communications coordinator. "They continue to explore how they can use the resources they now have to best serve their communities." In Mozambique, health care centres are considering how to hitch ambulance trailers to motorcycles. In Bangladesh, PWRDF partners are planning 35 new bicycle ambulance projects. It's a growing project to keep an eye on: bike ambulances are one way Canadian Anglicans can expand their generosity and live out their faith. "For me, one of the things about being a church is recognizing the world's needs beyond our walls," said Ms. Evetts. By Ali Symons, General Synod Senior Editor, Anglican Church of Canada

4 Page 4 Lent in Lunenburg ECUMENICAL WEDNESDAYS REPLACE SUNDAY EVENING SERVICES Lenten Café Fellowship & Worship Music & Meditation For Lent 2013 Where Zion Church Hall Where St. John s Church When Wednesdays in Lent When Wednesdays in Lent Time 11:00am - 11:45am Time 12:00 Noon 12:30pm Host For The Day Program Feb. 13 th St. John s Anglican Feb. 13 th Heather and David Abriel Feb. 20 th Central United Feb. 20 th Nick Halley and guests Feb. 27 th St. Norbert s Roman Catholic Feb. 27 th Nina Scott Stoddart Mar. 6 th Zion Lutheran Mar. 6 th Common Threads Quartet Mar. 13 th St. Barnabas, Blue Rocks Mar.13 th Willem Blois & Kim North Mar. 20 th St. Andrew s Presbyterian Mar. 20 th St. John s Lutheran Choir Offering: Lunenburg Food Bank Soup Luncheons Where Central United Church Hall When Wednesdays in March Time 11:30am 1:30pm Cost $8.00 Messy Church Messy Church has resumed and will continue to be held every Thursday evening from 6pm to 7:30pm in the Church Hall. Messy Church is intended for people of all ages to get together, share a simple meal, enjoy fellowship, and generally have a good time. We invite anyone who wishes to share this experience to come and see what it is all about. You do not have to be a church member or a Christian to come and enjoy the company of others from the area. Are we trying to convert you? NO! we are just offering our place and our company for you, your children and friends to enjoy. So come along and try it. Unless you do, you will not know what you are missing.

5 Page 5 Easter At St. John s Palm Sunday: March 24 8:30am Holy Eucharist (BCP) 10:30am Liturgy of the Palms and Liturgy of the Passion with Holy Eucharist 10:30am Sunday School begins with the Children carrying Palms in the Procession Tuesday in Holy Week: March 26 5:30 pm Seder Supper in the Parish Hall. We partake of the ancient Passover Meal and hear the story of the Old Testament, leading up to the Messiah. Enjoy a delicious meal of Lamb or chicken. Free will offering. Maundy Thursday: Thursday, March 28 7:00pm Maundy Thursday Service with the Washing of the Feet and the Liturgy of the Lord's Last Supper. Sign up for the Prayer Vigil. Good Friday: March 29 10:00am The Liturgy of Good Friday, Solemn Petitions and the Veneration of the Cross 11:30am Ecumenical outdoor "Walk with the Cross" starts at St. John s Church following this service. All are welcome. Easter Vigil: Holy Saturday, March 30 7:00pm The Liturgy of the Easter Vigil one of the oldest prayers of the Church Lighting the New Fire and Pascal Candle, Baptisms and Renewal of Baptismal Vows. Easter Sunday: March 31 8:30am Easter Holy Eucharist (BCP) 10:30am Easter Choral Holy Eucharist (BAS)

6 Page 6 February 2nd, Candlemas, Groundhog Day and Other Traditions Candlemas being the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Yuletide that we welcomed on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord on December 25 th wound its way through the Twelve Days of Christmas, including the feasts of the Christmas saints. It continued in a new liturgical season with the Wise Men, The Baptism of Our Lord, and the various manifestations of Epiphanytide. While Epiphanytide may continue a bit longer, depending on the date of Easter, the Christmas festal cycle ends on Candlemas, the last feast of Yuletide, forty days after Christmas. This is the day when the Holy Family present themselves in the Temple to complete the ritual purification of a mother after childbirth and to redeem the firstborn son who by right belongs to God. Saint Luke tells the story (Luke 2:22-38) that introduces the aged Simeon, and Anna, of the (mostly) lost tribe of Asher, both of whom, like all of Israel, have waited many years for the Messiah who would redeem Israel. Joseph and Mary have come simply to fufill their obligations as faithful Jews. But in this Encounter, or Meeting, as the Orthodox call this Feast, Israel not only recognises her Messiah but it is revealed to his own people that, as Isaiah prophesied, it is too small a thing for him to redeem only Israel. On this day, the glory of the Lord once again is seen in the Temple, not hidden in a cloud, but in the physical presence of the Incarnate God, who is to be the Redeemer of the whole world, a light to lighten the Gentiles. Candlemas comes at the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, a moment celebrated by pagan cultures as a milestone in the resurgence of the sun and the recovery of light. For Christians, the changing light in creation serves as an exclamation point to the even greater redemptive work of the true Light of the world in the new creation. Furthermore, the words of Simeon on this day point to the ultimate revelation of the glory of God in the final act of the drama of redemption and new creation when he says that a sword will pierce the soul of Mary. For, although her firstborn is redeemed this day, she will be one of the eyewitnesses on that Passover when the Lamb of God, the son she has presented to God in the Temple, dies on the cross to redeem not only the firstborn of Israel but all people from the dark night of death. The Christmas and Easter festal cycles operate on very different sets of rules, one based on fixed days in the calendar, the other based on the cycles of the sun and moon. The earliest possible date for Ash Wednesday is February 4th, just two days after Candlemas. This has not occurred in many years and will not occur again for many years. Nevertheless, the fact that it can happen is a useful reminder that in spite of the different ways in which these cycles are dated, they are integrally related theologically. The conclusion of Yuletide points unmistakably to the seasons of Lent and Passiontide that lie ahead, as Simeon foretells that Mary's joy on this day will be turned to bitter sorrow in the years to come, in events and an outcome that she could not yet imagine. The Blessing of Candles and Procession The liturgical event that gives this Feast its popular name is the blessing and distribution of candles, usually followed by a procession. The candles themselves have often had symbolic meaning ascribed to them. There are various ceremonies in the course of the church year in which a candle is seen as a symbol of Christ himself. The pure wax is understood to represent his human body, while the flaming wick represents his divinity.

7 Page 7 February 2nd, Candlemas, Groundhog Day and Other Traditions El Niño Dios In Mexico, the customs of the Feast of Candelaria center around the figure of the infant Jesus from the Christmas créche. A family s statue is placed in a manger at home on Christmas Eve, but handed over the next morning to a trusted friend or relative the godmother who has the honor of safeguarding the statue, dressing it and taking it to church on Feb. 2. The popular figure of Santo Niño de Atocha sometimes replaces the infant Jesus in this custom. Candlemas Crêpes In France, Candlemas, La Chandeleur, is celebrated with crêpes. According to tradition, Pope Gelasius I, whose sacramentary is one of the first to list this Feast, is credited with having fed pilgrims with crêpes. People looking for more ancient roots to the custom claim that the round crêpe resembles the sun whose return is celebrated on the pagan festivals often celebrated at the same time of year. As the Church has often incorporated homely folk customs into her observances, we see no conflict here, for Christ is indeed the Sun of Righteousness. Pancakes serve a very useful function at this time of year, especially when Lent begins soon after Candlemas, for crêpes and other sorts of pancakes are a good way of using up eggs and butter and other rich foods that are given up in Lent. Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) is another day when crêpes are eaten--with various rich fillings. Candlemas Traditions In England the remains of the great Yule Log which burned during Twelvetide are rekindled on Candlemas. The log is not burned entirely. A bit of it is preserved in a safe place to be used to ignite the Yule Log on the next Christmas. The ashes are spread on the gardens to ensure their fertility. Meanwhile, the brand that is preserved is a protection against evil in the place it is kept. Call it superstition if you will, but it is no accident that Candlemas is also Groundhog Day. Several pre- Christian cultures regarded the mid-point of winter as a day of special discernment about the weather. And these traditions carried over into the Christian dispensation. Thus, If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Winter will have another flight. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won't come again. If Candlemas Day be dry and fair, The half o the winter's to come and mair; If Candlemas Day be wet and foul, The half o the winter's gane at Yule. In Britain, prognosticating animals were not needed. The weather itself revealed all one needed to know. Indeed, groundhogs and other weather-predicting animals did so (or so it was claimed) based on the same principle: a sunny day, whether there is an animal to be spooked by it or not, is an omen of bad weather and an extended winter. A nice cloudy outlook on Candlemas not only provides a properly darkened setting for the ceremony of candles, but it also offers a promise of better weather coming soon. Extract Courtesy of the Full Homely Divinity Website

8 Page 8 Hot Cross Buns One of the peculiarities of the great fast of Lent is that several of the customs surrounding it have to do with food: pretzels, simnel cake, and hot cross buns. Hot cross buns are perhaps the strangest as they are sweet rolls, eaten on Good Friday the most important fast of all. The origins of this very English custom are not entirely clear. Some suggest that hot cross buns originated in the pagan cult that preceded Christianity in Britain. But the earliest historical mention of them is traced to a 12th century English monk who is said to have marked buns with the sign of the cross in honor of Good Friday. A 14th century record tells how a monk of St. Albans distributed spiced cakes to the needy on Good Friday, inaugurating an annual tradition, though he carefully guarded his recipe. Whatever their origins, there were certainly ideas associated with these buns that some would regard as superstitions. Hot cross buns were eaten after sundown to break the Good Friday fast. In the Middle Ages, they were believed to have powers of protection and healing. People would hang a hot cross bun from the rafters of their homes for protection through the coming year. If someone was sick, some of the dried bun would be ground into powder and mixed with water for the sick person to drink. There are various recipes for the buns, but an authentic recipe should include currants and a cross either incised on the top of the buns or painted on with a sweet glaze. If you need to try some good English Easter or Lenten Recipes try this link Proposal for a St. John s Community Outreach For many years at Christmas my parent s favourite story was to remind me of the time I was opening a present from my aunt and commenting "I hope this is something useful and not something to wear". All I wanted was more toys. For some of us we never change. We keep thinking that the more toys we accumulate, the happier we'll be. But someday the reality sets in and we realize that we never did achieve the happiness we sought and instead our toys have become a burden trying to find someone to take them off our hands. Do we have to wait until we are old to realize the fallacy that others went through? If you would like to achieve happiness for the rest of your life, seek out a disadvantaged person whose life you could help turn around by mentoring and perhaps some financial assistance. If you don't know of anyone, then a proposal brought forward, by Roger Mason, to parish council for study and review to encourage a new community outreach fund might be of interest. Stay tuned for further developments. Submitted by Roger Mason St. John s Anglican Church 81 Cumberland Street PO Box 238 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Canada B0J 2C0 we re on the web Phone: Fax: stjohnslunenburg@eastlink.ca