January 8th Epiphany
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 9:35AM 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
Epiphany
Sunday January 8:
7:45 & 10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Open House at the Rectory
The date of the Feast of the Epiphany relates to the custom of celebrating the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the winter solstice. The north European pre-Christian tradition of celebrating the birth of the Sun on December 25 differed from the Mediterranean and Eastern tradition of observing January 6 as the solstice. As often happens, the two dates merged into a beginning and end of the same celebration. The Western Church adopted the twelve days of Christmas’ climaxing on the Eve of Epiphany or “Twelfth Night.” The implication by the fifth century was that this was the night on which the Magi arrived. The complications of dating became even more confused with the change from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar in the West, the Eastern Church refusing to participate in the change. So the Feast of the Epiphany remains the chief day of celebrating the Incarnation in Orthodox Churches.
From Celebrating the Seasons: Daily Spiritual Readings for the Christian Year.
God never imparts himself as he is to those
who contemplate him while still in this mortal life,
but he shows forth his brightness scantily
to the blinking eyes of our mind.
Pope St. Gregory the Great
Reconciling Peace, sent to the people,
Gladdening Flash, who came to the gloomy,
Powerful Leaven, conquering all in silence,
Patient One, who has captured the creation little by little.
Blessed is he who became small without limit
to make us great without limit.
St. Ephrem of Syria: Deacon
Epiphany 2017
We will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on Sunday January 8. The real date of Epiphany is January 6. Epiphany means “manifestation.” Epiphany celebrates the revealing of the Incarnation to the entire world. This is symbolized by the Star and the coming of the Magi. It fulfills the promises we’ve heard in Advent about how the renewal of Israel and Jerusalem would draw all people to her to receive God’s blessings. Epiphany also shows the bestowal of the Incarnation to the Gentiles. That is, the Christian faith is universal. It is not confined to one specific people. Of the two feasts of the Incarnation, Christmas and Epiphany, Epiphany is the oldest. It was celebrated first by the Church in the East. Christmas developed later in the West and began to be celebrated around 400 or so AD. So things have evolved into something complete and comprehensive. While the secular calendar sees the Christmas or “Holiday” season beginning on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving and concluding either Christmas Day or New Years Day, the Church calendar has the four week preparation called Advent. Christmas begins at Midnight Christmas Eve and runs 12 days concluding on Epiphany, January 6.
We’ve moved our celebration forward to the Sunday closest like we do with the feasts of Ascension, and All Saints. The goal is to get as many of us together as possible. That can be difficult on a weeknight when everyone is back to school and work.
Epiphany Activities
There are two things happening this coming Sunday of Epiphany.
1. Take down the Christmas decorations in the Church.
That will not take long if everyone will help. After coffee hour, please come in and help take down the trees and put the ornaments away. Much of the other things can be disposed of. People can take poinsettias home if they’d like.
2. Annual Epiphany Open House at the Rectory: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Help close out Christmas by joining for the Annual Epiphany Open House at the Rectory. Bring something to share. Tracy and Fr. Bob will have a ham and rolls for sandwiches, along with spiced cider. It’s a time to use up whatever Christmas treats may be left and enjoy each other’s company. Everyone is invited including children. Just drop in that afternoon.
Coffee Hour Sign Up
It is time to sign up for Coffee Hour for the months of January and February. The Sign Up Sheet is on the coffee table outside Church.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Resumes
All the atriums will be open again this Sunday.
Fr. Bob will resume his “Level” 4 discussions with the Middle Schoolers
Year End Close
If you can read this, you must be on the Parish Email List. If you can’t, well then you aren’t. As the new year is upon us, we update all the Parish Records. We’ll be updating the Parish Directory as well as the Parish Email List. Each will be on the table outside Church over the next several Sundays. The Parish Directory is in the PURPLE FILE FOLDER. The Parish Email is in the ORANGE FILE FOLDER. Please check each and see that everything is correct. If things need correcting, please make corrections to each. The Parish Directory and the Parish Email list are not connected in the computer. They are two separate software applications. So if your email needs correcting, please check both file folders
The Financial Page
Completing Pledges for 2016
Treasurer Leigh Torgerson has emailed and mailed Pre-Close 2016 Giving Statements. This is to give people a chance to complete their 2016 Pledge before we close the books in time for the Annual Parish Meeting.
We work hard to be accurate, but sometimes errors creep in.
If there is an error in your statement, please speak to Leigh and he will correct it.
Final 2016 Giving Statements will go out at the end of January
Church of the Angels Annual Giving for 2017
We need to finish up the Annual Giving Drive for 2017. At this point we are about ½ of the way toward the amount we need for Annual Giving Income for the coming year. If you have not yet made an Annual Giving Pledge for 2017, please consider doing so. Pledge cards are available in the back of the Church. You can also pledge online by going to http://www.coa-pasadena.org/pledge. When you fill out the pledge card and click Submit, it will go directly to Leigh Torgerson, the Parish Treasurer.
Offering Envelopes for 2017
Your offering envelopes are on the table outside Church. Please pick yours up when you come to Liturgy.
Outreach: Mission Giving
Christmas Books for Suubi School in Uganda
Last week we thanked everyone who brought books for the emerging Library at Suubi School in Uganda. This week Emily Woolery, Eileen Wakiji, and Tracy Gaestel begin the process of cataloguing the books before they will be shipped.
Secret Handshake Class Saturday, January 7, 10:00 a.m. Parish Hall Living Room
In our first class we'll open with everyone telling their story of the their religious backgrounds. That is always one of the most fascinating things about a group of people connecting to the Episcopal Church. The vast majority of members of the Episcopal Church are converts from somewhere else. And that somewhere else spans everything imaginable. It is an amazing thing to hear from one another. Fr. Bob too will reveal his own checkered past!. We'll also solicit questions as to what you are curious about from "What's behind that little door in the side of the Church?" Answer: It is where Mrs. Campbell-Johnston kept her Prayer Book ...and her gin!, to, "Do you believe there are three Persons in one God?" Answer: "As many as you say Father." (From Brideshead Revisited).
Anyone is welcome to attend any or all meeting. Either way we should have fun.
Emmaus Road Monday, January 9, 7:00 p.m. Parish Hall Living Room
Emmaus Road will resume on Monday, January 9. We will discuss and then decide about what we will read next. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Food For Thought: An embarrassment of riches.
This year’s articles on Christmas in the mainstream media were amazingly positive. Rather than the usual fare of “There was no Star, Stable, Virgin Birth, Magi, Census, etc. there were some deep reflections on the “true meaning of Christmas.
From The Wall Street Journal, “Christmas: Embattled from the Beginning.” No Fox News was not the first to announce a “War on Christmas,” but rather the celebration of Christmas has been fraught with contention from the very beginning. This is an interesting article that puts it all into perspective.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/christmas-embattled-from-the-beginning-1482501600
From The New York Times, “Humanizing Jesus.” This is a profound reflection on the implications of the Incarnation as it impacts culture, history, and individuals.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/opinion/humanizing-jesus.html?_r=0
From The Wall Street Journal, “Faith That Upholds Humanity and Liberty. This is a reflection on the meaning of Christmas from a person who was once a secular Jew and atheist who converted to Christianity.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/faith-that-upholds-humanityand-liberty-1483053830
These will be on the back table on Sunday.