St. Thomas' Episcopal Church: Youth Mission Trip 2007 Spiritual Program

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St. Thomas' Episcopal Church
315 Lindsey Street • Reidsville, N.C.

Youth Mission Trip 2007
Spiritual Program

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Sunday Evening

The Promises of God

Isaiah 42: 1- 9

1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

The gift of a promise

What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty.

Yes, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a team you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. God’s promises have a special name—we call them covenants.                                                                  A covenant is a pact, an agreement between equals and sometimes, unequals.   In a covenant, each party agrees to terms that will be of mutual benefit. The making of covenants calls for mutual aid and assistance, partnership, accountability, and shared rewards and joys. God made many covenants with Israel while they wandered in the wilderness because the people broke them often. As children of God, man failed to be faithful to God or to show mercy to each other—and despite this betrayal, God’s mercy and grace was extended to give them another chance. Each time they broke their covenants, God remained true to each agreement that He had made.   Through the eons, God’s promises have included a position of dominion, a guarantee of mercy, a community and guaranteed inheritance, a plan for justice, a home of rich abundance, and through the death of His son, Jesus, the gift of atonement. In return, man’s part of the agreement is (to) :

“ love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with   all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a           second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:   37-39)

As the week proceeds, we will be talking about God’s promises even as we actively seek to honor His commandment to love one another as Christ loved us—in what we say and in what we do.

Let us pray:

Lord, we are ready. We are here in this place to be your servants. We all desperately want to please you, both those of us who have done this before and those of us who are new at this mission. We enter this week looking to receive nothing in return from those we will serve. We hope to love without conditions as your Son taught us, knowing that we may be the only “Jesus” that some of these people will ever see. Help us to walk in your ways and to the glory of your name, in Your name we pray. Amen.

TANGIBLE: A GIFT BAG (EMPTY)

Monday Morning

The promise of Dominion

A reading from Genesis 1:26-31

26Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."                    29 God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.                                                                            31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

He Did It for You

Why did God do it? A shack would have sufficed, but He gave us a mansion. Did He have to give the birds song and the mountains a peak? Was He required to put stripes on the zebra and a hump on the camel? Would we have known the difference if He had made the sunsets gray instead of orange?. . .Why wrap up creation in such splendor? Why go to such trouble to give such gifts?

Why do YOU? You do the same. I’ve seen you searching for a gift. I’ve seen you stalking the malls and walking the aisles. I’m not talking about the obligatory gifts. I’m not describing the last minute purchase of drugstore perfume on the way to the birthday party. I’m talking about that extra-special person and that extra-special gift. . .Why do you do it? You do it so the eyes will pop. You do it so the heart will stop. You do it to hear those words of disbelief, “You did this for me?”

That’s why you do it. And that is why God did it. Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, “do you like it? I did it just for you.”

from The Great House of God by Max Lucado

DOMINION

Monday Lunch Meditation

Listen to these words from the Catechism (The Book of Common Prayer)

God the Father

Q. What do we learn about God as creator from the revelation to Israel?

A.   We learn that there is one God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

Q. What does this mean?

A. This means that the universe is good, that it is the work of             a single loving God who creates, sustains, and directs it.

Q. What does this mean about our place in the universe?

A.   It means that the world belongs to its creator; and that we are called to enjoy it and to care for it in accordance with God’s purposes.

Q. What does this mean about human life?

A.   It means that all people are worthy of respect and honor, because all are created in the image of God, and all can respond to the love of God.

Q. How was this revelation handed down to us?

A.   This revelation was handed down to us through a community created by a covenant with God.

The Miriam Parable

Once there was a peasant girl named Miriam who lived in a small village. Her widowed mother had spent much time instructing the girl about the proper way to behave and taught Miriam right from wrong. The summer of her twelfth year, Miriam's family became quite destitute. A region-wide drought caused the family's garden plot to wilt, then die. There would be no vegetables to put up and savored through the cold months ahead. Food became very difficult to find.

At first, Miriam missed the taste of fresh corn and carrots. Then she craved them. Each day Miriam had to venture further from home to find water for her family's needs and every day she desired what she had always taken for granted. Then the day came when Miriam discovered an artesian well. Water gushed forth, providing fresh, clean, cold water from deep under the ground. She followed the stream as it flowed from the well and discovered a beautiful garden filled with sweet corn, potatoes, carrots and cabbage and a generous variety of vegetables more numerous than she had ever seen. She could almost taste a fresh pot of homemade stew made from the abundance of these beautiful plants. The longer she looked at the garden, the more she desired the crops.

After entertaining the idea for far too long, Miriam hurriedly loaded her apron with as many vegetables as she could carry and then she returned the way she came, glancing furtively behind her, knowing she had stolen - knowing that what she had done was wrong.

"Where did you get those vegetables?" A man's voice startled Miriam.

"I uh," she stammered, "I found them."

"In the middle of a drought?" The man queried. "I think not," he challenged gently.

Miriam wrestled with defiance, then anger, followed by a rather feeble attempt at justifying her act of thievery. In the end she could do no less than admit that she had indeed stolen the garden produce.

"I knew that you took my vegetables," the man stated.

"Your vegetables," Miriam blustered.

"`Tis true. I have worked hard all summer growing these crops and I had grand plans for them," the man added significantly.

"I am so ashamed," Miriam replied bowing her head.

The man was warmed by Miriam's act of contrition. "I am willing to extend to you either mercy or grace. Which is your desire?" The man asked.

"Are they not the same thing, sir?" Miriam asked.

"Indeed not, my lady," the man replied.

"Then please explain what mercy provides?" she asked.

"If I were to grant mercy, you would be completely forgiven for taking my vegetables," the man replied.
"Then this is what I most desire," the young girl said relieved.

"Perhaps this is true, yet you will hear the matter of grace," the man insisted, "Should I extend grace, you would be invited to come and gather any vegetables from my garden that you like at any time you like. It would be as if you were a member of my family with all the rights of a daughter."

Miriam marveled at the gifts offered to her. She knew that she did not deserve the man's kindness and yet she longed in equal measure for both mercy and grace.

"Sir, I do not deserve either mercy or grace. For I deserve a punishment and am in no way deserving of the rights of a family member. Still, I could not leave with a pure heart without an equal measure of both," Miriam said with a tear gleaming in her eye.

The man smiled broadly and replied, "My dear child, you shall indeed have both - Mercy and Grace. For in my mercy I will not exact a punishment that is justly deserved and in my grace I will give to you what can never be earned."

DOMINION

Monday Evening

A reading from the Psalter

8   Domine, Dominus noster

1   O Lord our Governor, *

    how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2   Out of the mouths of infants and children *

    your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3   You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *

    to quell the enemy and the avenger.

4   When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *

    the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5   What is man that you should be mindful of him? *

    the son of man that you should seek him out?

6   You have made him but little lower than the angels; *

    you adorn him with glory and honor;

7   You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *

    you put all things under his feet:

8   All sheep and oxen, *

    even the wild beasts of the field,

9   The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *

    and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10 O Lord our Governor, *

    how exalted is your Name in all the world!

DOMINION

Monday evening story

“In the Beginning” from Tell Me the Story by Max Lucado

The Father was dreaming. I could see it in His eye--the sparkle. It was there again.

“What is it you see, my King?”

He didn’t turn, but kept His gaze fixed on the great emptiness-the massive, boundless, unending space. The more He looked, the more His eyes would dance. I knew He saw something.

I looked in the same direction. I leaned forward and stared intently. All I saw was emptiness. All I ever saw was emptiness.

I hadn’t seen the sphere that He had pulled out of the sky. “Where was that?” I asked, as He began molding it in His hands.

“It was there, “He replied, looking outward. I looked and saw nothing. When I turned, He was smiling. He knew a seraph’s vision was too limited.

The same thing happened with the water. “Where did this come from? I asked, touching the strange substance.

“I saw it, Michael”. He chuckled as He filled an ocean from His palm. “And when I saw it, I made it. I saw it near the stars.”

          “The what?”

          “The stars.” Out into the void, He reached. When He pulled back His hand, He kept it closed as if to entice me to lean forward. I did. And just as my face was near, He opened His hand. A burst of light escaped, and I looked up just in time to see it illuminate His face, too. Once again, He was smiling.

          “Watch how they sparkle,” He reveled. And with a flip of His wrist, the palmful of diamonds soared into the blackness until they found their destiny, and they were hung.

          “Won’t the children love them?” the Maker said as together as we watched the twinkling begin.

          I still wasn’t sure what or who these children were, but I knew they occupied a place in the Dream like nothing else. Ever since the Dream started, the Father spoke often of these children--what they would be like, how they would respond.

          I remember once, the Father held the sphere in one hand and motioned to me with the other. “Come. See what the children will see.” He then put His fingers to His lips and blew gently. Off His fingertips floated tiny whiffs of white cotton balls of fluff.

          “What do they do?” I asked as the train of puffs sailed toward the globe.

          “Oh, Michael,” He boomed with excitement, “they do everything. They give shade. They give rain. But most of all, My children can watch them pass and if they look closely, they will see Me.”

          That was the way He thought about everything. All the Dream was for the children. And in all the Dream was the Father. With a waterfall, He said, “I made it small so they could run in and out.” With the dandelion: “This is just the right size for the children to blow.” and the rivers in the canyon: “They can sit right here and watch the water race into the valley.”

          “But where are the children?” I once asked, looking into the same place from whence had come the rest of the Dream.

          “Oh, not out there,” responded the Artist. There was urgency in His voice as He repeated, “Not out there.”

          But that is all the Father said. And that’s all I asked.

          With the coming of the creatures, I almost forgot. We laughed so much as He made them. Each one was special. The tiny wing for the mosquito. The honk so unlike any other sound for the goose. The shell for the turtle. The darting eyes of the owl.

          He even let me decorate a few. I put violet in the butterfly wings, and He loved my idea to stretch the elephant’s nose.

          What fun it was as the heavens gave birth to fowl and fish, reptile and rodent! No more had the little ones scurried off His palm than the giant ones appeared. He grabbed the giraffe and stretched its neck, and He put a whole in the whale’s head (“so it will come to the surface to breath and the children will see it.”)

          “What will we call them all?” I asked.

          “I will leave that up to the children.”

          The children—I had almost forgotten. But He hadn’t. As the last winged creature left His fingers, He turned and looked at me and I knew.

          “It’s time?”

          “Yes, it’s time.”

          I expected to see His eyes dance again. But they didn’t. I anticipated eagerness. But He didn’t begin. For a long period, He sat looking out into the void—longer than normal.

          “Do You see the children?”

          “No. They are not to be found out there.”

          “Then what do You see?”

          “I see their deeds.”

          He spoke softly. The joy was gone from His voice.

          “What? What is it? What is it You see?”

          Perhaps it was because He thought I needed to know. Or maybe because He needed someone else to know. I’m not sure why, but He did what He had never done. He let me see. As if the sky were a curtain, He took it and pulled it back.

          Before I could see it, I could smell it. The stench stung my eyes. “It’s greed you smell,” He explained. “A love for foolish, empty things.”

          I started to turn away. But my King didn’t, so I didn’t I looked again.

          It was so dark—a darkness unlike the starless sky—a blackness like the void. This darkness moved. It crept. It shadowed and swayed. It was a living soot. He knew my thoughts and spoke.

          His words were slow and spaced. “They will put it out.”

          “What?”

          “They will destroy that which makes them Mine.”

          It was then that I saw it the first time. He reached into Himself—deep into His own self and pulled it out. A flame. A shining circle.

          It glowed brilliantly in His palm. Much brighter than the constellations He had spread about or the sun He’d ignited.

          “This is . . .” I began.

          “This is part of Me,” He finished and added what I couldn’t have imagined. “And out of Me, I will make My children.”

          For the first time I saw. I saw why children were so treasured. I saw the uniqueness in them. They bore His light—the universe He created, the children He fathered.

          “But the darkness?” I had to ask. “Why?”

          “Just as I chose, so must they choose. Else they won’t be Mine.”

          Just then His face lifted. His eyes brightened, “But they won’t all forget Me. Look.”

          Into tomorrow I gazed. At first I saw nothing. Just swarthy darkness billowing. But then, as I searched, I saw. First, only one, then a cluster, then more—lights, they were. Flickers of candles, weakened but not lost in the blackness. Like the stars He had cast against the black heavens, these flames flickered in a sable sea.

          “It’s My children.” There was pride in His voice. “My children remember.”

          The look on His face, I cannot forget. His eyes had sparkled when He suspended the planets in space; His cheeks had danced as He heard the cat purr. I had seen His face alive before—but not like now. For at this moment—when He saw those who were His seeking Him—He celebrated. His countenance exploded with joy. His head flew back, and laughter shook the stars.

          “My children, My children, My children,” were His only words. And then, He paused, wiped the tears from His face, and pledged a promise for all of Heaven to hear.

          “You haven’t forgotten me; I won’t forget you.”

          Then He turned to me. “To the work, Michael; we’ve much to do. We must make the Dream come true.”

          And I thought making the animals was a delight. “No two will be alike, He vowed as He began reaching into Himself for balls of light. “Some big, some small. Some timid, some bold. Some with big ears, some with little.” And off His palm they came. Generation chosen. Destination determined. Each with a different thread of character or shape of body.

          But each with a bit of Him—a light within.

          And He even let me help. “Look what I made, Father,” I told him. “I call them freckles. Let me show You how they work.”

          And He smiled.

TANGIBLE: A TRICK BIRTHDAY CANDLE (the light that won’t go out)

Tuesday morning

The promise of Mercy

Morning Meditation

A reading from Genesis 9: 7-17

7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and multiply in it."

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

12 God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

“Rain” from http://www.inspiring-quotes-and-stories.com/rain.html

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.

Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm thinking of something."

This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"The rain!" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away."

After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond. "That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked... "Do you notice how the rainwater keeps on coming? What does that tell you?"

Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer:

"We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us." I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

In order to see the rainbow, you must first endure some rain.

Let us pray:

There is no sound like rain, God. Rain on a roof, rain on the ground, rain on the trees, it’s all good. There is a sense of newness in the water, God. There is a sense of second chances. You send the rain to care for the planet. It brings new life and new hope. The rain brings relief. We need these things, too, God. We need new life. We need hope. God, we need relief! But there is joy in the water. There is joy in the drenching feeling of playing in the rain. There is peace in the sound and smell of it. Wash away all that covers us, God. Our mistakes cling to us like dirt. Make us new, God. Thank you for rain, second chances, and the newness of life around us. Amen.

MERCY

Tuesday Lunch time meditation

This morning’s scripture has its beginning a few chapters before. It has its beginning in God’s anger and frustration. The days of creation, in which God delighted and called good are but a few chapters old. But already, in so short a time, his creation has so angered and disappointed him that He is sorry He ever made us and so annoyed that He decides to wipe us off the face of the earth. This is a profoundly disturbing portrait of God. In human terms we would say that God was out of control, that he had lost it, that he had, perhaps, gone ballistic. On the other hand, this may be some of the best evidence there is that we are created in God’s image. Have you ever felt a nearly uncontrollable rage toward another person or a situation? I would suppose only a few of us have never experienced a murderous rage, often at someone we loved not long before. In this example of God’s rage and the covenant of its aftermath, we find a roadmap for mercy and reconciliation with which we hopefully can identify.

In today’s passage, we encounter a different emotion of God. The rains have ceased. The waters have receded. The land is once again visible. And the

God we meet here is a contrite and apologetic God. In his promise, he offers a “do-over”, a second chance, a new way of being. In his promise, God now promises to never destroy the earth or its inhabitants again, no matter how wicked they are, no matter how angry they make him. Imagine the scene. The waters of the flood have slowly receded. The air is still filled with misty vapors. The clouds have finally begun to break. The rain has abated to just light sun showers. And there is a rainbow in the sky.

          But why did God use the rainbow as a sign of this new covenant with creation? Was it the lovely colors? Probably not. Was it that the rainbow is associated with rain, and so it’s an appropriate symbol for what God has promised never to do again? That’s possible, but it isn’t a very persuasive symbol if that’s the reason. God could have picked the dove which returned to the ark with the green twig or the bright sun, symbolizing no more floods. There are many things that would have worked as well as the rainbow if God was just looking for a memento from the ending of the flood.

          One imagines God looking down at the flooded earth where every creature save those in the ark had drowned, and asking himself: “What have I done?” And so God has set a reminder in place. God has selected the rainbow as the symbol of this new way of being because when God is about to do something He will regret, the first cloudbursts of his rage will put the rainbow in the sky to remind him to stop before it is too late. So, we see that God’s intentions have changed enormously, even if God’s fiery passion has not. In the end, the story of Noah and the flood is really a story of the birth of God’s mercy, and a roadmap for change and reconciliation for his creation.

TANGIBLE: RAINBOW PINS

MERCY

Tuesday night meditation

SAFE WITHIN THE CIRCLE

We usually see the rainbow as an arc in the sky. Sometimes, we might even see a half-circle stretching from the land, up into the sky, then back to the land. If the weather doesn’t cooperate to give us the requisite moisture, we can “create” our own rainbows by spraying a fine mist into the air. If you are sitting in the right place in relationship to the light, you can see the rainbow start on one side of you and come down on the other side of you –you will be sitting in the middle of a rainbow.

In ideal circumstances, where clouds or buildings are not in the way, the rainbow may actually be a circle. Such rainbows are rarely observed in nature; but occasionally, the elements conspire to give us that perfect design—at the base of a waterfall, or looking into the clouds or fogbank with strong light source from behind the observer. Such a rainbow is given a special name—it is called a glory—and the observer will often see in the rainbow an image of his own shadow if he is in perfect alignment with the light behind him.

A monk, living in an ancient high mountain monastery walks in meditation with several of his brothers. As they saunter along the narrow, cloud enshrouded trail in silence, the lead monk stops abruptly and peers toward the summit beyond. There on the cloud bank before him, he sees his shadow, encircled by a halo! His spirit soars. Has he found enlightenment? Has God chosen him for glory? As he looks back on his fellow monks, each has a smile of serenity, for each sees a halo around his head alone.   This phenomenon created by the play of light on moisture and the monk (or his shadow) within the circle of reflected light is also called a glory. Something similar was often observed by fighter pilots during WWII—and such pilots came to understand that if their target was in a glory, that they were safe and could not be seen, because they were in the sun and could not be distinguished by their opponent.

Rainbows and glories are beautiful. Even our scientific understanding of them does not detract from their beauty. Isaac Newton showed, in his famous experiment, that white light is a mixture of colors, which can be separated into an infinite number of colors, each bleeding into the other. Rainbows are spectra produced by the light being refracted by spherical drops of water instead of triangular prisms. If we face a rainbow, then the sun is always behind us—and so we should remember:
As we face a rainbow, the Son is always behind us and we are encircled in His glory.   Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.

Wednesday morning

The promise of Community/ Inheritance

A reading from Genesis 15:1-6

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

His Name Is Bill

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer, closer, and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church!) By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. The deacon is a godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is very silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking, the minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. Then they watch, as this elderly deacon drops his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill to worship with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion.

The minister gains control and says: "What I'm about to preach, you won't remember. What you just saw, you will never forget.

COMMUNITY

Wednesday lunch meditation

The Lonely Ember by Dr. John MacArthur                                         A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.

After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.

As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail."

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

TANGIBLE: A PIECE OF CHARCOAL

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one

accord to make our common supplication unto thee, and

hast promised through thy well‑beloved Son that when two

or three are gathered together in his Name thou wilt be in the

midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions

of thy servants as may be best for us; granting us in this

world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life

everlasting. Amen.

COMMUNITY

Wednesday evening

A reading from Galatians 6: 2- 10

2 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill ^F41 the law of Christ. 3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. 5 For all must carry their own loads. 6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. 7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

Lesson from The Geese

It is early November. The air is crisp and clear. We are out sitting on our deck with our dog. Suddenly we become aware of a raucous noise overhead. The dog begins to bark. We look up. In the clear blue sky we see several V-shaped flight formations of Canada Geese on their way south, to escape the northern Canadian winters. We watch for a while, until our dog grows restless.

Okay. We’ve seen this before. It happens twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, so you pay no further attention. But wait! Take a better look. Stand and observe for a while. Ever wonder why they fly in such precise formation? Ever seen the pattern change from time to time? Do you stop to wonder why? Let me tell you a story about these Canada geese. Allow me to draw a good lesson for us as Christians out of their precision.

There is a good reason why these geese fly in a V formation. The flapping of each goose’s wings creates uplift for the goose behind him. It has been proven scientifically that the V formation allows each bird to fly 71 percent further than if it were flying by itself. The wind velocity created by the wings of the company of geese helps the momentum of each individual goose. If a goose falls out of formation, it lags behind. It has lost the strength of the other geese.

The lesson here, as brought out in Galatians 6:2, is that Christians helping Christians make for greater spiritual strength. We are admonished to “bear one another’s burdens.” If we try to “make it on our own”, we are more likely to fail. Just like with a goose that falls out of formation, we feel the drag of trying to do it alone. But when this happens with the geese, the one who has fallen out quickly moves back into line to take advantage of its fellow geese’s support. What a good lesson for us. If we do fall out of formation with other Christians, we feel the drag of the world pulling us down. We must quickly get back in line so that the strength of our Christian sisters and brothers will create an uplift for us. Our fellow Christian’s thrust will help support us.

Another lesson we can learn from the geese: Geese take turns offering leadership. When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wing, and another goose takes the lead. Galatians 6:6 says, “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.” Doesn’t that sound like what the geese do? We who are Christian leaders should not try to do all the work; and we who are just part of the Christian community should not just sit back, absorbing all the teaching and never giving back. We are admonished to share the responsibility. Be like the geese. Know when we are tired and drop back into the formation, letting someone else take his or her turn. If we do not share the work we will not get to our destination. If the lead goose were not willing to share the lead he soon would become so exhausted that he would be of no use to the rest. But by their sharing, no one goose becomes useless from exhaustion.

A final lesson from the geese: This is very important. When a goose becomes ill, or becomes wounded and falls out of formation, two fellow geese fall out of formation and follow the ailing goose to help protect it, and to help support it. They will stay with the goose until he is restored, or until he dies. Then, and only then, will the geese set out again to find another formation to which they can join themselves. Galatians 6: 2 tells us to "bear one another’s burdens." Verse 9 tells us "not to grow weary while we are doing good, for we shall reap the benefits eventually."

Are we willing to sacrifice our time to help a hurting Christian? Or perhaps to spend sometime sitting by the bedside of a sick friend? Or perhaps we know a neighbor who is suffering from depression. Are we willing to go out of our way to help? Or perhaps to extend an invitation to that one for a Sunday supper? We will reap the benefits if we will do as the geese do. Support one another.

by Helen Dowd in www.occupytillicome.com © 2006

An Order for Compline

Use highlighted choices of responses and psalms

The Officiant begins

The Lord Almighty grant us a peaceful night and a perfect

end. Amen.

Officiant                   Our help is in the Name of the Lord;

People                   The maker of heaven and earth.

The Officiant may then say

Let us confess our sins to God.

Officiant and People

Almighty God, our heavenly Father:

We have sinned against you,

through our own fault,

in thought, and word, and deed,

and in what we have left undone.

For the sake of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,

forgive us all our offenses;

and grant that we may serve you

in newness of life,

to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Officiant

May the Almighty God grant us forgiveness of all our sins,

and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Officiant then says

          O God, make speed to save us.

People     O Lord, make haste to help us.

Officiant and People

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.

Except in Lent, add    Alleluia.

One or more of the following Psalms are sung or said. Other suitable selections may

be substituted.

Psalm 4 Cum invocarem

1   Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *

    you set me free when I am hard‑pressed;

    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2   “You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory? *

    how long will you worship dumb idols

    and run after false gods?”

3   Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful; *

     when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.

4   Tremble, then, and do not sin; *

    speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.

5   Offer the appointed sacrifices *