News and Reflections from St. Marks Episcopal Church in Moscow, Idaho.
We have two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist on the Feast of the Epiphany, Wednesday January 6: a simple service at 12:10 pm (you’ll be back at work or school by 1 pm); the second at 5:30 pm. Please join us!
Permalink Comments off
Our prayer is for 2010 to be a blessed, rich, fruitful year for all–a year marked by the passion and compassion that Jesus modeled for us.
This week at St. Mark’s we celebrate The Epiphany with Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome at this table. This feast is followed by a Parish Feast of the meat-and-potatoes kind:–cost $15 for adults, $7 for children. Call the church office SOON to make a reservation. All are welcome.
We mark the end of Christmastide with food and fellowship–and nurture of mind and spirit! After the Holy Days/holidays of Christmas, we resume our current classes: Confirmation (Monday at 6 p.m.); Celtic Spirituality (Tuesday at 7 p.m.); and the Sacred Art of Listening (in progress, Thursday at 6 p.m.).
Permalink Comments off
St. Mark’s invites all to worship with us, especially those who don’t have a church home but have a sense that this may be the time to find a faith community. Particularly at Christmas—as we invite Christ into our lives again—we extend that welcome to each of you.
Wednesday, December 23 – Mid-week Holy Eucharist, 12:10 p.m.
Thursday, December 24—Christmas Eve
4:30 p.m. —Service of music and carols
5:00 p.m. —Family service of Holy Eucharist
10:30 p.m.—Christmas Vigil with music and carols
11:00 p.m.—Festal Eucharist (Christ’s Mass)
Friday, December 25—Christmas Day — Holy Eucharist, 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, December 26 – The Feast of St. Stephen, Holy Eucharist, 12:10 p.m.
Sunday, December 27— First Sunday after Christmas, Holy Eucharist, 9:30 a.m.
Monday, December 28— The Feast of St. John (transferred), Holy Eucharist, 12:10 p.m.
Tuesday, December 29— Holy Innocents, Holy Eucharist, 12:10 p.m.
Wednesday, December 30— Mid-week Holy Eucharist, 12:10 p.m.
Friday, January 1 – The Feast of the Holy Name, Holy Eucharist, 12:10 p.m.
Sunday, January 3 – Second Sunday after Christmas, Holy Eucharist, 9:30 a.m.
Permalink Comments off
Blessed Advent, all,
I invite you to join with me in the Advent Conspiracy!
This international group of folks exists (thanks to the internet) for the sole (soul) purpose of under-mining the “holiday shopping season” consumerism, with reign of God compassion. There is lots of info at http://www.adventconspiracy.org/. The group is not itself an activist organization, but serves as catalyst and information exchange. Lots of good ideas and resources!
The conspiracy was organized in 2006 by five non-denominational pastors who encouraged their congregations to spend Advent this way: “Worship fully, spend less, give more and love all.” No money comes to or through Advent Conspiracy—those who wish to donate are asked to decide where and how to “give more” to those who have little.
“Conspirators” shift the Christmas gift-giving focus to gifts of relationships and service, instead of giving material items—giving “presence” instead of “presents.” The Conspiracy suggests that those who want to share their material wealth consider giving it to development of sustainable water resources for sis-ters and brothers who don’t have access to clean water. Serendipity!—considering that our Diocesan focus this year is “living water.” St. Mark’s Parish already gave almost $2000 to ERD for development of wells—what a gift!
As we consider alternative giving—giving life-sustaining gifts to those in need instead of giving more to those who have more than enough—it is prudent to consider how charitable organizations steward their own resources. By means of comparison, I researched three popular groups: Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD); Living Water International; and the Heifer Project. ERD stands up very well, indeed! You can check out these and others at Charity Navigator, http://www.charitynavigator.org/.
Our catechism defines the roles of each order of ministry. Lay people, bishops, priests and deacons all have different roles in the church and the liturgy, but first and foremost for each order is to “represent Christ and his Church” in the world (BCP 855-856). How shall we do that this Advent? As people in our community look at us individually and as a community gath-ered in Christ’s name, how will they see us behaving in a way that declares that we “are marked as Christ’s own for-ever” (BCP, 308)? How shall we demonstrate that we are those who minister to “the least” of Jesus’ sisters and brothers? How shall we show that we are servants of God, not of mammon? How shall we prepare to welcome Christ into our lives anew?
Welcome, sister and brother conspirators! “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”
Robin+
Permalink Comments off
And Advent is the perfect season to do it! Just as we Christians are waking up to the coming of the Christ, this page, we hope–as we yawn, stretch, and rub our eyes–is also coming to life. Stay tuned!
Permalink Comments off
St. Mark’s will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with a Blessing of the Animals during its service at 9:30 a.m. Sunday (Oct. 4.) The Children’s Choir, under the direction of William Wharton, will perform a bluegrass anthem, “All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir.”
“The service celebrates of the whole of God’s creation, as we honor Francis, the patron saint of animals, nature and the environment,” said the Rev. Robin Biffle, rector of St. Mark’s. “Many churches invite families to bring pets for blessing to symbolize how we value all God’s creatures, and how we cherish the web of creation.”
Members of the congregation and visitors are invited to bring a donation of pet food, toys, cat litter, etc., for donation to the Moscow Food Bank or Latah County Humane Society. The loose plate offering will be used to purchase pet food for the two organizations. Last year, almost $200 worth of pet food was donated.
At St. Mark’s, small animals should be kept in carriers or cages; dogs should be leashed. Arrangements for home blessing of animals that would not do well in the animal-rich environment of the church may be made by contacting the church office at 208-882-2022. St. Mark’s is located at 111 S. Jefferson, across from the Moscow-Latah Public Library.
Permalink Comments off
A sea of red shirts, dresses and ballons on St. Mark's lawn.
Permalink Comments off
Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost, we’ll celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church, the Body of Christ in the world. How are we called to be Christ’s hands and feet to our sisters and brothers, our neighbors, and all of creation? This is the question that we’ll spend the rest of our lives answering. And we’ll begin (again) that answer on Sunday when we gather at the Table for the Heavenly Banquet. During the service, we’ll have special rites for welcoming those who’ve joined the St. Mark’s family since last year’s Feast of Pentecost, and we’ll commission our new acolytes and Wardens/Vestry members. Wear red–the liturgical color that represents (among other things) the Holy Spirit, described in Acts 2 as resembling tongues of fire in its descent upon Jesus’ friends.
After we are fed at Christ’s table, we’ll adjourn to the lawn for a potluck picnic. Please join us, even if you can’t bring a dish to share. We’ll have an abundance. We are children of an Abundant God!
How true, how true…and over the summer you can count on seeing many changes at this site–an upgrade in design and content. Please let us know what you’d like to see here.
We’ll introduce a link to our Sunday sermons, an event calendar, and our comments on some of the issues of the day–who knows what else? Come back now and then, and see what’s up at St. Mark’s.
This week at St. Mark’s we celebrate the Rogation Days and the Feast of the Ascension. The Rogation Days focus on the theme of our faithful stewardship of creation. During these days (Monday the 18th through Wednesday the 20th), we offer special intercessions for our gardens–and the crops in the fields of the Palouse. We sing The Great Litany–a special liturgy of responsive prayer–during Morning Prayer, Monday through Thursday at 8 a.m.
Thursday, May 21st is Ascension Day (forty days after Easter Day), one of the church’s principal feasts. We’ll celebrate Holy Eucharist at 12:10 p.m. On this day, we recall and celebrate Jesus’ ascent “far above all heavens that he might fill all things.”
We will offer our usual mid-week Eucharist on Wednesday, May 20th at 12:10 p.m. By scheduling the celebration just after noon, we offer an opportunity for a worshipful break from the rigors of the workday. Please join us.
Permalink Comments off
« Previous Page — « Previous entries « Previous Page · Next Page » Next entries » — Next Page »