While preparing my homily for the Feast of All Saints, I ran across the origin of the expression pie in the sky when you die. It comes from the last line of a song making a parody of the hymn In the Sweet Bye and Bye. The song is named The Preacher and the Slave and mocks the tendency to tell people who are downtrodden not to complain because Episcopal Church of St. Matthew St. Matthew s Online Newsletter their reward is in heaven. The song s words are as follows: Long-haired preachers come out every night, try to tell you what s wrong and what s right; But when asked bout something to eat, they will answer with voices so sweet: You will eat, by and by, in that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, you ll get pie in the sky when you die. [Joe Hill, the Preach- November 2016 This World is My Home By Fr. Rick Wilson er and the Slave, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent: The Little Red Songbook (Columbia, SC: Harbringer Publications, 1995), p. 39] The songwriter was a labor activist who tired of people being told to accept their lot in life because when they die all would be good. Needless to say, to tell people this is a manipulation. What is unfor- (Continued on page 2) Don t Forget Shoebox Ministry Wrapping on 11/12 The Online Newsletter is a production of lay ministers and the clergy. Please email all articles or photos to the editor, Julie Neff- Encinas at jneffencinas@cox.net Inside this issue: Cards for Troops 2 Advent Raffle 4 Walker Memorial 5 Advent Retreat 6 Matty s Angels 7 Who We Are 8 Annually the Knit and Crochet Ministry team prepares 120 boxes of gifts to be given to the poorest of the poor in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Other parishioners donate school supplies, small toys, candies and hygiene supplies to complete the boxes. All has been donated and is ready to go! Now it is time to wrap the 120 boxes and their tops separately so the boxes can be inspected as they cross the border. You, your family and any friends you d like to bring are encouraged to join in with your own wrapping paper, scissors and tape. Come to the Parish Hall at 9:00 AM on Saturday, Nov. 12! See you there!
Page 2 St. Matthew s Online Newsletter This World is My Home (cont.) (Continued from page 1) tunate about such a perspective is that it neglects the fact that the human person has various talents and abilities which can be used for the betterment of the community and that being fairly compensated for one s work is just. Within the Christian tradition, there have been many ways in which a commitment to being involved in this world has been overlooked if not discouraged. Sometimes, it is intentional such as in a hymn which states this world is not my home, Lord, I am just passing through. (Well, dear friend, this world is your home and as you interact with it daily do what you can to treat it as such!) Other times it may be indirect such as referring to our life on earth as a valley of tears as in the Medieval hymn Hail, Holy Queen. What is so sad about the downplaying of the giftedness of creation is that it insults God the creator. In the early centuries of the Christian movement, there was a philosophical tradition which regarded creation as something which was disdainful. The goal of the individual was to learn a secret knowledge which would help that person after death to mount up the various spheres of heaven until one reached the fullness of God. For many this was a tempting perspective because it seemed to answer the question of premoral evil such as earthquakes and other natural disasters. But the evolving Christian Church saw it as a violation of (Continued on page 3) Christmas Cards for Troops Set New Record! When all was said and done and we counted up all the cards that had been signed and donated to the box in the Parish Hall, we had set a new record! You, the wonderful parishioners of St. Matthew, had signed and donated 740 Christmas cards to send across the globe to American service personnel who are deployed. The packages of cards will be created to respond to requests from service personnel via the Books for Soldiers website. On Oct 1 and 2 sufficient donations of cash were provided to pay for the postage. Thank you so very much to each and every one of you who contributed to this effort! God bless you!
St. Matthew s Online Newsletter Page 3 This World is My Home (cont.) (Continued from page 2) the belief that God is the active creator of all that is seen and unseen. Another sad aspect of a view of not respecting the earth as one s home is the abusing of it. No matter what your perspective is on the present status of the planet, we have done much to harm the earth. We have polluted bodies of water from streams to oceans. We have pumped incredible amounts of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Even in our own ways through littering and not being conservation-minded, we are disrespecting our home. No doubt some of this results from simply wanting to wring out of the planet what profit we can without counting the cost to the environment. We are deaf to the wisdom of the traditional Iroquois chiefs who mandate that their decision-making is to be guided by consideration of the welfare and well-being for seven generations to come. What sort of world are we providing for our children, for our children s children, and so on? If anything, we as a Christian people who profess God as the creator need to value what God has brought into being. The Book of Genesis charges all humankind through the symbols of Adam and Eve to be good stewards of creation. A religious or philosophical perspective that neglects the care of creation is irresponsible. With the Celtic liturgy we have the first Saturday of each month, I thank God especially at that time for the beauty of the cosmos. In the prayers from the Scottish, Welch, and Irish tradition which make up that service, nature is often used to exemplify how God is manifested through creation. I thank God that this earth is my home and I desire to do what I can to respect it as such. The Spirit of God continues to weave the Spirit s presence throughout creation inviting all to experience the presence of God. The presence of Christ is not limited to our experience after death. Christ is present in this our garden home. In our baptismal commitment, we are to seek and serve Christ in all persons. We just need help to see Christ there! The power of the belief that God values what God has brought into being especially humankind is represented in the person of Jesus. Jesus walked among us to awaken us to our identities as children of God. He encourages and challenges us to live the giftedness of who we are. Further, we are to share our giftedness with one another in being people of compassion, justice, love. This care we are to give is not restricted to humankind but especially for the earth, our garden home.
Page 4 St. Matthew s Online Newsletter Special Advent Raffle for Primavera Outreach Tickets available beginning November 27 For the last 5 years or so, St. Matthew has prepared lunches for the participants in the Primavera Works Program (a day labor program for people living with homelessness as a means to generate income in order to build a deposit for a home or for other basic needs). This is done on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Four parishioners meet at 7AM and make the sandwiches and put together the rest of the lunches. They are then delivered to the facility in South Tucson in time to go out with the people on the work crew. The cost of this runs between $52 and $62 per month depending on seasonal prices etc. This Advent season we will sponsor a raffle to finance the program for next year. Ticketholders will have chances to win one of six prizes: One of four hand-quilted, seasonally-themed table runners (Christmas, Easter, 4th of July and Thanksgiving) donated by Cheryl Burke and two pairs of red/blue UA earrings made and donated by Cindy Lowe. With six prizes your chances of winning are better than ever! Please purchase your tickets from any vestry member. The tickets sell for $5 each or 3 for $10. The quilts will be displayed in the narthex for the Advent Season. The drawing will take place on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 18. Winners need not be present to win, but those present will make their selections from among the prizes first, so it will help to be there! Please support this important outreach project for 2017 by buying tickets!
St. Matthew s Online Newsletter Page 5 Carol Walker Memorial Plaza Almost Complete On Saturday, Oct. 29 volunteers came together at church for the second time in October, starting at 8 am, and they finished the required tasks in under 3 hours. They spread rock around the landscaping Carl installed and around the fire pit which Ernesto Encinas had constructed earlier in the week. Carl Genthner had installed the borders, two cacti, an agave and a lantana. Benches and a naming plaque will be installed within the next few weeks. This will be a warm and welcoming space. Thank you to our dedicated volunteers: Carl Genthner Cheryl Burke Legh Burke Nick Billhardt Ed Cabrera Bob Delaney Ernesto Encinas Clyde Kunz
St. Matthew s Online Newsletter Page 6 1 John:1:5 God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ADVENT RETREAT Preparing for a time of waiting, waiting while being fully present to God, ourselves and each other is challenging in the best of times. We seldom carve out a day for spiritual discernment but as we prepare for Advent, a day apart might be exactly what is needed. Friday, November 25 6-8 p.m. & Saturday November 26 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Rev. Canon Debbie Royals will lead the retreat. The focus will include a Spiritual Profile/Inventory, Discernment knowing who we are so we can know whose we are and living faithfully in community. Registration is required. Details and information will be provided via email once registration is received. Please send an email to debroyals@yahoo.com to register.
St. Matthew s Online Newsletter Page 7 Matty s Angels Returned to Ben s Bells Once again several ladies of Matty s Angels devoted a portion of a morning to Ben s Bells, the nonprofit organization that is dedicated to recognizing, rewarding and increasing kindness in our community. The ladies painted Kindness Coins that are shared with school children to encourage them to recognize each other when they do acts of kindness.
Episcopal Church of St. Matthew 9071 E Old Spanish Trail Tucson, Arizona 85710 Phone: 520-298-9782 E-mail: saintmatthewsrector@live.com We re on the Web! stmatthew.azdiocese.org Everybody Needs a Home! Who We Are We seek to be an assembly of people who are fully devoted to serving God; a people who are grounded, loving, welcoming, respectful and affirming; forever seeking to grow in the ways of Jesus in everything we do. Page 8 We are with God s help, an inclusive people of God, reverent in our worship, radical in our hospitality, and devoted to growing in the Spirit of Jesus, to boldly yet humbly love and serve our neighbors. Opportunities for Involvement Worship Fellowship Growth Sundays 8:00 am Meditative Eucharist 10:30 am Choral Eucharist Wednesdays 6:00 pm Evening Prayer in Spanish Thursdays 10:00 am Morning Prayer/ Healing Eucharist First Saturdays 5:30 pm Celtic Liturgy Sundays After each liturgy Coffee Hour 1st/3rd Mondays Sewing/Quilting Guild Tuesdays 2:15 pm Yoga 2nd/4th Wednesdays 10:00 am Knit/Crochet Group 1st Saturday 9:30 am Matty s Angels 3rd Saturday 7:30 Matty s Men Breakfast 8:30 am Matty s Men Meeting Sundays 9:15 am Adult Education 10:30 am Sunday School Wednesdays 7:00 pm Cursillo Reunion Group Thursdays 7:00 pm Choir Practice 2nd/4th Saturdays 10:00 am Dream Analysis Class Quarterly Wednesdays 6:30 pm Speaker Series Exact dates TBA