August 21, 14th Sunday after Pentecost

This Past Monday  August 15, 

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Feast of the Assumption commemorates the Christian conviction that at the end of her earthly life, the Virgin Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven, that is, enters the Kingdom of God in its fullness.  There are two rules of thumb to help us think about the Virgin Mary.  1.  Whose Mother she is and how she is his Mother.  2.  She is the one human being like us who experiences in her life everything promised us in the Christian faith.  Because all that is promised by Christ is fulfilled in her, it will also be fulfilled in us.    

August 15

St. Mary the Virgin

Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Nothing certain is known of the parentage or the place of birth of the Mother of Our Lord.  Only her name is known Mary or Miriam (in Hebrew) and that she had an aged relative called Elizabeth.  According to the Gospel of St. Luke, Mary was a young Jewish girl living in Narzareth, engaged to a man called Joseph, when a messenger from the Lord announced that she was to be the bearer of the Son of God to the world.  Her response, “Let it be to me according to your word,” and her life of obedience and faithfulness have been upheld ever since as a model for all who hear and obey God’s word.  In Christian Tradition Mary is often described as “the second Eve” who offsets Eve’s disobedience.  Mary was present at the crucifixion of her Son, and was with the apostles and others at Pentecost.  According to the Gospel of John, at the time of his death Jesus commended the care of his mother to the beloved disciple, which may explain why in Christian Tradition her final years are associated with both Jerusalem and Ephesus.  The Church customarily commemorates saints on the day of their death, and although the date and place of Mary’s death are unknown, for centuries today has been celebrated as her principle feast.  (The Annunciation is seen principally as a feast of Our Lord)  In the East, today’s feast is entitled “The Dormition of the Virgin;”  in the Roman Catholic Church, reflecting its distinctive doctrinal emphasis, it is called “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” 

From Celebrating the Saints  Morehouse Publishing

The quote below, from Celebrating the Saints, expands on and deepens this conviction.

 Mary’s Assumption brings a new and promising future for women.  Excluded from Jewish initiation rites because of their anatomy, banned from full participation in worship and the synagogue by their menstrual cycles, for a long time women—even in Christianity—subtly or explicitly have been second class citizens in the world of faith because of the “inferiority” and “poverty” of their bodies.

 Mary’s Assumption, however, restores and reintegrates women’s bodiliness into the very mystery of God.  Starting with Mary, the dignity of women’s condition is recognized and safeguarded by the creator of that very bodiliness.  In Jesus Christ and Mary the feminine is respectively resurrected and assumed into heaven definitively sharing in the glory of the Trinitarian mystery from which all proceeds and all returns. 

 Her Assumption is intimately connected to Jesus’ resurrection.  Both events are about the same mystery: the triumph of God’s justice over human injustice, the victory of grace over sin.  Just as proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus means continuing to announce his passion which continues in those who are crucified and suffer injustice in this world, by analogy believing in Mary’s Assumption means proclaiming that the woman who gave birth in a stable among animals, whose heart was pierced with a sword of sorrow, who shared in her son’s poverty, humiliation and persecution and violent death, who stood at the foot of the cross, the mother of the condemned, has been exalted.  Just as the crucified one is the risen one, so the sorrowing one is the one assumed into heaven, the one in glory.  She who, while a disciple herself, shared persecutions, fear and anxiety with other disciples of the early years of the Church, is the same one, who after a death that was certainly humble and anonymous, was raised to heaven.  The Assumption is the glorious culmination of the mystery of God’s preference for what is poor, small, and unprotected in this world, so as to make God’s glory shine there. 

 Poor, small, unprotected, is all of us at various times of our lives, certainly at the beginning, and very often at the end.  The Assumption is the hope and promise that all of us will share in the final victory of the Risen Christ. 

 Daily Scripture Readings;  bookofcommonprayer.net/daily_office.php

See the different options.  There is full morning and evening prayer.  There is also the option of the readings only.  There is also an app for receiving the daily readings by email, or on a mobile device

 Sunday Scripture Readings:  bookofcommonprayer.net/lectionary.php

Set it for 1979 Contemporary, and the Bible version used in Church is Revised Standard Version

From our Supply Priest this Summer

Fr. Bob emailed The Rev. Marianne Zahn to thank her for filling in while he was gone.  She wrote back:

 Oh, thanks so much! I was going to email YOU to thank you for the opportunity. Yes, it was the best parish I've served at so far: the liturgy is solid, the music, as I said, is very good (much better than what I've experienced at smaller parishes), and the people seemed open to the few slightly different things I tried, but are obviously well-formed and have a strong base of liturgical knowledge themselves. And my husband came every single week, so that's saying a lot  I'm happy to fill in again anytime, just let me know.

 Hope you had a restful vacation and are looking forward to the year ahead.

 Best,

 Marianne

Some Sunday Needs for August 21

We could use some help on two items.

 Coffee hour.   Coffee Hour hosts for both the 7:45 and 10:15 service.

 Summer Sunday School:  We need a catechist.  This was the one Sunday that was not covered in the sign up sheet.

 Both tasks are quite easy.  Coffee hour is simply bringing some snack food and helping as people, especially children serve themselves.  The coffee and ice tea is set up ahead of time.  At the end, hosts help in the take down.

 Summer Sunday School is reading a story from the Children’s Bible, and then selecting a craft activity from the set up table.  It’s essentially childcare. 

 We welcome any volunteers.

Emmaus Road  Monday: August 22

We resume our summer movies with Truly, Madly, Deeply", It's a love story with comic touches, and that the couple involved share a love that's stronger than death.  The film was released in 1991.

Sign Up Sheets

The sign up sheet for coffee hour for September and October will be on the Coffee Table this coming Sunday.  Please sign up to take a turn.

Parents and Children Barbecue  Saturday, September 10 4:30 p.m. at the Rectory

Our end of Summer barbecue for Parents and Children will happen the second Saturday of September.  We’ll do the usual drill of Fr. Bob and Tracy providing the hamburgers and hot dogs and participants bringing appetizers, drinks, salads and desserts. 

Other Things to Put on Your Calendar

Saturday September 24:  Santa Maria Barbecue

Sunday September 25:  One Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. followed by All Parish Brunch

Friday October 14 – Sunday October 16: 

Annual Parish Retreat:  Camp Thousand Pines, Crestline

Sunday October 16:  4:00 p.m.  Jouyssance Concert

Saturday October 29:  Day of the Dead Art Show and Concert