St. Blogory's: the internet café at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, Deerfield, IL

Easter Week: Royal Wedding (of a sort!)

As we continue to celebrate Easter (The Great Fifty Days beginning on Easter Day and ending on the Day of Pentecost), we begin a series of videos capturing the ancient custom of the "Easter Laugh."

In this pre-Royal Wedding video take-off we discover some surprising moments that almost got it right!

 

Easter Week: More about Pretzels (3)

As we continue to celebrate Easter (The Great Fifty Days beginning on Easter Day and ending on the Day of Pentecost), a few daily pretzel factoids that didn't make my Easter Children's Sermon.

In Austria, signs outside many bakeries depict a lion holding a pretzel-shaped shield. According to a legend that dates to 1510, pretzel bakers working before dawn heard Ottoman Turks tunneling under Vienna's city walls and then sounded an alarm. The city was saved, and the bakers were awarded their unique coat of arms by the Viennese king.

Easter Week: More about Pretzels (2)

As we continue to celebrate Easter (The Great Fifty Days beginning on Easter Day and ending on the Day of Pentecost), a few daily pretzel factoids that didn't make my Easter Children's Sermon.

Perhaps because of its religious roots, the pretzel has long been considered a good-luck symbol.

German children wear pretzels around their necks on New Year's Day.

In Austria in the 16th century, pretzels adorned Christmas trees, and they were hidden along with hard-boiled eggs on Easter morning.

Easter Week: More about Pretzels

As we continue to celebrate Easter (The Great Fifty Days beginning on Easter Day and ending on the Day of Pentecost), a few daily pretzel factoids that didn't make my Easter Children's Sermon.

Kepler stated that if we assume that the Earth is the center of the universe, we must accept that the planets travel in a loopy path "with the appearance of Lenten bread [i.e., the pretzel]."

Parish Newsletter

Dearly Beloved,

WHAT A GLORIOUS EASTER DAY AND CELEBRATION!

BUT FIRST― THIS SUNDAY IS SPRING CLEAN-UP SUNDAY

So please come dressed to work inside and outside on a variety of tasks from air-conditioners to weeding!

AND ALSO THIS SUNDAY― ST. GREGORY'S PRESCHOOL MANNA CARDS

Both Cash and Carry Manna Gift Cards and the last chance to pre-order Manna Gift Cards for the Spring!

AND YET AGAIN THIS SUNDAY― INGATHERING OF LENTEN POSTERS

Did you color in your Journey Through Lent poster? If so, please bring it to Church on Sunday for all to enjoy!

NOW BACK TO "WHAT A GLORIOUS EASTER DAY AND CELEBRATION!"

BUT FIRST― THANKS TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN HOLY WEEK

Our Palm Sunday Readers (Eight, Nine, and Eleven O'Clock, respectively)

Narrator: Leigh Stewart, Ingrid Roberts, Lisa Halpin; Judas: Bill Roberts, Derek Hill, Rob Cunningham; Peter: Mary Maraist, Maddie Boutros, Butler Sharpe; Jesus: Paul Maraist, Sarah Snyder, Dimitri Sinnaduray; High Priest: Al Bazzoni, Ashley Babcock, Ashley Benson; Servant 1: Marcia Bazzoni, Meredith Potter, Yvonne Masurat; Servant 2: Sybil Ten Eyck, Meredith Potter, Dot Elliott; Chief Priest: Chuck Morrison, Hans Royal-Hedinger, Meredith Potter; Prophet: David Schaper, Brian Hill, Tom Elliott; Pilate: Sybil Ten Eyck, Sara Lemrise, Bob Traettino; Pilate's Wife: Sybil Ten Eyck, Sue Koy, Barbara Schaper

Our Maundy Thursday Night to Good Friday Morning Watchers in the Garden of Repose

Dori Carlson, Sybil Ten Eyck, Margo Ramtin, David Schulz, Mary and Paul Maraist, Pat Auch, Susan Koy, and Meredith Potter

For the Liturgy of Water and Light

Ashley, Hannah and Shari Benson for organization, food, and helping set up and clean up. And Shari writes: "What a wonderful service we had on Saturday evening. I believe this was a record attendance of approximately 76 parishioners (32 of those being children). All of our readers did a wonderful job (Joe & Cate Ariano; Caroline Bielski; Sara & Emily Craig and Kristen Appelbaum). As always Mother Meredith had a wonderful discussion about baptism, prayers and the meaning of light. We wanted to thank everyone for bringing the delicious food. We had a perfect amount and as always it worked out well! Thanks to the following individuals for helping in the kitchen organizing & cleaning up after the dinner: Paula Hamilton & family; the Bielski family; the Appelbaum family; Mother Meredith."

WELL, WELL, WELL Deacons' Project

And throughout Lent, thank you to those who contributed. Dennis writes: "Our Well, Well, Well drive has collected $4,410.00 as of April 17 so we are 88% of the way toward our goal of $5,000. I will keep the drive open for a couple of weeks yet to allow people to place donations in the Sunday alms basins or mailed them in and push us over the top!"

African Team Ministries, Inc., Orphan Sponsorship Program

I am so pleased that all but one of a dozen orphans has been adopted through the brochures that Bishop Shalita brought with him on Palm Sunday. The brochure for the remaining child, Annet Mujawimana, is on the table opposite the Altar Guild's Working Sacristy.

WHAT A GLORIOUS EASTER DAY AND CELEBRATION! (this time for real!)

First, unending thanks to the Altar Guild which does all things well, and especially during Lent and Holy Week and Easter with switching the purple, red, white, and black veils on the crosses; ashes for Ash Wednesday; stripping of the Altar on Maundy Thursday, and the glorious Easter flowers and decorations.

Second, everlasting thanks to our magnificent choir and the brass quintet― and how powerfully and clear the music sounded with all voices and instruments out from under the dampening chapel ceiling and arrayed before the natural sound chamber formed by the southwest corner of the Nave!

Third, eternal thanks to Leigh Stewart and her Balloon Brigade of Lyle and Sybil Ten Eyck and Jaine Spellman who rose earlier than the two Marys to fill and string balloons to decorate the church; as well as to Ida Butler who ordered the helium, and Margo Ramtin who returned the canisters.

Thanks also to Karen and Jason Creevy who picked up the warm, fresh, and aromatic cinnamon pretzels from Auntie Anne's, and to Ingrid who helped Karen and Jason distribute them.

And thanks to David Schaper who secured the Easter Banner with this year's date; Mary Furbish and Meredith Potter who collaborated on our new Welcome to St. Gregory's Faith Community brochures, which were handed out to visitors and are now available for you to hand out to neighbors and other friends; and to Tim Miller and the Vestry's Communications Committee for securing local print advertising.

And many thanks to the Wardens and other Vestry members who organized and baked and set up and cleaned up for the incredibly edibly special Easter Coffee Hour. It was all good, and I especially enjoyed the scones!

And thanks to all those who made the Easter Egg Hunt such a great success, and to Maddie Boutros for these wonderful pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, a reminder that all of our sermons, including Sunday's adult sermon and children's sermon (with links to the medieval paintings of pretzels!) are always available on line at St. Gregory's website and at www.stgregoryschurch.typepad.com/stblogorys and posted on St. Gregory's Facebook Page!

CONGRATULATIONS CORNER

To Marty Esgar, Biology Teacher and Deerfield High School WYSE coach and sponsor, and student Emma Martin, for exemplary results at the Illinois State Finals at the University of Illinois.

WYSE stands for Worldwide Youth in Sciences and Engineering and they sponsor an Academic Challenge where students compete against others in areas relating to engineering: biology, chemistry, physics, math, English, computer science, and engineering graphics. Each student on the team can only compete in two areas, and DHS competed in a grouping of high schools with 1,500 or more students.

The team came in 5th overall in their grouping, and Emma placed 2nd in the English competition and 5th in Biology.

And even to get to the State competition, DHS had to finish as one of the top two teams at both the regional and sectional tournaments held earlier in the year. Only one other DHS student placed in both subjects.

FINAL TOTAL ON THE SHROVE SUNDAY PANCAKE BRUNCH: $3,385― Hurray!

FAMILY SUPPORT MINISTRY THANK YOU AND INVITATION

THANK YOU to all our Family Support Ministry volunteers who support and sustain this ministry on an ongoing basis.

Special thanks to Dan & Laura Best, LoriLee Bielski, Marilyn Knilans, Cyndi Millspaugh, Meredith Potter, Kathy Swager & Joan West for providing meals recently.

We are thankful to Mother Meredith for providing meals on multiple occasions, when they were required at short notice. 

INVITATION to new volunteers to join our ranks.

Our volunteers are called upon to provide meals and other support (like driving to a doctor visit), when our parishioners are dealing with medical issues, hospitalization, childbirth, etc.

Volunteers usually provide only one to three meals annually, and meals may be wholly or partially purchased as well as home-cooked.

Please contact one of the co-chairs if you have an interest in obtaining information about volunteering or signing up for this wonderful ministry: Brooke Fogt (847-945-1871/brookefogt@discover.com); Sharon Moceri (847-392-6433/sharmo1@aol.com); Ishani Sinnaduray (847-634-9106/IshaniS@aol.com).

W W W W W W W

In your prayers this week, please remember the sick, especially Bob Kimberlin, Jon Ruby, Christy Shrader, Joel Burrows, Lynne Farrell, Michael Hoffman, Kathy Swager, Bill Waltemath, Dixie Howes, Matt Gunnels, Judy McCann, The Travis Family, and Alexandra;

the people of Japan;

our companion parish in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, as they prepare to dedicate their church building on May 1, and their leaders, Rev. Donné and Evangelist Tomboasy;

the men and women serving in the armed forces and their families, remembering especially Timothy Welton, Ray Creevy, Cary Clark, Bob Morrissette, Carl Best, Mike Demmon, Ryan Krochmolny, Sarah Shirley, Jason Greenman, Jamie Hayes, Ilan Kedar, Robert Steere, Eric Cloe, Robb Dunlap, Greg Hirsch, Jamie Mitchell, Brian Adamson, Hunter Levine and Chad Field; and

for the faithful departed, especially remembering Agnes Doll.

Faithfully yours,

Easter Day: Children's Sermon

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Anastasia Escargot is the Chaplain of Ryerson Woods. Her first name means "Resurrection," and as a snail (alive within her tomb-like shell) she is a symbol of Resurrection. She visits St. Gregory's Nine O'Clock Service every Easter.

Bill              Happy Easter, Anastasia!

Anastasia    Happy Easter, Father Roberts, Boys and Girls!

Bill              So, how are things at Ryerson Woods these days?

Anastasia    They’re wonderful. With gas prices so high people are walking through the woods more.

Bill              So what new animal have you hired this year?

Anastasia    Well, what do you mean?

Bill              Well, three years ago you hired Jack Rabbit, and two years ago it was Dismas Duck and. . .

Anastasia    . . . and last year it was Pasqual Pig. Yes, that’s true, but we’re an equal opportunity employer so this year we hired a human being to be our new baker.

Bill              So what’s his name?

Anastasia    His name is Elvis.

Bill              As in Elvis Presley?

Anastasia    Well, yes, except we call him Elvis Pretzel!

Bill              Elvis Pretzel?! Why do you call him Elvis Pretzel?

Anastasia    Well, there's a bit of a story there. You see, we decided to give Elvis a welcome party at the Cubby Bear, but he got there ahead of us. The waiter showed him to a table, and there was a bowl of pretzels for him to munch on. Well, after a little while he heard a voice: “That’s a lovely tie you’re wearing.” He looked up, but he didn’t see anyone near him, so he thought maybe he was just mistaken. So he grabbed a few more pretzels, and then he heard another voice: “You’re a very handsome young man.” So again he looked around, but there wasn’t anyone near him. Still puzzled, he grabbed a few more pretzels. And a few moments later he heard another voice say, “That’s a great haircut, makes you look handsome.” Once again, he looked all over but he couldn’t figure out where the voice was coming from, so he called his waiter over and said, “I must be going crazy. I keep hearing voices saying I’m so handsome, and what a great tie I’m wearing.” The waiter said, “Oh, not to worry, sir. Those are the pretzels. They’re complimentary.”

Bill              Oh, Anastasia! Well, I think that’s about enough from you! Say good-bye to the boys and girls. . . . 

Anastasia    Happy Easter, boys and girls. Happy Easter!

+ + +

So, boys and girls, how many of you had pancakes at our Shrove Sunday pancake brunch before Lent began?

Does anyone know why we have pancakes before Lent begins?

Well, during Lent some Christians don't eat milk and eggs and butter, so a good way to eat up all the milk and eggs and butter before Lent is to make pancakes.

About 1400 years ago, some monks in northern Italy were making special Lenten bread with only water and flower. One of the monks took some strips of the dough and folded them to look like arms crossed in prayer, like this. Can you do that? Sometimes when people come to the Altar for a blessing instead of the bread and wine, they fold their arms across their chests like that.

Well, the monks decided to give this special Lenten bread to boys and girls as a little reward when they learned their prayers, and the Italian word for “little reward” is pretiola.

Can you say, pretiola?

What does the word pretiola sound like?

That's right! It sounds like pretzel!

Well, people loved the new pretzels, and as time went on pretzels came to symbolize not only prayer, but good luck and prosperity and spiritual wholeness.

The monks were quick to point out that the three spaces in the pretzel represent the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Turned one way, a pretzel looks like folded arms; turned upside down, it looks like a heart, and so it stands for love.

At weddings the bride and groom would break a pretzel in the same way we like to break wishbones these days.

And pretzels began to show up in paintings, too. Here’s a painting from 1190― the woman is Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus from the Old Testament, and yet what do you see on the table?

And this painting is from a prayer book in 1440, showing St. Bartholomew with pretzels along the top and down the left side and along the bottom.

And here’s a famous painting by Peter Bruegel in 1559: do you see the pretzels on this closeup?

And then guess what? Parents began to hide a pretzel and two hard boiled eggs on Easter morning for their children to find. The pretzel stood for everlasting life because it twists around in a continuous loop, and the two eggs stood for rebirth and new life. And that’s how the Easter Egg hunt got its start!

So, after the service is over, as your pretiola or "little reward" for being such good boys and girls, you can go to my office for a cinnamon pretzel, which my daughter Karen and her husband Jason are picking up right now at Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Bakery so they’ll be fresh-baked for you and so delicious!

+ + +

And Auntie Anne's cinnamon pretzels were absolutely delicious, and still warm when Ingrid and Karen and Jason handed them out! Thank you Auntie Anne's and Scott and Barbara and the bakers! The 70 children at the service loved them.

Easter Day: Rejoice!"

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The two Marys are running with great joy to tell the disciples “He is risen!” and suddenly they come face to face with Jesus and he says to them, “Greetings!”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever greeted anyone by saying “Greetings!” Usually, it’s “Hello!” or “Hi!” And, in fact, that’s the common, ordinary meaning of the Greek word translated in this morning’s Gospel as “Greetings!” Once upon a time people may have said “Greetings!” but these days it just sounds archaic and much too formal.

So the only thing the translator got right is the use of the exclamation point, because one thing’s for sure― someone who’s just been raised from the dead doesn’t say an ordinary “Hello!” or “Hi, there!” In fact, although the Greek word has the common, ordinary meaning of “Hello!” the literal meaning of the word is “Rejoice!” and it’s hard to imagine that the risen Jesus would have met the two Marys with anything less than the greatest rejoicing.

So please stand up, and turn to the persons near you as if you’re Jesus and you never thought you’d ever see them again and give to them a great big “Rejoice!”

{{Congregational Response}} [Afterward, the congregation is seated again.]

There are two other times in Matthew’s Gospel when he uses the word “Hello.” In the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas betrays Jesus he says to him, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And when the soldiers dress Jesus in a purple robe and put a crown of thorns on his head, they say to him, “Hail”― “Greetings”― “Hey there”― King of the Jews!”

The betraying Judas and the mocking soldiers remind us that the same word may be used to bleed as well as bless, to hurt as well as heal, to savage as well as salvage.

In just a moment we will renew our Baptismal Covenant, and one of the questions we will answer is this: “Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?”

I had always understood this question in a narrow, evangelistic sense. To “proclaim by word” meant saying something like, “Jesus loves you!” or asking something like, “Are you saved?”

But now I realize that whenever we use words to bless rather than to bleed, we proclaim the Good News of God in Christ. Whenever we use words to heal rather than to hurt, we proclaim the Good News of God in Christ. And whenever we use words to salvage rather than to savage, we proclaim Good News of God in Christ.

There’s another ordinary word with an extraordinary meaning in this morning’s Gospel. When the angel sends the two Marys on their way, the angel tells them to “tell his disciples,” but when Jesus sends the two Marys on their way, Jesus tells them to “tell my brothers.” Now in this case what makes the ordinary word “brothers” so extraordinary is not its literal meaning, but its spiritual meaning, and its spiritual meaning is “forgiveness.” For these disciples whom Jesus now calls his brothers are the same disciples who had abandoned Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and fled for their lives. Jesus uses the word “brothers” to bless and heal and salvage his forgiven disciples.

“Rejoice” and “Forgive”― these are resurrection words, these are words which bless and heal and salvage.

The poet David Whyte wrote a piece titled Loaves and Fishes, an allusion to the time when Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish, and blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to over five thousand people:

This is not
the age of information.

This is not
the age of information.

Forget the news,
and the radio,
and the blurred screen.

This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.

People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Journey through Lent: The Fortieth Day

Collect for Holy Saturday

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in a tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. Matthew 27:62-66

Journey through Lent: The Thirty-Ninth Day

Collect for Good Friday

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. Matthew 27:45-50

Journey through Lent: The Thirty-Eighth Night― Maundy Thursday

+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John’s Gospel begins with these words about Jesus:

“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came to his own, but his own did not receive him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.”

Tonight, these first words from John’s Gospel begin to be fully realized:

“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

Jesus even loved those who refused to receive him, and as a sign of that love, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, including Judas’.

And then he comes to Peter, and when Peter objects, Jesus tells him that if Peter doesn’t let him wash his feet, he can’t have a share in his life.

Tonight, many churches will have foot-washing ceremonies; and by now the Pope has already washed the feet of 12 chosen laymen. There were several years when we did it here at St. Gregory’s. I don’t remember when or why we stopped doing it, but as I’ve thought about it for tonight’s sermon, I have come to the conclusion that the idea of washing feet is, well, wrong-footed, for two reasons.

First, the person washing the feet is almost always someone who is in a superior power relationship to the people whose feet he’s washing. Either a superior liturgical power relationship― a Priest washing a Deacon’s feet; or a superior institutional relationship― a Pope washing a layperson’s feet.

But Jesus wasn’t play-acting for one night. His entire ministry, from his first words, “What are you looking for?” to his last words: “It is finished!” was an act of foot-washing.

The second reason, and the more important reason, is this: even if our foot-washing is completely mutual and without any power differential, it’s a subtle way that we, like Peter, refuse to let Jesus wash our feet.

You see, the real question tonight is this: are we willing to let Jesus wash our feet? Because unless he washes our feet, we, like Peter, can have no share in his life. And only if we let Jesus wash our feet, will we be able truly to wash one another’s feet.

So let’s take a moment now to go to that upper room, and in the silence that follows, let Jesus wash your feet.

. . .

“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.  . . . Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”