St. Paul's E-News November 13th - The Good News of Destruction

The Good News of Destruction

“When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

I think most of us have a pathological fear of destruction. And that can be most understandable! But, once something has been built, whether it is a relationship, a building, a form of worship, a faith community, or even a self-image, we have a very hard time believing that it should ever change. 

We are especially fearful when we hear of any kind of change, even if it is good, that would require the destruction of something already familiar and in place in order to bring about renewal.

I think this is one reason why my imagination is sometimes captured by the Hindu god Shiva.  Now, I have to say right away that I have no deep knowledge to share about Hinduism and what I am about to offer pretty much exhausts my knowledge! But I have happened across Shiva in books I have read and I am fascinated. 

Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it.

Hindus believe his powers of destruction and re-creation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change. According to Hindu belief, this destruction is not arbitrary, but constructive.  

For whatever reason I find this permission, or even this invitation to pray for the “constructive” destruction of something old, so that something new can be born in its place, very bold and liberating.

“Constructive destruction” sounds like the granddaddy of all oxymoron’s or maybe actually the beginning of a good parable! 

But, as challenging as we in our culture seem to find this notion, I think our Biblical tradition is actually redolent with this same understanding. 

As Jesus is telling his disciples about the destruction of the Temple it is probably a concept that they can barely comprehend. And the images of the destruction to come before the world would finally reflect the fullness of God’s beauty, truth, and justice are horrific to contemplate.

Jesus tells us: “There will be wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famine, plague, dreadful portents, great signs from heaven, persecutions, and even betrayals from close relations.

Yet, Jesus’ main message to us in Sunday’s Gospel reading is not a message of war, famine and death. What Jesus tells us most clearly is “Do not be terrified, for these things always take place, but what my life will teach you is that new life awaits at the end of even the most horrible death.”

Jesus’ death and resurrection will become the master lesson in the art of God’s re-creative power.

His death and new life is meant to be the pattern for us all. It is God’s promise that at the end of one thing, God stands ready to do a whole new thing.  Even the destruction of Jesus’ earthly life marked the beginning of God’s eternal promise that new life would always be birthed out of death---any death. 

And I think it is so important to pay attention to the fact that when asked to name signs of the end of this current age, Jesus said that we should not be led astray into fear or anxiety by the many painful things that can and will happen in a world where God’s mercy and justice are not yet fully realized.

The Temple is where Jesus belongs by virtue of who he is. And yet, this is where he is most unwelcome because he challenges its excesses and abuses whether they are intentional or simply by virtue of the need to control and manage God by those in power.

As the disciples comment on its beauty, Jesus ponders its destruction. This great Temple dedicated to the one true God was destroyed just a few decades after Jesus’ made this observation.

As a religious institution it had become blind to its own intended mission and Jesus points out that no matter how beautiful it is, God is not contained or held by any human idea.

Jesus’ life will continue to teach us, if we let it, how to live without fear in a time when all that we want to cling to—for good or for ill seems to be slipping away.

Whether we are afraid of a death of a relationship, a way of life, a long held social belief, a political ideology, or the way we understand church, Jesus urges us to consider that clinging to dead things out of our fearfulness of what might be next is a painful existence.

He teaches us that none of these things is beyond God’s power to recreate in new, life-giving ways—not without grief or some feelings of loss perhaps, but, if we let go of fear, the promise is that we find something infinitely more life giving. 

And I think it is also important to recognize that just because something needs to be allowed to die or be destroyed in order to make room for something new, it does not always follow that what we must let go of is bad or has never been without value, deep meaning or purpose.

But no one thing is meant to be the one way or one answer for a lifetime or even an eternity. Not in institutions, relationships, or in all of life. We see this illustrated beautifully in God’s created order: even beautiful, wonderful things need to die in order for other new and wonderful things to spring forth. 

We can also be assured that because of God’s re-creative power, not even a wrongful destruction, like that of Jesus’ life on the cross, can kill God’s ability to resurrect something breathtakingly magnificent out of any death.

Grace and Peace,

Mother Stephanie

**Please note that neither Mother Stephanie or St. Paul's will ever send out an e-mail or text communication requesting money, gift cards, etc. They are happening on a regular basis! If you receive any suspicious communications like this, please ignore and delete these communications. Contact the Parish Office at any time with questions or concerns regarding possible scams.**

Tell Out My Soul!

This year's Annual Giving Campaign, Tell Out My Soul, is underway!

Join us on Sunday, November 23rd, at one service at 9:30 for our Pledge Ingathering followed by a celebratory Parish Potluck.

Please return your pledge card to us as soon as possible, and please do not hesitate to contact Mother Stephanie, or Julie Koch of the Financial Giving Ministry Team, with any questions, or if you would like to further discuss making your financial pledge.

If you have not received your invitation letter and pledge card, please contact the Parish Office, or you will find them in the Commons on Sunday.

Upcoming

Sunday Service:

The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, November 16th

9:30 in the Labyrinth

More Worship and Study Opportunities at St. Paul's:

~Bible Study meets every Wednesday at Noon in the Parish House through December 3rd. *There is no Bible Study on November 26th.

~Centering Prayer meets every Tuesday in the Parish Office Conference Room starting at 1:30.

Upcoming Closing

The Crisis Assistance Ministry and Step Ahead program will be closed on Thursday, November 27th.

Mark your Musical Calendars for a

Summit Strings Winter Concert!

Join us in the Sanctuary on Saturday, November 29th at 6:00 P.M, where Summit Strings will perform a winter concert with reflective seasonal pieces from Bach to the Beatles, from Vivaldi to Debussy, and some fun music in between. The musicians will take questions and share stories.

This free event will be open to the public, and donations will be accepted. Make plans. Bring friends. See you there!

St. Paul's Winter Coat Drive

The Annual Winter Coat Drive at St. Paul's continues in support of the members of our community that are in need.

We are currently accepting new or gently used sweaters, blankets, gloves, socks, coats, and hats for adults and children in all sizes.

Please drop off your donations in the Parish Office, or in the Commons.

Care for Creation

Keep Your Bags Coming!

Bedroll Report for October:

Completed: 17 

Distributed: 13

YTD:

Completed:  199

Distributed:  196

Since Starting in 2017:

Completed:   762

Distributed:   749

2025 Goal:

225 (88.4% completed with 2 months to go)

Thanks for bringing your grocery bags!

Scam Alert!

We continue to urge any recipients of questionable e-mails or texts to PLEASE DISREGARD these communications and contact the Parish Office with any concerns or questions regarding the validity of e-mail or text communications. Do not reply to these communications or provide any personal information.

Scripture for Upcoming Sunday Service:

Sunday, November 16th

The Twenty-third Sunday after

Pentecost

9:30 in the Labyrinth

The First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25

The Response: Canticle 9

The Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

The Gospel: Luke 21:5-19

Processional Hymn: #615 "Thy Kingdom Come!" on Bended Knee

Sequence Hymn: #339 Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness

Recessional Hymn: #635 If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee

The First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25

For I am about to create new heavens

and a new earth;

the former things shall not be remembered

or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever

in what I am creating;

for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem,

and delight in my people;

no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,

or the cry of distress.

No more shall there be in it

an infant that lives but a few days,

or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;

for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,

and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

They shall build houses and inhabit them;

they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They shall not build and another inhabit;

they shall not plant and another eat;

for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,

and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

They shall not labor in vain,

or bear children for calamity;

for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord--

and their descendants as well.

Before they call I will answer,

while they are yet speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,

the lion shall eat straw like the ox;

but the serpent-- its food shall be dust!

They shall not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain, says the Lord

The Response: Canticle 9

The First Song of Isaiah   Ecce Deus

Isaiah 12:2-6

Surely, it is God who saves me; *

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *

and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *

from the springs of salvation.

And on that day you shall say, *

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Make his deeds known among the peoples; *

see that they remember that his Name is exalted.

Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *

and this is known in all the world.

Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *

for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

The Gospel: Luke 21:5-19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.

"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."

Prayer List

Please remember in your prayers: All who are ill or unemployed and those who are on our prayer list.

Short-term

Jamie Tate, Rose Andrews

Long-term

Aliza Grace Mabie, Cade Gibbs, Ray Call, Shane Jenkins, Kaye Hall, Dot Beamon, Da'Shon Horton, Ken Asel, Steve Jackson, Doug Rhodes

Armed Forces

Let us pray for the safety of all our troops, especially John Craine, Micah Duerk, Faith Lankford, Cole Griffith, Jason Westmeyer, and all others who serve throughout the world.

Please send to the church office the addresses of troops with connections to

office@stpaulwilkesboro.org, especially those abroad.

Prayer Requests

To make a prayer request:

• E-mail the Parish Office at office@stpaulwilkesboro.org, or call the Parish Office at (336)-667-4231. The Parish Office is open Monday - Thursday from 8:00 to 3:30.

• Scan the QR code below to be taken directly to our Prayer Request Form.

• Visit our website here and find the "Prayer List Request" under the "About St. Paul's" section.

A Note on Prayer Requests

Bulletins are printed on Thursday mornings and requests submitted after that time will not be in the printed bulletin for that week, but they may still be spoken. 

Prayer requests received by noon on Wednesday will be included in the weekly e-newsletter.

Our short-term prayer list will be cleared at the beginning of each month, unless a request has been sent to the office to keep an individual on the short-term prayer list.

Our long-term prayer list will be cleared every three months, unless a request has been sent to the office to keep an individual on the long-term list.

Serving St. Paul's in

November

November 13th - Bill Harris

November 14th - Keyonii Staley

November 16th - Gwen Temple

November 19th - Kieran Cook

November 19th - Riley Canter

No anniversaries this week.

Use the St. Paul's Vestry link to directly access Vestry Meeting Minutes.

Use the link below to follow us directly on Facebook.