Christ Church Weekly Newsletter
This Sunday - The Second Sunday after Pentecost 2021
"Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD; LORD hear my voice."

~ Psalm 130:1 ~
Friends,

All things by immortal power. Near of far, to each other linked are, that thou canst not stir a flower without troubling of a star.
~ Francis Thompson

I came across this quote while reading the book Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality by Dean Radin. I decided to delve into this book after taking a journey through The Physics of God: Unifying Quantum Physics, Consciousness, M-Theory, Heaven, Neuroscience, and Transcendence by Joseph Selbie. Yes, indeed, that was a mouthful (or keyboard full) but they are really interesting, though challenging, reads that invited me to wonder in new and exciting ways about God's presence and God's relationship with reality. For as St. Paul reminds us, "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual" (1 Corinthians 15:46).

Essentially the big takeaways from both of these books (I haven't finished reading Entangled Minds yet...A point of note I don't agree with everything Radin writes) is that everything is connected, or entangled, at the quantum level. Now, I am not going to get into that here because, well, that would be a post that would be too long and too convoluted for a Friday morning. Plus, I am not bright enough to be able to convey the information in a way that would make any sense.

But, quickly, quantum entanglement occurs when a particle is generated and placed within close spatial proximity with another particle. When entanglement is established, whatever happens to one particle will immediately affect another particle. For example, if one particle is spinning clockwise the other particle will always spin counterclockwise and vice versa.

No big deal, right?

Well, if I keep one particle next to me and shoot the other one trillions of light years away, whatever I do to the particle right next to me will immediately affect the particle trillions of light years away. That means that whatever force entangles the particles works at a speed greater than the speed of light, which violates the laws of physics.

Einstein called this "spooky action at a distance." Most people, including myself just say, "Whaaaaaaaaat?" Now, physicists don't know how entanglement works (though Selbie gives an awesome theory), but the reality is that quantum entanglement exists; there is absolutely no doubt about that.

Both Selbie and Radin believe, and use experimental data to demonstrate, that the universe and consciousness (both near and far to use a Sesame Street phrase) is entangled. The universe and all conscious beings are connected at the quantum level--meaning that creation is a unified whole that responds to our conscious actions...Not only our conscious actions but the conscious actions of something beyond our understanding.

They, though Selbie comes close, won't say God, but I will (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Why bring this up? Well, because this is not some New Age concept. This isn't something being introduced to the world; this is a concept embraced by almost every world religion, especially Christianity. Fellow Anglican priest and philosopher the Rev. Dr. Keith Ward writes a lot about this connection.

Unity is the bread and butter of our faith. It is such an essential concept that to abandon unity and connection would be to abandon our fundamental belief about the reality of God. I talked about this on Trinity Sunday. We can go beyond this. For example:

You have heard me quote Acts 17:28 a lot: "For in him we live and move and have our being."

But here are a few others:

"so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another."
Romans 12:5

"for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father." (italics mine)
Ephesians 2:18

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:5

"Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27

The long and short of it is...We are unified in the Triune God. We are unified as God's creation. We all carry the Imago Dei (image of God) within us (Genesis 1:27) and are all, thus, living, breathing temples of God's presence (1 Corinthians 3:16).

But what does it mean when we betray and violate that unity? What does it mean to be unified in God? And how should we view that unity and live into it?

Well, for that discussion, you'll have to join us for worship on Sunday at 10:30 either in person or online. I hope to see you there!

God's peace and blessing be with you!

Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Daniel, O.P.A.

For the Diversity of Races and Cultures (BCP, 840)

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you
for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world.
Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and
show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until
our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all
your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday Worship

To attend services online use the link below:

Meeting ID: 995 3025 3205
Passcode: 004955

Through the month of June we will continue with our one service at 10:30 a.m.. In July we will return to our full Sunday service schedule with services at both 8:00 a.m. (Rite I) and 10:30 a.m. (Rite II).

Readings for this Sunday (Track 2)

  • Genesis 3:8-15
  • 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
  • Mark 3:20-35
  • Psalm 130

Hymns for this Sunday

  • Prelude: Hymnal 384 - Fairest Lord Jesus
  • Opening Hymn: Hymnal 47 - On This Day, the First of Days
  • Sequence Hymn: Hymnal 533 - How Wonderous and Great Thy Works
  • Choir Anthem: LEVAS 149 - In Remembrance of Me
  • Communion Hymns: LEVAS 188 - When Peace Like a River; LEVAS 20 - Sing the Wonderous Love of Jesus
  • Closing Hymn: Hymnal 569 - God the Omnipotent! King, Who Ordained

Weekday Worship

During the Summer we will adjust our schedule for the Daily Office. We will say the Daily Office, including Centering Prayer, on Wednesdays using the schedule below:


Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. (from  Contemplative Outreach).

PLEASE take a few moments to read the announcements below. 
Those celebrating birthdays this month. Stephanie Cronin 06/21; Jane Davis 06/30; Heather Amy Doud 06/15; Johnathan Preston Doud 06/19; Ethan Goldberg 06/18; Marilyn Judith Greene 06/02; Kalissa Faith Houck 06/22; Joseph Ilk 06/06; Olivia Johnson 06/05; Shannon Johnson 06/15; Penny Knepp 06/05; Tracy Magin 06/22; Julia Midland 06/21; Jane Schultz 06/20; Jim Settles 06/25 (if your birthday is missing from the list please email rector@christchurchspotsy.com) 

The Thrift Shop will reopen on July 1. Needless to say we are very excited to move back to the shop and resume operations. If you would like to volunteer at the Thrift Shop please contact Michelle Spina at MichelleSpina2@gmail.com. Any kind of help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Chalice Bearer (now known as Eucharist Minister). Now that we are returning to church worship services, a training for Eucharistic Ministers (EM) will be offered. An EM is licensed for three years by the bishop to administer the consecrated elements at a Holy Eucharist service. The EM is “a confirmed communicant in good standing, faithful in worship and in stewardship, mature in faith, and of good repute in the congregation.” If you have any questions and/or feel God is calling you to this ministry, please email Deacon Margaret at margarethaight78@gmail.com.

Education Sunday will be held June 13 during our regular worship service. We will be honoring our 2020 and 2021 graduates. Please fill out the form by clicking here  or contact Jill Bates at wenger1986@msn.com. We want to celebrate you!  

Rector's Vacation. Fr. Daniel will be taking some time off in June. He will be off from June 14 - June 29. If you have any pastoral issues please contact The Rev Deacon Margaret Haight at margarethaight78@gmail.com.

Iconography in the Orthodox Church. Come and join us on June 12 at 10:00 a.m. as we learn about the history, styles, and usages of icons in the Orthodox Church. Our presenter is Fr. John C. Katsoulis, the priest and pastor at Nativity of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church. Fr. John will walk us through the importance of icons in Orthodox spirituality and how icons are used to help one attain a closer relationship with God. Fr. John will live stream his presentation from inside Nativity of the Theotokos so you will get to see an example of how icons are displayed in an Orthodox Church and their importance in worship. Click here to register. We look forward to seeing you at this online event!

Altar Flowers. Due to COVID many florists are having trouble getting reliable shipments of flowers. Because of this, many florists are hesitant to take special orders and, at times, the flowers received are not in great shape when they arrive. Our Altar Guild will try to accommodate all altar flower requests but because these circumstances are out of our control we might not be able to accommodate every request. Thank you for your understanding!

Forward Day by Day is available in the Communications Center. If you would like to a copy, either small or large print, grab one after service; or, if you need one brought to you let Fr. Daniel know at rector@christchurchspotsy.com.

Signup for Diocesan E-news. The Diocese of Virginia invites our parishioners to signup for diocesan e-news. The diocesan e-news has taken on even greater importance since the diocese discontinued the printing of the Virginia Episcopalian. For many parishioners, the quarterly magazine was their primary way to hear news of the larger church and to experience their connection to other churches in the diocese. 

In the newly redesigned e-Communiqué, some of the storytelling and features that parishioners enjoyed in the magazine will still be incorporated, but without the lag time and the hefty price tag that comes with traditional print publications.

Traveling Cross. Christ Church now has a traveling cross. We are re-purposing a cross found outside the Great Hall leaning against the steps. It was first used as one of the Stations of the Cross at Easter. What we would like to do is take the cross to different settings around the community to photograph it with people or people and their pets. If you would like to have your photo taken with the cross, please contact Donna Hockaday at hockaday1@comcast.net. After I gather a few photos I will post them on the Church Facebook page as well as the Spirituality Center Facebook page and will continue to do so as long as people want to be photographed. Perhaps when we are able to return to gather in person in the Great Hall we can have a display of the photos.

As a people of prayer, we ask your prayers for Pam Alsop, Julie Barlow, Wes Bell, Mike, Kara, Tyler, Carson, and Berkeley Ayres, Chris, Alissa, and Emilia Bledsoe, Grace Brooks, Elizabeth Britt, Robin Bruckner, Amy Bumgardner, Jennifer Campbell, Christopher, Danny Clark, Martha and Patrick Clark, Rob Clark, Dale Cochran, Sarah Consolati, Jennifer Coppola, Marc Curto, Marilyn Dodson, Jim Drake, Bernice and John Easley, Staci Erwin, Bill Evans, Karen Ford, Joan Gere, Mark Gianfelice, Maryann Gianfelice, Brenda Grady, Rodney Jackson, Bob Gregory, Delma Gonzalez, Bruce Hopkins, Lindsey Huddle, Cecil Jarman, Rochelle Kincade, April Knaus, Cliff Knepp, Nick Knepp, Mable Lacy, Jenny LeBlanc and family, Cora Lunsford, Daniel Moran, Charlene Makovski, Beverly McNeill, John Miller, Devan Moran, Nodie Murphy, Adam Murray, Ed O'Connor, Judi Oliver, Heather O'Neill, Joan Palmer, Missy Pixton, Linda Rooney, Harry Ruth, Liduino Santos, Clyde Shipp, Daisy Shirley, Corrie, Jane Shumaker, Nancy Sloan, Mark Smith, Emmalie Spina, T.C. Spwell, Von Staiger, Carol Stanlye, Linda Stastny and family, Jeanette Stewart, Christine Strait, Mary Ann Svare, Diane Tanner, Barbara Thacker, Sheila Tiffany, Sue Ann Thomas, Barbara Ulrich, Hazel Vance, Mary Walkowiak, Noah White, Sarah White, Sandra Williams, Elaine Wyant, Tim Zafrano. (New names added are bolded.)

If you would like to have your name or the somebody else's name added to our published Prayer List or to our unpublished Prayer Wheel please contact The Rev. Deacon Margaret Haight at margarethaight78@gmail.com.  

Amazon Smile. Remember you can donate to Christ Church by shopping on Amazon Smile. When you make eligible purchases on Amazon Smile 0.5% will be donated to Christ Church. Thank you! 

To set Christ Church as your charity:
  1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.
  2. From your desktop, go to Your Account from the navigation at the top of any page, and then select the option to Change your Charity. Or, from your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.
  3. Select Christ Episcopal Church.

You can also support Christ Church in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones. To do so:

  1. Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
  2. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
  3. Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image.

Thomas Merton
Christ Episcopal Church
8951 Courthouse Road
Spotsylvania, VA 22553