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The Last Sunday after Epiphany
Sunday, February 27, 2022
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Exodus 34:29-35
Psalm 99
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a]
Preacher: The Reverend Ryan D. Newman
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Friday, February 25
Beer and Brats
6:00 PM - 9:00PM
Mohler Residence
Sunday, February 27
Annual Meeting of the Congregation
11:30 AM
Sanctuary & Online
Wednesday, March 2
Ashes To Go
7:15 AM - 9:00 AM
Expo/Bundy Metro Station
Wednesday, March 2
Ash Wednesday Services
12:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sanctuary & Online
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Bible and Breakfast
Tuesdays | 9:30 AM
Currently on Zoom Only
Evening Prayer
Wednesday | 7:00 PM
Currently on Zoom Only
Education Forum
Wednesday | 7:45 PM
Currently on Zoom Only
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Initially, I was not going to write a reflection for this week’s Quill.
Then this week happened. I am lost for words, yet I have so much to say.
My colleague and friend, Tim Schenck, wrote these words this morning on Facebook, “I'm a preacher, not a public policy analyst. But clergy are called to pray for peace, to name injustice and oppression in the world, and to be as one with the least, the lonely, and the lost. That’s our lane. And some days, it feels wider than others.”
In a matter of 48 hours, we have witnessed true evil once again on the national and international stage. This evilness has shaken me to the core. I am angry. I am sad. I am full of words yet speechless.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services demanding that employees, licensed professionals, and members of the general public report transgender children and their parents to state authorities who might be receiving gender-affirming medical care. Abbott’s letter was a follow-up to Attorney General Ken Paxton’s statement declaring that allowing minors to receive transition care is child abuse under Texas state law.
"Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? I renounce them."
Early this morning, Russia launched a full-scale, unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s goal is clear: To destroy the Ukrainian democracy, and nothing will stop Putin. This act of war threatens peace and stability throughout the world, especially in Europe. The human, financial, and infrastructure toll will be devastating and transcend multiple generations. Putin’s hunger for power and land is reminiscent of another ruthless European dictator.
"Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? I renounce them."
“Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil.” (Thomas Mann, German Author)
As children of God and as followers of Jesus Christ, we should not, and cannot, become tolerant of evil.
In our confession, we say, “We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf.” Our repentance is only worthwhile if we emerge from God’s absolution recommitted to fighting against the evil that once ensnared us.
"Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will, with God's help."
We alone will not be able to overturn Texas’s unjust and inhumane laws. Yet together, we can call for justice and advocate for the dignity of every human being. We alone will not be able to repel the Russian forces driven by the satanic force of a madman. Yet together, we can be instruments of peace in our homes, in our communities, and in our nation.
On a day like this, my eyes are full, my stomach is turned, and my heart breaks. When all seems too scary, and the world feels like it is losing its way, I pray. My prayer is not fancy, nor is it long.
I simply pray Psalm 31:5, “Into your hands I commend my spirit, for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth.”
When I have no words, these are my words.
Today, I am lost for words.
The Reverend Ryan D. Newman
Interim Pastor
Texas Photo Credit: Jay Janner/AP | Ukraine Photo Credit: Emilio Morenatti/AP
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This Sunday, February 27, at 11:30 AM is the Annual Meeting of the Congregation.
Should you participate in the Annual Meeting? YES! Our yearly gatherings as a "congregation in governance" are vital to our common life and witness together. During the meeting, we will elect a new class of the Vestry--all of those individuals will join the group tasked with calling St. Bede's next rector.
The Annual Meeting also gives the congregation a chance to review the budget, align missional priorities for the year, and hear directly from various leaders in the congregation. Finally, it is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others.
There are three ways to participate in the Annual Meeting.
| | The Annual Meeting Packet should be available by Saturday, February 26th, if not earlier. | |
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Tuesday Evenings in Lent
Learning to Walk in the Dark
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Throughout our liturgy in the Episcopal Church, we use the language of “light” and “darkness.” This imagery finds its roots in the Bible and dates before our modern industrial era when nighttime truly meant darkness. Often in our society, pain, sadness, adversity, and tragedy are described as darkness—the absence of light and/or goodness, which can be troublesome and a disservice.
How does the “dark” shape, inform, and provoke our journey?
The Reverend Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest, theologian, professor, and one of America’s most renowned Christian preachers. Reverend Taylor’s book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, will be the foundation of our Lenten Study at St. Bedes’ Episcopal Church. We will gather in-person and online Tuesdays in Lent, March 8, 15, 22, 29, and April 5, 12. Before the Study, at 6:00 PM in the Sanctuary, a celebration of Holy Eucharist will be offered.
We hope you will join us for this thought-provoking Lenten series. Session agendas and resources will be available on the St. Bede’s Learning to Walk in the Dark webpage.
Registration is required, please use the link below.
Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Learning to Walk in the Dark explores our uneasy contemporary relationship with darkness. Darkness, Taylor writes, is “shorthand for anything that scares me.” The absence of God or the loss of a loved one or a life-threatening illness—the dark can scare us. Taylor shows us how to embrace spiritual darkness as a place where healing and growth occur. If we can learn to embrace the journey through darkness, then we will emerge stronger on the other side.
“Taylor challenges our negative associations with darkness and our attraction to light in this thought-provoking new book. She draws on her own experiences—from exploring caves and experimenting with blindness, to her questioning of her own religious training and faith—to explore what might be gained by embracing darkness.” (Spirituality & Health)
Copies of the Learning to Walk in the Dark will be available starting next Sunday, February 27 in the Narthex ($15 Suggested Donation for a copy of the book). The book is currently free on Kindle if you are an Amazon Prime Member. To register for the Lenten Study, please click on the link below or register when you pick up your copy of the book.
May our journey into the darkness lead to a glorious new light of insight and hope.
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LENT, HOLY WEEK, AND EASTER SCHEDULE | |
To download the schedule, click on the image below. | |
FROM THE EPISCOPAL NEWS
A newsletter serving the Diocese of LA
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Panel discussion will celebrate Black voices in The Episcopal Church
In celebration of Black History Month, Church Pension Group will sponsor "Celebrating Black Voices," an honest conversation with five Black leaders who serve The Episcopal Church, on Monday, Feb. 28, 9 - 10 a.m. PST (12 - 1 p.m. EST). Collectively, the panelists' service to the Church spans more than 150 years and each of them continues to serve in ways that make a difference.
Hosted by the Church Pension Group’s (CPG) People of African Descent affinity group, the conversation will explore the panel’s experiences and thoughts around Becoming Beloved Community; examine themes around social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and discuss the challenges and opportunities they see in a predominantly white Church.
Kimtoya Williams, chair, People of African Descent Affinity Group and assistant manager of digital production for CPG, will moderate the conversation.
Panelists:
- The Rt. Rev. Nathan Baxter, senior adjunct professor of practice, Lancaster Theological Seminary
- Patricia Favreau, executive vice president and chief communications officer, CPG
- The Rev. Glenna J. Huber, rector, Church of the Epiphany, Washington, D.C.
- The Hon. Byron Rushing, vice president, House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church
- The Very Rev. Sandy Wilson, dean, Cathedral Church of All Saints, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; member, CPF board of trustees
Biographies of the speakers and the event agenda are here. Individuals can submit questions in advance to corpcomm@cpg.org. This conversation will be recorded.
To participate, register here.
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Presiding bishop, interfaith leaders pray for peace as Russia steps up its advance on Ukraine
More than a dozen interfaith leaders, including Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, offered prayers and calls for peace in Ukraine on Feb. 23 during an online vigil organized by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations and the Quakers’ Friends Committee on National Legislation.
Participants in the hourlong vigil included representatives from the Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faiths and several Catholic and Protestant Christian denominations, as nearly 1,000 people watched and listened live on Zoom and Facebook.
Curry, in his opening remarks, offered prayers for the “people and children of God whose lives and freedom are threatened.”
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Maine Episcopalians voice support for bill that would restore Wabanaki sovereignty
Maine Episcopalians are supporting the efforts of the state’s Native tribes to exercise the sovereign powers that enable tribes in other states to largely regulate their own affairs. By advocating for a bill currently before the state Legislature, the Wabanaki and their allies hope to restore some of the rights that the tribes lost in a 1980 agreement with the state.
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Joseph ‘Jos’ Tharakan elected 14th bishop of Idaho
The Episcopal Diocese of Idaho has elected the Rev. Joseph ‘Jos’ Tharakan its 14th bishop. The bishop-elect was chosen by clergy and lay leaders representing parishes across the diocese during a special electing convention held online on Feb. 19. He was elected on the first ballot after attaining a majority of both clergy and lay votes.
Tharakan comes from Springfield, Missouri, where he has been rector of St. James Episcopal Church and served as dean of the Southern Deanery of the Diocese of West Missouri.
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PREVIOUSLY SHARED...WORTH REPEATING | |
Lenten Madness: With the Season of Lent comes the quest for the “Golden Halo,” the most coveted Lenten honor in the “Episco-techno-cyber-geek world.” Lent Madness begins Thursday, March 3rd when Stephen faces off against Wenceslaus. “Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Rev. Tim Schenck. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church’s Calendar of Saints, Tim came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining his love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints.” (Lent Madness website) The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and Who will win the Golden Halo?people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo.” (Lent Madness website) Log onto the Lent Madness website, follow the action, and vote for your favorite saints. | |
Digital Service Program Initiative: The initiative encourages congregation members to download the Sunday service program onto their mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Kindle, etc.) to minimize our overall environmental footprint. Our initial goal by Holy Week 2022 is to reduce our weekly printing output by 15%. Each week in The Quill, there is a link to the Service Program page on St. Bede’s Website. Programs are uploaded by Saturday evening and often earlier. A link to the page can also be found under the “Worship and Education” tab on St. Bede’s Website. | | | | |
