Chanting the Decalogue - Fifth Sunday in Lent

This morning we began the service with the Penitential Order which includes, as an option, a recitation of the Ten Commandments (also known as the Decalogue). Having served St. James Santee for just one year now, we are still getting to know each other. To chant the Decalogue or not to chant was the question. We took the plunge and it actually sounded terrific. Well done, people!

There is something about singing words that helps them sink in more deeply. May we praise God in this way often!

"He who sings prays twice"

Attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)

Preaching Text for 3/25/07

The Bible passage that I will preach on is the following. I have some ideas, but wonder what you think would be helpful to focus on with this terrific text.

Philippians 3:4-14

⁴even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, ¹¹if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Interview with The Rev. Mark J. Lawrence

Just in case you were wondering....

“I am not asking, nor have ever asked, anyone to make a choice about leaving the Episcopal Church. I am saying that many need to awaken from their slumber if they do not want their beloved Church to be dominated by an extremist agenda. I understand that many do not have a stomach for the game and prefer to sit on the sidelines. So be it. But please: You may say I am wrong. You may say I am reactionary. You may say I have a log in my eye. But don’t put words in my mouth. I haven’t asked anyone to leave TEC and I’m making no plans to leave. I have lived with others misrepresenting me for five months. Now it is my turn and I’m taking it. “

The Very Rev. Mark J. Lawrence - March 17, 2007
< http://titusonenine.classicalanglican.net/?p=18327>

This is followed by a very fine interview with our once and future Bishop Elect The Very Rev. Mark J. Lawrence.

(To get to the article click on the underlined words)

In The Beginning

Today St. James Santee Episcopal Church begins its blog. The purpose of the blog (short for web log or journal) is to have a place to post church notices, articles and links of interest, reflect about upcoming sermons , and to just visit in general. Members, friends, and visitors are all welcome. Please use good sense in posting and refrain from making comments that could be considered slander, gossip or other unpalatable remarks. Our guide is speaking the truth in love. So let the conversation begin!

The E-100 Preaching Plan - Yr. 1

You are invited to read along!

In the Beginning

1. The Creation (Genesis 1:1-2:25 ) September 13, ‘09 – Proper 19B
2. The Fall (Genesis 3:1-24 ) September 20 – Proper 20B
3. The Flood (Genesis 6:5-7:24 ) September 27 – Proper 21B
4. God’s Covenant with Noah (Genesis 8:1-9:17) October 4 – Proper 22B
5. Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) October 11 – Proper 23B

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

6. The Call of Abram (Genesis 12:1-20) October 18 – Proper 24B
7. God’s Covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:1-21) October 25 – Proper 25B
8. Isaac’s Birth and Sacrifice (Genesis 21:1-22:19 )November 1 – All Saints
9. Jacob and Esau Compete (Genesis 27:1-28:22) November 8 – Proper 27B
10 Jacob and Esau reconcile (Genesis 32:1-33:20 ) November 15 –Proper 28B

Break

Christ the King – Last Sunday after Pentecost - November 22

1 Advent C November 29
2 Advent C December 6
3 Advent C December 13
4 Advent C December 20
Christmas 1 December 27
Christmas 2 January 3, 2010

Resume

The Story of Joseph

11. Sold into Slavery (Genesis 37:1-36) January 10 – Epiphany 1C
12 Prison and a Promotion (Genesis 39:1-41:57) January 17- Epiphany 2C
13 Ten Brothers Go to Egypt (Genesis 42:1-38) January 24 – Epiphany 3C
14 The Brothers Return (Genesis 43:1-44:34) January 31 – Epiphany 4C
15 Joseph reveals his identity (Genesis 45:1-46:7 ) February 7- Epiphany 5C

Moses and the Exodus

Break

22 The Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1-34:35) April 18 – Easter 3C
23 Joshua Succeeds Moses (Joshua 1:1-18 ) April 25 – Easter 4C
24 Crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3:1-4:24) May 2 – Easter 5C
25 The Fall of Jericho (Joshua 5:13-6:27 ) May 9 – Easter 6C
26 Israel’s Disobedience (Judges 2:6-3:6) May 16 – Easter 7C

Pentecost Day May 23

The Judges

27 Deborah Leads Israel (Judges 4:1-5:31) May 30 – Trinity C
28 Gideon Defeats the Midianites (Judges 6:1-7:25) June 6 – Proper 5C
29 Samson Defeats the Philistines (Judges 13:1-16:31) June 13 – Proper 6C
30 The Story of Ruth (Ruth 1:1-4:22) June 20 – Proper 7C


The Rise of Israel

31 Samuel Listens to God (1 Samuel 1:1-3:21) Jun 27- Proper 8C
32 King Saul (1 Samuel 8:1-10:27) July 4 – Proper9C
33 David and Goliath (1 Samuel 16:1-18:16 ) July 11 – Proper 10C
34 David and Saul (1 Samuel 23:7-24:22) July 18 – Proper 11C
35 King David (2 Samuel 5:1-7:29) July 25 – Proper 12C

The Fall of Israel

36 David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-12:25) August 1 – Proper 13C
37 King Solomon (1 Kings 2:1-3:28) August 8 – Proper 14C
38 Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:1-9:9) August 15 – Proper 15C
39 Elijah and the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 16:29-19:18) August 22 – Proper 16C
40 The Fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1-30 )August 28 – Proper 17C

The Psalms and Proverbs

41 The Lord is My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6) September 5- Proper 18C
42 Have Mercy on Me (Psalm 51:1-19) September 12 – Proper 19C
43 Praise the Lord (Psalm 103:1-22) September 19- Proper 20C
44 Godly Wisdom (Proverbs 1:1-4:27) September 26 – Proper 21C
45 Proverbs of Solomon (Proverbs 16:1-18:24) October 3 – Proper 22C

The Prophets

46 The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 51:1-53:12) October 10 – Proper 23C
47 Jeremiah’s Call and Message (Jeremiah 1:1-3:5) October 17- Proper 24C
48 Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Daniel 6:1-28) October 24 – Proper 25C
49 The Story of Jonah (Jonah 1:1-4:11) October 31 – Proper 26C
50 The Day of Judgment (Malachi 1:1-4:6) November 7 – All Saints

Directions to Brick Church at Wambaw

Directions to Wambaw (Brick) Church, McClellanville  from Charleston

Take US 17 N from Mt. Pleasant going towards Georgetown – from the Ravenel Bridge, it is a straight shot -You have two choices

1.  At 37 miles, turn left at the intersection of Highways 17 and  45.  Go 2.2 miles and take a right onto Old Georgetown Highway.   Go 3.7 miles and church will be on your left.

or

2. Continue on 17N  past McClellanville turnoff on the right and the blinking caution light (remember to slow down to 45 through that zone because the constabulary love to give people tickets right there).


Approx. 6 miles past the blinking caution light, take a left onto Rutledge Rd. (if you go over a bridge – the South Fork of Santee River, you have missed it. If you pass the sign to Hopsewee Plantation, you have doubly missed it).

Travel about 1.5 miles on Rutledge Rd. You should see a sign on the right that says St. James Santee Episcopal Church. Take a left onto the Old Georgetown Highway.  Go about 4 miles. Church will be on your right.

Coming from both directions

Old Georgetown Highway is a sand dirt road. It will seem as if you are driving in the forest on a  dirt road to nowhere, but suddenly you will come around the curve and see the Church and cars . On the left hand side of the church is a parking lot. Do be careful about the ditches (we have to pull people out every year).

Annual Service is Second Sunday of Easter at 11:00 am followed by covered dish picnic.

Palm Passion 2008

"And the curtain in the temple was torn in two...."

Mt. 27:51a


What a turn. What a shift in the crowd. One day, they are praising God and welcoming Jesus as the long awaited, long hoped for messiah. The next day, it’s a different story - Kill him! From Hosanna to Crucify seems like it ought to take a little longer, but, that is human nature . It turns on a dime. In a mille-second, the hero is the villain. It’s fluky as the wind.


Today, it’s important to let the passion narrative speak for itself today..for the words to hang in the air and to land in our hearts where they may…


Yet, there is one little verse that I’d like to point out to you …it is this one.. Matthew 27:51

It comes right after the death of Jesus…let me read a little bit of the passage to you…
Picking up at verse 50…Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. and 51…”And behold the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split.”

It’s about the curtain…

To talk about the curtain, we’ll have to talk about the temple. There were two temples…
In the first, the Temple of Solomon, there was a wall dividing two areas – The Holy and the Holy of Holies. The wall was covered with a curtain.
In this second area – The Holy Of Holies - “the Ark of the Covenant had rested and was considered to be the place where God resided. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies - and God's presence - once a year, and then only after an elaborate cleansing ritual; even then he would have a cord tied to his leg so that others could safely drag him out should he enter God's presence with unatoned sin. “
In the second Temple there was a wall of curtain separating between the holy and the holy of holies. The curtain was 4 in' thick and would have been somewhere around 60-70 ft high and wide. The weight was approximately between 4 to 6 tons depending on the material used. In fact the Talmud teaches that it took some 300 priest to carry it to its place. “ This was not a sheer curtain. Think of the apron that x-ray people put on you and imagine it 4 inches thick.


Quite a curtain..why was it there? For several reasons really…some symbolic and others practical…


Symbolically it represented the rift between God and humankind…the separation between us …once a year only the high priest would enter so that atonement – that is, reconciliation and peace, could be reestablished between God and his people.
Year after year the priest did by coming before the living presence of God and offering a sacrifice of the blood of an animal – symbolizing human blood or life – meaning, “You gave us our lives…we dedicate them, we give them back to you…because we are yours. And…we know that the price of our sin is our lives…in this blood, we offer that price. Have mercy upon us.” Another aspect of the symbolism of the curtain was that it evoked a tent. Remember that God met Moses in the Tent of Meeting.


The other reason the curtain was there was for protection – because …to be in the presence of the living God, the creator of the universe would be – not an exact parallel- like being exposed to nuclear fission or looking directly into the sun. The sun is far too bright and our eyes will be damaged. To look on the Living God would be to die. This was and is the conviction of the Jews who had more experience with Him than anybody else at that time. Remember what happened when Lucy Pevensie in the Narnia Chronicles first went for an encounter with Aslan the lion. “Is he safe?” she asked. “Well, no,” the answer came back, “of course he’s not safe, but he’s good.”
I want to press this point a little further, but we live in a time that tends to water down the supernatural. Think about what happens in the bible when people encounter angels. They fall down or pass out in sheer fright. Remember Isaiah? His prophetic call came when he was in the Temple and looked on the living God. He said, “Woe is me, for I am an unclean man of an unclean people.” He thought that he was about to die on the spot.
The power and brightness of the presence of the living God was not safe for people. Do you remember the people’s reaction to Moses after he would come out of the tent of meeting – his face would be shining so brightly that it scared people and they begged him to put a veil on…no one, could look on God and live…and they were afraid they would die.
Did you catch that? He put on a veil…
So the curtain…the veil in the temple signified separation, estrangement, and protection.
When Jesus died ,when the Lamb of God breathed his last, the curtain was torn in two.
What could this mean?
1. That full atonement had been made – Jesus Christ, our great high priest offered the once for all sacrifice – not a sacrifice that would need to be repeated year after year…but once for ever – to bring about atonement – peace and reconciliation between humankind and God…that he would eternally be our mediator…no need for any other…
A side note…when I offer prayers on your behalf , I do so in the name of Jesus…standing within his priesthood…not on my own for that would be both useless and meaningless…but in his name, under the cover of his blood.
So, back the curtain – the second thing to say about this today – is that in Jesus Christ, there is no longer separation between God and us and ,in Jesus Christ, we look on the glory of the Father. Here’s something really key - the power and light we see through him as fearful and awesome as it is , we can now see its true nature – that is, it is the power of sacrificial love.
This past week, I heard a country gospel song which gets at what this kind of love is like. The refrain went something like this,
“Wherever you are you can't go far enough, Whatever you've done you can't outrun the long arm of love. “[1]
This coming week is Holy Week and today we have begun to walk the way of the Cross…Today, we go from Hosanna to Crucify and next Sunday, we will travel from Crucify to Hallelujah. It’s the heart of the gospel. Come stand at the foot of the cross and at the empty tomb. Get the atonement down in your bones so that you can truly hear and believe that the sacrifice of our great high priest was on your behalf and for you, that great veil has been torn…forever. AMEN.

JTCO- 3.16.08




[1] Crossway Quartet