St. James E-pistle Date of Sunday Service: January 27, 2019 Third Sunday after the Epiphany

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1 Pulpit Notes St. James E-pistle Date of Sunday Service: January 27, 2019 Third Sunday after the Epiphany Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: This Sunday is our Annual Meeting. Please remember that worship is at 9:00 AM, with voting for Vestry beginning just before and running up to the opening of official business. You are eligible to vote if you are a contributing member of the church at least 16 years of age who is faithful in attendance. Your presence at the meeting is critical for this community of faith to remain healthy. But why? Why do we even have to have these meetings? Why do we need to get together and talk about what we ve done and where we re going? Everyone knows already, right? One simple answer is No. Everyone doesn t know. During the year, we are all off doing our various ministries or being ministered to because we need some help. It s not possible for everyone to know what everyone else is doing. And yet, as a unit, we need to pause now and then and gather ourselves together, to hear each other, to eat together, to appreciate the part that everyone else is playing. St. James may be a small church by comparison, but there are many moving parts here, and it s easy to lose sight of everyone else without an intentional time together. That s one reason we honor one person each year with the St. James Medal. It is our way of appreciating the many parts of the Body, one at a time. And of course, there are some legalities we need to tend to. We have to pass the budget as a congregation. We have to elect new Vestry members. Yet even these are statements of faith. What do we spend our money on and where do we find that money? Who will take on the mantle of leadership in the coming year, not just in business dealings but in worship, fellowship, and living out the Gospel? That s why we come together in one joint service, that s why we eat together, and that s why we talk about the state of the church and plan together. So please join me and the Vestry of St. James this Sunday at 9:00 AM. You really do make a difference. Grace and Peace, Chuck + NOTICE: Worship Continues in the Parish Hall. CHURCH WORK UPDATE: We are at a crucial phase in Church work right now, and things are moving quickly. Because of the quickly changing nature of that work, I will hold off giving an update on the mold abatement work until Sunday at the Annual Meeting Albany Post Road, Hyde Park NY T F W E stjamesoffice@stjameshydepark.org at

2 If You Have anything to add to the Epistle, please contact either Fr. Chuck, Dyan in the Office, or Brian Rance. Thanks! Thought for your week: Jesus was clearly more concerned with what Buddhists call right action ( orthopraxy in Christianity) than with right saying or right thinking. You can hear this message very clearly in his parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-31: One son says he won t work in the vineyard, but then does, while the other says he will go, but in fact doesn t. Jesus told his listeners that he preferred the one who actually goes, although saying the wrong words, over the one who says the right words but does not act. How did we miss that? Richard Rohr Announcements Mark Your Calendars: I Want My Church to Grow Saturday, April 6 at 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM St. Paul s Church, 161 Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie This special training event is for: Laypeople and clergy who want to grow a vital church Those who want to join God in doing a new thing Leadership teams working on evangelism, church growth, spiritual development Includes Workshops on: Evangelism 101: Using Community Organizing Tools for Church Growth We Need More Money: Best Practices for Your Stewardship Campaign Inquirers Class resumes on January 29 As always, it follows Evening Prayer at 6:30 open to all! at the Chapel. Our next session will be SCRIPTURE 1 Reading & Interpreting Scripture

3 ANNUAL MEETING REMINDER: The Annual Meeting of St. James will take place Sunday, January 27, at 9:00 AM. Please mark the date. Become a Reading Adventures Volunteer: We could really use a few more Reading Adventures volunteers! Please consider this simple but essential ministry. You simply read with a child from 3:30 to 4:30 each Thursday at North Park Elementary School. Let Fr. Chuck know if you are able and willing to help a child fall in love with reading. Fireside Chat: Follow The Money : Finding the right title has been difficult for this chat, but the content is compelling. On February 7 at 7:00 PM, Fr. Chuck will present a follow-up lecture on slavery in our area, only this time it s about how entangled everyone was in slavery, whether they wanted to be or not. As always, the Fireside Chats are at the Chapel.

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7 January 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 27 9:00 AM ANNUAL MEETING 28 Office Closed 29 6:30 Evening Prayer 7:00 Inquirers AM Morning Prayer AM Bible Study 3:30 - Reading Adventures FREE PRAYER FRIDAY Sundays: Holy Eucharist Rite I is at 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist Rite II (with music) is at 10:00 AM. Sunday School and nursery are available at 10:00 AM. Between Service Classes on Sundays are from 9:15 to 9:45 in the Wilks Room. Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for these diocesan ministries this week. If you want to check out the entire year s calendar for intercession, it s simple to find - go to January 27 Diocesan Pilgrims to the Diocese of Cuernavaca, Mexico 28 St. Andrew s Church, Walden 29 Clergy Serving as Deans 30 La Academia Ecumeńica de Liderazgo 31 Grace Church, Hastings-on-Hudson February 1 All on the Bishop s Staff 2 With gratitude for the ministry of the Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche on the anniversary of his installation as the 16th Bishop of New York.

8 Please keep the following people in your prayers: Ashley, John Bohlmann, Helen Braun, Linkin Ewalt, Loretta Falzarano (sister of Donna Beyer), Heather Francese, Kathy Ganim, Karla Givison (Deb Belding's sister), Gloria Golden, Robert Guariglia, Dalton K., Edie Kline, Ashley Konyn, Tedi Kramer, Hope Jennings, Rosemary Leuken, Joanne Lynn, Jim Lynn (Carol Bender s brother - facing surgery)., Doris Mack, Margaret, Andrew Mendelson, Beth and Ginero Milano, Lillian Peralta, Mary Bowers Peters (stroke), Grace Plass, Deborah Porach, John Robinson, Rob Robinson, Jason Rodino (serving in Afghanistan), John Ross, Hank Schroeder, James Sheeky, Naomi Sleight, Carl Smith, Marguerite Spratt, Janice Syedullah, Tracy, Georgia Verven, Candace Vincent, Cassidy Way, Cliff Wells and Shawn Wheeler. Schedules A Note about Schedules: The names you see below are those listed on their respective schedules. There are often times when, due to sickness or travel, substitutes are asked to fill in or trade positions. This will probably NOT be reflected in the lists below so, if there is an inconsistency between what you see here and what you see on Sunday, that is all right. Birthdays Isabela Handman Quines, Alix Ciferri and Diane Plass (this past week): Birthdays (this coming week): Acolytes: Altar Guild: Beth Matranga, Thomas McNamara, Daniel Matranga, Deirdre Mae Micker and Tanya Hall January 27: Russell Urban-Mead and Braeden Hall February 3: Nancy Montero and Jaylen Thatcher January 27: Team III February 3: Team III 8 a.m. Readers: January 27: Lucille Ogden and Jim Smyth February 3: Debbie Belding and Irene Kipp 10 a.m. Readers: January 27: Wilma Tully and Judy Douglass February 3: Jim Oppenheimer-Crawford and Bobbie Wells Ushers: January 27: Judy Douglass and Vince Asher February 3: Patty Drake and Bobbie Wells Pledge Clerks: January 27: Andy Hall and Dean Caswell February 3: Joanne Lown and Sue DeLorenzo Parish Cycle of Prayer: January 27: Kim Illuminate, Hope Jennings, Jada Jennings and Peter Khan February 3: Jack, Suzann, Brian and Faith Kinne, Morgan Kinne, Milena Jewel and Abby Jewel

9 Coffee Hour Hosts: January 27: Annual Meeting (Breakfast) February 3: Audrey Horne, Eric Zavadil This Week s Lectionary Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21 This Week s Hymns Processional: I Come with Joy. Sequence: O for a Thousand Tongues. Offertory: The Spirit Song Communion: Taizé 35 - Sing praise and bless the Lord Recessional: O Word of God Incarnate. Last Week s Sermon Sermon Preached on Second Sunday after the Epiphany Accepting A Gift Today s sermon is a little different because, well, the snow and freezing rain happened. But we can t let a little weather stop the Gospel from being preached, can we? Which is another way of saying, you take the situation you have in front of you and you deal with it. If you want one tiny lesson from today s Gospel, that s it. You take the situation you have in front of you and you deal with it. Actually, while it may not be the MAIN lesson, it is certainly one lesson of all the miracles. I say this because if you look at the vast majority of the miracles (and right now I can t think of an exception), they are not pre-planned. They re not shows. They re Jesus dealing with the situation presented to him. Just look at today s gospel the famous wedding at Cana where he turns water into wine. That is a seriously neat piece of miracle working, and I could almost imaging wedding planners lining up at his door saying, Yes, we d like to book Mr. Jesus for beverages...

10 Only this wasn t something Jesus wanted to do. And that is important to our author, John. Jesus is not looking for an opportunity to show off his power. He s just going to a wedding with his mom and his disciples. Let s stop for a moment to think about who he s with: At this early point in the gospel, all we know is that Jesus has been proclaimed the Son of God by John the Baptist, and that he has gathered his disciples. We have no idea what he has taught them so far. I mean, immediately after he gathers the disciples, there s this wedding. But as far as we know, they could have been together for awhile. Still, John the author of the gospel, that is makes clear that so far, Jesus has only used his words. And at the beginning of this story, it looks like he wants to keep it that way even if there seems to be some expectation that he DOES have power. Otherwise, when it s clear that the wine has run out, wouldn t it seem rather odd for Mary to turn to him and essentially say, Do something about it.? What did she know that the rest of us didn t? Whatever she knew, Jesus response is swift and kind of rude. Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come. Even today, a son who calls his mom, Woman is rude. It was even more so back then it was not just rude but belittling. Essentially he was saying, Mind your own business and be quiet! I would have liked to see any of my brothers try that with our mom. But then, Jesus assesses the situation and changes his mind. That alone is a good lesson sometimes you need to change your plans based on the circumstances. Jesus looks around and realizes that, yes, now IS the time to act. He hadn t realized it until Mary spoke, but the situation before him warranted his action. Why? For one thing, compassion. The situation was grim for the young couple just starting out life together. Weddings in those days were important and huge social affairs. The embarrassment of running out of wine would be long-lasting and negatively impact their marriage. So, providing wine gives them a second chance in life. The miracle, says John, is a sign. So let it be a sign of second chances. But it is also a gift on more than one level. The wine is a gift to the couple who accept it with bemusement. It is a gift to the steward, too, who s sweating the shortfall of wine because it reflects badly on him. And it is a gift to all the guests who get to enjoy some of the finest wine they ve ever had. There is another kind of gift this miracle points to. The gift of power Jesus has. And the lesson is that when you have a gift, the time to use it for good is now whenever a situation presents itself to do that good. That s kind of what Paul was saying in his epistle the Holy Spirit has given you gifts. Use them.

11 Are you a healer? Then if you find someone who s sick, use your healing gifts. Are you a musician? Then use your gifts to bring joy to those around you. Are you a lawyer? Then use your gifts to help those who present themselves to you. Today s miracle is a story of knowing the gift you have and recognizing when to use it. Today s miracle shows us that the time to use it is whenever the situation presents itself. In other words, look around you and see what s needed. If your gifts can help, use them. Quick note: one thing about Jesus s miracles is that he did not provide wine for every wedding. He did not feed every hungry person. He did not heal every leper. He did not raise all of the dead. He only addressed those who were right in front of him. And if the miracle is a sign as John says, it is a sign that we, too, are to use our gifts starting with the situations that present themselves to us. This doesn t mean we don t work for larger, more universal justice and care the world is shrinking after all, and social media brings the most remote corners of the world into our living rooms but the place to start is with what s right in front of us. Another way of saying it is, you can t change all the world, but you can change something. And while you may not be able to change water into wine, you DO have gifts. Examine what they are, accept them, and then look around and share them. The situations that need you will present themselves. I guarantee it. Amen. A WORD ABOUT RECORDED SERMONS: Most weeks, I upload a recorded copy of the sermon onto my Facebook page as well as St. James YouTube channel. I have not yet figured out how to upload them to the St. James Facebook page but am working on it. You can also listen to sermons by going to YouTube ( and searching for St. James Episcopal Church, Hyde Park, NY. There, you will not only find sermons, but also videos of the Fireside Chats and other videos of interest. You can subscribe to that page, and then when new content is uploaded, you will receive a notification.

12 SERMON VALUATION FORM It is not necessary to take notes during the sermon. Rather, you can take some time afterwards to recollect the sermon and its effect on you. Give yourself a few minutes for each of the questions. If you choose to share this with the preacher, it can be a powerful aid to better preaching - but this is not a form to be handed to the preacher and forgotten. It is an aid for you, so you can speak directly with the preacher and answer follow-up questions. 1. WHAT ARE YOU STILL HEARING? That is, without evaluating it, what are the words or phrases from the sermon that are still echoing in your ears? Are there any ear worms? 2. WHERE MIGHT THIS BE LEADING? As a listener, where does this sermon lead you? What does it invite you to? What are the next steps in your faith that might arise from this sermon? 3. HOW DOES THIS SERMON PLAY? That is, how is it organized or ordered? What steps has the preacher taken you through? What structure did you notice in this sermon? What has it asked you to do? 4. HOW MIGHT THIS SERMON GROW? That is, what suggestions would you have to hone the message of this sermon, to make it more engaging, inspiring, logical, fleshed out... No sermon is ever entirely done; its themes will be revisited over time. What would help the next time be more compelling?