News & Notes - May 9, 2021
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Online Service: 9:30 a.m.
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From the Rector: Ascension and Regathering |
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Dear friends,
Two things today--first, a word about Ascension, then an update about our regathering process.
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Ascension. We are coming close to the final part of the Easter Season. The Feast of the Ascension is the 40th day of Easter—meaning it always falls on a Thursday. It commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven, an event that is narrated in Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-14. Other New Testament writers portray the ascension differently, but what is consistent is that there was a period of time after the resurrection when Jesus appeared frequently to his disciples, and that this period came to a close, with Jesus commissioning the disciples to go and spread the good news in his name.
While people have continued to have visionary encounters with Jesus throughout the ages, we no longer live with Jesus present in the flesh as he was with his first disciples. Rather, as Ephesians 4:10 says, “he has ascended far above the heavens, that he might fill all things.” Or, as John 14:2-3 puts it, he has “gone to prepare a place for us.”
Yet Jesus isn’t absent. We ourselves are the Body of Christ, the Church. We meet the risen Jesus whenever we gather together, as we do in one sense each week even now when we’re dispersed, and as we will do again physically starting later this month. And we meet him in a particularly tangible way when we celebrate the sacraments such as Baptism and the Eucharist.. St. Leo the Great wrote, “What was visible in the Redeemer’s presence has passed over into the sacraments.”
We’ll celebrate Ascension Day on Thursday, May 13, with a service of Evensong on Zoom and Facebook at 7:00 p.m. (use our regular “Online Services” links below).
Ascension Day begins the last part of Easter, sometimes called Ascensiontide, a time of expectation and prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
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Regathering. For us this year Pentecost promises to be an especially joyful celebration as we resume a schedule of weekly in-person services, with a simple, spoken indoor service at 8:00 and a sung outdoor service at 10:00.
Right now we have a good number of folks volunteering to help with 10:00 ushering, altar setup, and reading. Some of the ministries we could most use help with are:
8:00 am ushers. The 8:00 service will likely have a smaller attendance than 10:00, but since it's indoors it needs ushers to help us manage some specific protocols. If we're not able to adequately staff this service with ushers, it's possible we might have to just offer a single service at 10:00 for the time being.
Zoom presenters and Zoom ushers. These roles can be done from home for the 10:00 service, and only require a little training.
Please let us know if you're interested in helping with one of these roles, or any others. Our worship is the work of our whole community--now even more than ever as we rebuild our ways of doing things.
In Christ’s love,
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Amazing News from the Development Committee
Hurrah! Thanks be to God! Incarnation IS INDEED going green!
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Thank you, every donor- individuals and families - to this amazing effort. We are two-thirds’ way to our $200,000 goal. Remember each donor will be honored on the Farlander Solar Panel Display- and we hope EVERY member will soon be represented. Your support, as the Prayer Book says, shows the wisdom and will to preserve the good earth which God has given us.
If you haven’t yet joined our effort of will and wisdom for the good earth, please consider making your donation, regardless of amount. Mail a check, or donate online at IncarnationGoesGreen.org.
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He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. II Samuel.
Thanks and blessings to you!
- Connie Sinclair and Kathleen Robarts
The Incarnation Development Committee
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Thursday, May 13, 7:00 p.m.:
Evensong for Ascension Day
The Feast of the Ascension, a principal feast day of the church year, falls 40 days after Easter Sunday and commemorates Jesus’ ascension into heaven after the initial period of appearances to his disciples following the resurrection. It marks the transition into the last ten days of Easter Season, sometimes called Ascensiontide, when we look with anticipation toward the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We’ll celebrate the Ascension this year with an online service of Evensong on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. Use our usual link for Online Services (see below). All are welcome.
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Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber - Come join us!
The Incarnation Book Group continues to meet on the Third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm via Zoom. Please join us in reading Accidental Saints: Finding God In All the Wrong People, by Nadia Bolz-Weber.
"In Accidental Saints, New York Times best-selling author Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls “a religious but not-so-spiritual life.” Tattooed, angry and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people—a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop and a gun-toting member of the NRA.
In a time when many have rightly become disillusioned with Christianity, Accidental Saints demonstrates what happens when ordinary people share bread and wine, struggle with scripture together, and tell each other the truth about their real lives. This unforgettable account of their faltering steps toward wholeness will ring true for believer and skeptic alike.
Told in Nadia’s trademark confessional style, Accidental Saints is the stunning next work from one of today’s most important religious voices". - Goodreads
See you Tuesday, May 18, at 6:30 pm PST
Contact Linda Sevier to order your copy through Incarnation’s Bookstore [email protected]
(Please Note: Financial assistance to purchase your copy is always available through Incarnation’s Bookstore)
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Online Services
During this time of pandemic, our worship continues. Using technology, we can gather from wherever we may be and join together in the Word and in prayer.
· To dial in: Call (669) 900-9128. Enter meeting ID code: 997 787 434 #.
We are also live streaming each Zoom service on our Facebook page, so you can also watch the service on Facebook, and it will be archived there for viewing later in case you're not able to join in live. You don't need to be a Facebook member to see the live stream on the Facebook page by clicking the link above.
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May 6: Heavenly Treasures is back in business!
Starting May 6, Heavenly Treasures will be open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 11am - 4pm. For those of you who aren't familiar with Heavenly Treasures, it is the church's thrift store located at 576 Mendocino Ave. Please see our website for more details about what can be donated and when.
Contact manager Kathy Fleming if you are interested in volunteering or have items to donate, at [email protected] or 707-889-9350. |
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Last Call to sign up for May Sacred Ground Circle!
Beginning next week, there will be two Sacred Ground Circles offered in the Russian River Deanery area. Because they will be offered on Zoom, anyone from our diocese is welcome. Please contact one of the leaders (see links below) if you’d like to participate, to come together in small groups to reflect on what you learn and how it may inform your choices and actions.
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May 10 – July 26 (skipping May 31st and July 5th) Monday evenings at 6 p.m. hosted by Paul Mallatt ([email protected]) from Incarnation Santa Rosa and Deacon Kate Sefton ([email protected]) from St. Stephen’s Sebastopol.
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May 13 – July 15th Thursdays 1p.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by social justice advocate Bob Wohlsen ([email protected]) and Spiritual Director/educator Sharron Simpson ([email protected])
Sacred Ground offers a 10-part learning opportunity grounded in faith, exploring race and racial inequity throughout our history. Participants are invited to view selected videos and read books and articles about Indigenous, Black, Latino and Asian/Pacific American histories and how they intersect with European-American accounts.
Becoming Beloved Community – Repairing the Breach
For the Episcopal Church, Becoming Beloved Community is a vision for a community where we grow in our love of God, our neighbors and creation. A labyrinth with four quadrants has been developed to illustrate the journey toward Becoming Beloved Community. The fourth quadrant of the labyrinth is about our Baptismal vow to “Strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.”
It is helpful to identify the social institutions and systems in our community that bear the signs of racial injustice and brokenness, and to acknowledge where we have benefitted from this. We have been so richly blessed and have a special vocation to participate in the repair and restoration of our communities and institutions where groups of people have been treated unjustly.
How can we participate in repairing the breach? Areas to consider might include:
● Participate in criminal justice reform and healing.
● Stand with immigrants and refugees.
● Support historically Black Colleges and Universities.
● Continue with learning and increasing our awareness.
Please join us in this valuable and loving exploration.
Deacon Kate Sefton
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From our neighbors at St. Stephen's, Sebastopol:
Invitation to an online Finger Labyrinth Walk, May 26, 12:00 p.m.
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Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 841 6964 4734
Passcode: 405975
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Prayer requests will stay on our list for 3 weeks. After that, if you would like long-term which is for 3 months, please notify the office. Prayers for those who have died will remain on for 6 months.
Your prayers are requested...
...Marsha F., Kate, Shelby, Demi, Ethan, Drew, Ian & Duncan, Susan, Grizel, Pamela H., Alice, Sonja, Cindy, John C., James & Priscilla, Lila, Mary K., Amy C., Don, Matt, Gene & Elizabeth, Francoise, Hugh & Angela, Robyn, Amanda, and Nancy.
...for those who have died: Doug Cannedy, Sally, Shirley, Brenda, Rob McIntyre, Janet, Paul Rosenthal, Lorin Leitner, Bruce Cronan, Marlene Broce, Kay Conner, Mario & Henni P., Geoff Wright, Marilyn Payne.
...for the victims of COVID-19: especially we pray for those affected by the COVID-19 virus, and for all who are in danger.
...for our city, county, and community; the city council, the board of supervisors, for those who serve the common good in law enforcement and the courts.
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Sunday, May 9
Monday, May 10
- 3 pm - 3:15 pm: Prayer for America. For Zoom details, contact Brad, [email protected]
Tuesday, May 11
- 7:00 pm - Through the Ear to the Heart: contemplative singing. Contact Devi Mathieu to request the Zoom invitation: [email protected], 707-829-0815.
Wednesday, May 12
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4:00 PM: Youth Group. For more information contact Daphne, [email protected]
- 6:00 pm: Alleluia Choir - Zoom
- 7:30 pm: Anam Cara - Psalms and Silence
Thursday, May 13
- 6:00 pm: St. Cecilia Choir
- 7:00 pm: Evensong for Ascension Day
Friday, May 14
- 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Open Table prep
Saturday, May 15
- 9:00 am - 11:00 am: Open Table Prep
Sunday, May 16
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To sign up for the Diocesan Newsletter click HERE.
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Talk with Stephen
Could you use a prayer or a listening ear? Do you have ideas you'd like to share? Although our offices are closed, Pastor Stephen is available to talk by phone or via Zoom. If you'd like to find a time to talk with Stephen, you can call Alison at 707-579-2604 or email Stephen directly at [email protected].
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Need Support?
If you know of anyone, including yourself, who could use a communion visit or a prayer, please call the church office (707-579-2604) or email [email protected]
If you have a pastoral emergency after hours or on weekends, please call the church office (number above) and follow the prompts for the Priest-on-Call.
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