Saint Michael and All Angels episcopal Church Formation Opportunities Soup/Salad Dinner 6 pm Classes 6.30 to 8 pm WORLD RELIGIONS Dr. Lisa Whitlow CONFIRMATION/ INQUIRER'S CLASS A Sacred Journey: An Inquiry into the Episcopal Church WHAT EVERY CHURCH MEMBERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT POVERTY Fr. David Cox A class for those who are interested in knowing more about the Episcopal Church and those who don t remember what they learned in their Confirmation Class! Boot camp for the soul March 8th In this class, we will be reading The World s Religions by Huston Smith. (Copies are in the St. Michael s, Bookstore or you may order your own. Please buy the 1991 edition.) This book provides an unbiased look at the world s major religions. We will be exploring the spiritual treasures hidden in traditions that are unfamiliar to us. We will be reflecting on the wisdom of each tradition rather than engaging in proving the superiority of Christianity. Hopefully, we will be able to cover Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism! For our first class, please read the chapter on Hinduism. The Anglican Consciousness March 15th This class offers an oppor- The Story of Anglicanism tunity to better under- March 22nd stand the comprehensive The Anglican View of the Bible nature of poverty. We will March 29 th April 5th learn how we might better engage, empower, and be- The Anglican View of Sacraments friend those who live in April 12th poverty, being the Christ- The Anglican View of Authority like presence we are called April 19th 2017 to be. The Anglican view of Spirituality April 26th 6630 Nall Ave. The Anglican View of Ministry Sign up www.stmaa.com Mission, Kansas 66202 913-236-8600 www.stmaa.com
5.30 to 7 pm Spencer Hall Come support our work in Haiti with a financial dontation 7 March 1st 7 am 9.30 am 12 pm (Family Service) 5.30 pm 7 pm 8.00 pm Lighting of the New Fire Lessons/Baptismal Liturgy EASTER EUCHARIST with incense 9.30 pm Easter Feast (Spencer Hall) 7.00 am ic (Rite I) 8.45 am with incense 10.00 am Hot Cross Buns in Spencer Hall 10.45 am with incense EASTER VIGIL Saturday, April 15 th FIRST CELEBRATION OF EASTER EASTER SUNDAY April 16th CELEBRATION OF THE RESURRECTION
Sunday April 9th Palm (Passion)Sunday Palm Procession and Passion Narrative at all services 5.30 pm (Saturday evening) 7.30 am Rite I 8.45 am 10.45 am Monday, April 10th 7.00 pm Tuesday, April 11th 7.00 pm Wednesday, April 12th We approach the Lenten season with an emphasis on interiority, personal investigation, and 9.30 am /Healing (Cloud Chapel) contrition the intentional work of seeking a change of heart or actions. Reflection and change take 7.00 pm work, hard work. Lent can be like a boot camp for the soul, a restart in a focused area. We walk this Thursday, April 13th Maundy Thursday season together, demanding the best of ourselves, ready to support one another, and prepared to see 5.30 pm Family Maundy Thursday Service truths that shatter our self-understanding. The range of the readings in this season is the full breadth 7.00 pm Washing of Feet of lived human experience from creation to death and new life. The preacher has the opportunity to Stripping of the Altar place the foundational Christian narrative on the significant life events of the community in this sea- Watch at the Altar of Repose son, paralleling the false choices of temptation with the conditions of suffering in the world today. 8.30 pm (Cloud Chapel) We get the term boot camp from the military, but one encounters boot camps in various ar- FRIDAY, April 14th Good Friday eas of life: a particularly rigorous exercise regimen, a period of training before a new job, or even an 6.30 am Stations of the Cross intensive retreat for personal or marital transformation. The Lenten disciplines we adopt are intended 12.00 pm Good Friday Liturgy Silent Communion to make the season hard in the way a boot camp can be, pushing us beyond what we think our lim- Veneration of the Cross its are in ways that strengthen us. 5.30 pm Family Good Friday Service Lectionary Sermon Series: Thematic Plans for Years A, B, and C (Kindle Locations 678-681). Westminster John Knox Press. 7 pm Good Friday Liturgy Kindle Edition. Veneration of the Cross April 15th HOLY SATURDAY 9.00 am Holy Saturday Liturgy 4.00 pm Easter Baptisms
PRAY 20 MINUTES A DAY Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with and without words. God is a self-giving and loving presence in our lives. God creates, redeems and sus- tains the whole universe in every minute of every day. We cannot draw a single THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDING THE THREE GREAT DAYS OF HOLY WEEK breath nor live a single moment except by the grace of God. Because God s power and action in our lives is so phenomenal, the human relationship with God easily be- "Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and res- comes one sided. How are we to respond to God s amazing grace? How can we be in urrection..." (Book of Common Prayer, page 264) an ongoing and meaningful relationship with such a great and generous friend? The answer: Prayer. The three Great Days of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter) have been historically termed the Triduum. These three days are at the core of the Christian faith, without them the rest of the By praying 20 minutes a day, we attend to our relationship with God. By regularly praying, we respond to God s grace, offering something of our selves (our time and energy) as a gift back to God. Prayer may be a conversation with God in which words and thoughts are exchanged, but it need not be, for prayer is first and foremost a response to God s presence and grace in our lives. Prayer is a thank you and it is a gift. Praying is how we stay in healthy rela- church year, the weekly Celebration of the Resurrection and our faith become empty. It is the bounden duty of all Christians to participate in the liturgies of these days. This is the opportunity to experience once again the glory, despair and exaltation of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection. The services are especially appro- tionship with God. priate for children, as they sometimes grasp the significance of the symbolism in ways that adults do not. Resource: While the services can be long and arduous at times, they are deeply moving and spiritual. They can nurture The Daily Office is an ancient way to pray. It marks the passage of time by offering Morning and Evening Prayer as the soul in ways as few other events do in the life of the Church. written in the Book of Common Prayer of Prayer, especially pages 123. A resource to follow the Daily Office: www.missionstclaire.com "The real meaning of Christianity is always and forever the relationship of redeemed human beings with the person of Jesus Christ in faith, trust, forgiveness and love. In this context we can understand what happened in the courtyard. Peter, swearing falsely in order to secure a moment of WORSHIP 1 HOUR A WEEK warmth and acceptance from the world, had turned against his Friend. And when that Friend turned back at Peter, Peter suddenly realized what he had done. He saw what he had just thrown When we worship, we unite ourselves with others to acknowledge the away, what he had forgotten, what he had denied., what he had betrayed. He had not denied a holiness of God, to hear God s word, to offer prayer, and to celebrate doctrine. He not embarrassed his culture. He had hurt a relationship. There was nothing left to the sacraments. do but to stumble out into the dark, blinded by burning tears, never, never to forget this moment And yes, when we say, Worship 1 hour a week, we are talking about going to church. Church worship offers a number of things other means of worship of shame. Yet he was destined to hear a few weeks later the voice of that Friend again, compelling, warm, and healing, saying to him by the lake, 'Simon, Son of John, do you love me?'" and praise do not. Worshipping in the church means being exposed to ancient customs that have been perfected over centuries of use. Worshipping in the (William Bausch, Storytelling the Word)
This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated church means being challenged by people and ideas that will cause you to grow and change. Worshipping in the church means being united with the larger body of Christ where many members contribute uniquely to bring to life a from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to larger whole. The Church is the only place where you will encounter the sacraments especially Baptism and Holy the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message Communion. of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Chris- tians continually have to renew their repentance and faith. In a single generation much has changed about worship in the church. The greatest change of all may be the ex- pectation people of faith now have about what constitutes sufficient church worship in their lives. We know worship I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by in the church can be challenging in many ways. We know your lives are busy and that there are competing goods self examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and medi- that can make it hard to worship weekly. But please do not kid yourself: putting God first in your life means setting tating on God s holy Word (BCP, p.264f) aside time on every Sabbath day for worship with your church community. There is no substitute. SERVE 7 TIMES A WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US LITURGICALLY? COLOR: Violet/Purple MUSIC: MONTH We will begin each service with an Introit rather than a Processional Hymn. On the first and fifth Sundays we will begin with THE GREAT LITANY in procession around the Nave. All services Our duty is to love our neighbors as ourselves, to will begin with the Penitential Rite found at the beginning of the Celebration of care for the sick and serve the poor. (BCP, Rite I, page 319; Rite II page 351) Saint James wrote that faith without works is dead. READINGS: Year A This idea has caused controversy ever since, but there is We will have a moment of silence after each reading. On Palm Sunday we will use the Matthew Passion reading. EUCHARISTIC PRAYER We will use Eucharistic Prayer C in Rite II. (BCP, p. 369) PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE We will be using Form IV. (BCP, p. 388) POST COMMUNION We will use the second or alternate form (BCP, p. 366) FINAL BLESSING during the season of Lent. Instead of a blessing over the people, there is a Solemn Prayer over the people which begins with the words: Bow down before the Lord. Finally, all Alleluias will be omitted during Lent. no doubt Jesus cared for the sick, served the poor, and made friends with the outcast all through his earthly ministry. He commands his followers today to do the same. We serve others to ease their pain and share the love of God. Human life is hard, and for some, the complications and sadness of life can be unbearable. One of the principal ways God s love is made known to a hurting world is through the actions of people of faith. Serving others also opens our hearts and minds to the wider human experience and so causes us to grow. Finally, serving others is a reliable way of encountering Jesus himself, who teaches that when we serve the least among us, we serve Him. Serving seven times a month means you will have to commit sufficient time and energy to actually slow down and get to know the one you intend to serve. Serving means you will have to extend yourself beyond writing a check and taking a walk. Serving means you will have to do something real. You can find opportunities that fit your interests and are located close to you by going to the following sites: Idealist.org AllForGood.org Contact Fr. David
SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER FEBRUARY 28, 5:30-7:00 pm Everyone is welcome to enjoy traditional pancakes and activities to usher in the season of Lent. Bring your palm crosses to be prepared for Ash Wednesday. Children will decorate and bury their alleluias in the tomb. This year, our Haiti Outreach Team will host the pancake supper. http://www.epicenter.org/why-do-we-bury-the-alleluia/ ASH WEDNESDAY MARCH 1, 5:30 pm Imposition of ashes, children s homily and participatory celebration of the Eucharist. Family Services offered during Lent are designed for elementary aged children and their parents, though all ages are welcome. Services are approximately 45 minutes in length and will begin in the Nave at 5:30 pm. WEDNESDAYS IN LENT (MARCH 8, 22, 29 A ND APRIL 5) All children, Preschool 12th Grade, are invited to observe Lent by joining weekly activities & worship designed specifically for them. (Nursery will be provided for children under age 3.) Choose from the options listed: 4:30-6:00 pm Plain Talk About Sex (for children in grades 4-6 and their parents) This signature class for both kids and parents together addresses anatomy, physiology, sexual reproduction, abuse prevention and communication. Registration is Closed. Living Lent (PK-6th grade) Through art, music, games and worship, children will focus on the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and alms giving in engaging activities. There is no fee for these 4 sessions. Reserve a place for your child by emailing the Children s Minister: gayelynn@stmaa.com Adult Conversations and Coloring (for parents not participating in the sexuality class) Parents will enjoy visiting and have an opportunity to color new Stations of the Cross, to be used during Holy Week. DINNER SERVED 6:00 6:30PM OPTIONAL SOUP/SALAD DINNER WILL BE SERVED IN SPENCER HALL. 6:30-8:00 pm Plain Talk About Sex: A Course for Pre-Teens/Teens (for youth in grades 7-12) This class will focus on the changes both males and females go through during puberty, sexual reproduction and decision making as well as responsibility and abuse prevention. Registration and fees required. Living Lent (1 st -6 th grade) Through art, music, games and worship, children will focus on the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and alms giving in engaging activities. There is no fee for these 4 sessions. Reserve a place for your child by emailing the Children s Minister: gayelynn@stmaa.com Adult Conversations (for parents of 7 th 12 th youth) Mother Amy Cox will facilitate discussion with parents about teens, sexuality and faith. Conversation will parallel the Sexuality Course for Pre-teens and Teens. Holy Week Workshop- Sunday, April 9, 2017 1:00 4:00 pm. This afternoon full of activities is designed for elementary aged children and their parents. Explore the events of Holy Week through music, food, art, storytelling, puzzles and games. The workshop will begin in Spencer Hall. Make reservations for your family to attend by April 5 th. Email: gayelynn@stmaa.com Holy Week Worship Services Family Services offered during Holy Week are designed for elementary aged children and their parents, though all ages are welcome. Services are approximately 45 minutes in length and will begin in the Nave at 5:30 pm. Maundy Thursday- April 13 5.30 pm Foot Washing and instructed Stripping of the Altar, no Eucharist. Good Friday- April 14 5.30 pm Participants will walk through 5 interactive Stations of the Cross, concluding with Christ s resurrection. COST: $5 PER PERSON OR $15 FOR A FAMILY CREDIT CARDS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE DOO R.